BYTE-1993-03

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Your Wish Is Our a

5 5—"""' "I wish I could get a great PC at a great price without sacrificing performance and features." Your wish is our command!

You'll be spellbound by Gateway's ferociously competitive prices on systems that are unequaled in powerful performance, impressive features and graceful integration of components. When readers and editors of the most popular PC magazines are asked which company delivers on its promises, their overwhelming response is Gateway 2000.

f^H "Gateway has gone far beyond conventional ideas of price r^ and performance... it has created new rules that other PC makers will have to follow if they want to remain players." - PC Computing, 1992 MVP Awards

"Gateway 2000 was the big 1992 Best Buy winner, sweeping not only the desktop awards as it did last year, but the newly expanded notebook categories as well... Altogether, Gateway won five Best Buy awards this year, including Best

Overall System Vendor... It's no surprise that Gateway

is consistently the people's choice when it comes to

systems.

- Computer Shopper, 1992 Readers' Best Buy Awards

bimand!

-T ~"'\ wish I could be sure I'm buying from a PC company that will provide excellent service and support - a company that will be around for me." Your wish is our command!

Twice in 1992, Gateway was honored for outstanding service. PC World readers ranked Gateway number one in service and support. And PC Magazine readers gave Gateway the best overall scores in the 1992 Service and Reliability Survey.

Just as important is our strength as a company. Warranties and assurances of lifetime technical support don't mean anything unless a company survives to honor them, which is a serious consideration in the shifting sands of today's PC marketplace.

Gateway is among the few financially robust companies in the industry. Our 1992 revenues exceeded $1 billion and our earnings are among the strongest in the industry. The company is virtually debt-free. At a time when other companies have been forced to lay off employees, we added 300 people to our staff. You now have 1,800 friends in the business. Rest assured Gateway is your oasis that will never leave you high and dry. We'll be here for you!

rt-k

"I wish I could find the combination of features I need

in a portable PC - at the right price." Your wish is our command!

No matter what you need in a portable, you'll find it in one of our Nomad notebooks. Gateway customers selected Nomads as the winners in 386 and 486 notebook categories of Computer Shopper's 1992 Best Buy Awards.

"There are faster laptops, there are cheaper laptops, there are color laptops, but there is no better laptop... Weighing in at only 5.6 pounds, the Nomad combines the powerful punch of a 25MHz i486DX with a working battery life of more than six hours. At long last, we have a laptop that can really go the distance when there's no power outlet in sight." - Computer Shopper, 1992 Readers' Best Buy Awards

PC Sources echoed Computer Shopper's conclusions. "The Nomad 425DXL packs an awful lot of computing into a case that's just 1.7 inches high. Its excellent 79-key keyboard has a great typing feel... The fine video system includes a large backlit black-on-white LCD..."

New this month is the Nomad 450DXL including Intel's 50MHz 486DX2L processor for blazing performance.

Our Caravan Of Extras.

Software Selections

Your every software need is our command. With mini desktop, desktop and tower systems that include "choice of application software," select one of the following applications, all latest versions:

I Microsoft® Excel for Windows™ I Microsoft Word for Windows™

■ Microsoft Word and Bookshelf 92,® CD-ROM Edition

■ Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows™

■ Microsoft Project for Windows™

■ The MS Entrepreneur Pack (Works,™' Publisher,™ Money,™ TurboTax for Windows® from ChipSoft, and games)

■ Borland Paradox® or dBASEIV®

■ The Windows Programmer Pack (MS Quick C,™ Visual Basic and more)

■ Upgrade to Microsoft Office™ for $ 175

If the system you want comes with Works for Windows,™ you can upgrade to one of the software choices above for only $150.

Utilities Included, Too

Cool Tools for DOS, a diagnostic and utilities package, comes with all Gateway desktop systems and includes: QA Plus™ from Diagsoft,™ Central Point® Anti-Virus, RAM Boost, Defrag and Emergency Disk.

Microsoft Windows™ for Workgroups

Windows for Workgroups is ideal for e-mail, group scheduling and resource sharing, and includes an Ethernet adapter and software. Hardware and software are factory-installed. You can see Windows for Workgroups running on Gateway systems in any of over 200 Egghead Software® stores in the U.S. Stop by for a demonstration! With the purchase of a system, Windows for Workgroups is specially priced at just $159!

Microsoft Windows Sound System™

This sound system designed especially for business use lets you speak to your PC for hands-free operation. It even reads numbers back to you for proofing. You can also embed audio messages in all your Windows OLE applications. Package includes soundboard, microphone, headset and software. You pay only $149 with the purchase of a system.

CD-ROM Kit

Includes CD-ROM, interface card, and everything you need to add MPCcompliant CD-ROM to your PC. With a system purchase, or if you own a Gateway system, you can buy this CD-ROM kit for only $225!

The TelePath™ Fax/Modem

A 14,400bps modem, V.32bis, with 9,600bps fax capability. Includes WinFax Pro,™ Crosstalk™ for Windows, Qmodem™ and more. $195

CrystalScan™ 15-Inch Monitor

Non-interlaced 15-inch color monitor with flat, square screen - an upgrade option only at the time of purchase on any Gateway 2000 desktop system for only $100.

Panasonic Color-Capable Printer

Add color to your documents with this Panasonic KXP2123 24-pin dot matrix printer. Includes Adobe Type Manager.® Printer, $259; Color Option, $50

Most Gateway peripherals are sold only with the purchase of a Gateway system. For details on our complete line of components, peripherals and software, call direct to our special add-on components division at 800-846-2080.

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Qateway 2000's Magical Values

Desktop Systems

3SX-33

■ 33MHz 386SX Intel® Processor*

■ 4MB RAM

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 80MB 17ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Windows Accelerated Video with 1MB DRAM

■ 14" Color CrystalScan™ 1024NI

■ Mini Desktop Case

■ 5 16-Bit ISA Slots

■ 124-Key AnyKey™ Keyboard

■ MS-DOS,®Windows™ & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ MS Works for Windows™ 2.0

4SX-25

4SX-33

$1295

4SX-33V

■ 33MHz 486SX Intel Processor*

■ 8MB RAM, 64K Cache

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 170MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Local Bus IDE Interface

I VESA Local Bus ATI Ultra Pro with 1MB VRAM

■ 15" Color CrystalScan 1572FS

■ Desktop Case (Tower Upgrade)

■ 8 16-Bit ISA Slots, 2 with 32-Bit VESA Local Bus

■ 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ Choice of Application Software

$2195

486 Notebooks.

■ 25MHz 486SX Intel Processor* I 4MB RAM

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 170MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Local Bus IDE Interface

■ Windows Accelerated Video with 1MB DRAM

■ 14" Color CrystalScan 1024NI

■ Mini Desktop Case

■ 5 16-Bit ISA Slots

■ 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ MS Works for Windows 2.0

■ 33MHz 486SX Intel Processor*

■ 4MB RAM, 64K Cache

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives *

■ 170MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Local Bus IDE Interface

■ Windows Accelerated Video with 1MB DRAM

■ 14" Color CrystalScan 1024NI

■ Mini Desktop Case

■ 5 16-Bit ISA Slots

■ 124-Key Any Key Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ Choice of Application Software

4DX-33

■ 33MHz 486DX Intel Processor*

■ 4MB RAM, 64K Cache

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 250MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Local Bus IDE Interface

■ Windows Accelerated Video with 1MB DRAM

■ 14" Color CrystalScan 1024NI

■ Mini Desktop Case

■ 5 16-Bit ISA Slots

■ 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ Choice of Application Software

$1495

$1695

$1995

4DX-33V

■ 33MHz 486DX Intel Processor*

■ 8MB RAM, 64K Cache

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 250MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive

■ Local Bus IDE Interface

■ VESA Local Bus ATI Ultra Pro with 1MB VRAM

■ 15" Color CrystalScan 1572FS

■ Desktop Case (Tower Upgrade)

■ 8 16-Bit ISA Slots, 2 with 32-Bit VESA Local Bus

■ 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ Choice of Application Software

4DX2-66V

66MHz 486DX2 Intel Processor* 8MB RAM, 256K Cache 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives 340MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive Local Bus IDE Interface VESA Local Bus ATI Ultra Pro with 1MB VRAM 15" Color CrystalScan 1572FS Desktop Case (Tower Upgrade) 8 16-Bit ISA Slots, 2 with 32-Bit VESA Local Bus 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse Cool Tools for DOS Choice of Application Software

4DX2-66E

■ 66MHz 486DX2 Intel Processor*

■ 8MB RAM, 256K Cache

■ 5.25" & 3.5" Diskette Drives

■ 500MB 11ms SCSI Hard Drive

■ 32-Bit EISA SCSI Controller

■ Windows Accelerated Video with 1MB DRAM

■ 14" Color CrystalScan 1024NI

■ Tower Case

■ 8 32-Bit EISA Slots

■ 124-Key AnyKey Keyboard

■ MS-DOS, Windows & Mouse

■ Cool Tools for DOS

■ Choice of Application Software

$2495

$2995

M

$3795

^

NOMAD 425SXL

25MHz 486SX Intel Processor*

4MB RAM

3.5" Diskette Drive

80MB IDE Hard Drive

Backlit 10" VGA Screen, 64 Grays

Simultaneous Video with 256K

Size 8.5" x 11" x 1.8", 5.6 Lbs.

6-Hr. NiCad Battery & AC Pack

1 Parallel/1 Serial Port

79-Key Keyboard & FieldMouse™

MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1

MS Works for Windows 2.0

NOMAD 425DXL

■ 25MHz 486DX Intel Processor*

■ 4MB RAM

■ 3.5" Diskette Drive

■ 120MB IDE Hard Drive

■ Backlit 10" VGA Screen, 64Grays

■ Simultaneous Video with 1MB

■ Size 8.5" xll"x 1.8", 5.6 Lbs.

■ 6-Hr. NiCad Battery & AC Pack

■ 1 Parallel/1 Serial Port

■ 79-Key Keyboard & FieldMouse

■ MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1

■ MS Works for Windows 2.0

NOMAD 450DXL

50MHz 486DX2 Intel Processor*

8MB RAM

3.5" Diskette Drive

200MB IDE Hard Drive

Backlit 10" VGA Screen, 64 Grays

Simultaneous Video with 1MB

Size 8.5" x 11" x 1.8", 5.6 Lbs.

6-Hr. NiCad Battery & AC Pack

1 Parallel/1 Serial Port

79-Key Keyboard & FieldMouse

MS-DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1

MS Works for Windows 2.0

S

$1995

$2595

$3295

GATEW&2000

^Contains an Intel386""or

Intel486'" microprocessor

"You w ?nta trimi in tov mtsimx;

8 (TT- 8 4 6 - 2 0 0 0

610 Gateway Drive • P.O.Box 2000 • North Sioux City, SD 57049-2000 • 605-232-2000 • Fax 605-232-2023 Sales Hours: 7am-10pm Weekdays, 9am-4pm Saturdays (CT)

©1993 Gateway 2000, Inc. AnyKey, HandBook, FieldMouse, CrystalScan and TelePath are trademarks of Gateway 2000, Inc. The.lntel Inside Logo is a trademark and Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Prices and configurations are subject to change without notice. Prices do not include shipping.

Your wish

is our command at

■

Qateway 2000! We can grant you the three most universal PC wishes in the wink of an eye. As a fringe benefit, we won't limit you to three wishes here. Most anything your heart desires in computers (sorry, we can't grant wishes for romance or riches), you can get from Qateway.

That's because we built our business by

listening to our customers' wishes and doing

everything in our power to make their dreams come true. At Qateway, we believe you should be able to have it all: the latest technology, glittering performance, quality construction, enchanting service and the fairest prices in the land. All this from a financially healthy company that won't run dry and leave you stranded in the desert.

You don't have to settle for less. With Qateway 2000, you can have it all. Draw up your wish list and give us a call. We'll make some truly magical values materialize for you.

GATEWW2000

8 0 0 -846-2000

So Powerful

It Can't Be A PC.

Transform Your PC With The INTERACTIVE UNIX System.

Unleash the 32-bit power in your PC with the INTERACTIVE'" UNIX8 System from SunSoft. Charge through applications at record speeds. Use real-world multitasking and networking. Get on the path to a distributed computing future.

Just Say No To SCO.

Why? The INTERACTIVE UNIX System is easy to use, simple to administer, all at a great price.

Open Systems Today* sap the INTERACTIVE UNIX "system management...is easier to use and more comprehensive" than SCO'" and "is simply a masterpiece of good design."

Looking Glass Professional" desktop manager makes the INTERACTIVE UNIX System easy enough for novices, yet powerful enough for experienced UNIX users. And the award winning Easy Windows makes setting up graphic environments infinitely simpler. You can't afford not to take advantage of the already low cost of : INTERACTIVE UNIX System.

And SCO UNIX/XENIX* users can save an additional 50% by switching to the INTERACTIVE UNIX System today. That's something to say yes to.

Everything You Like About Your PC-And A Lot More.

INTERACTIVE UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2 supports hundreds of the most popular Intelbased platforms and peripherals. So getting started is fast, easy, and cost-effective.

Thousands of UNIX and XENIX applications are at your command. And our VP/ix package runs virtually all DOS software.

You get Lotus',' WordPerfect' and Oracle*. You get SCO applications.

You get it all.

See What Develops.

The INTERACTIVE UNIX System is the environment of choice for 80X86 application development. You get access to a full range of development tools including compilers, debuggers and libraries. And for graphical applications, the XI1 INTERACTIVE environment is a revelation.

Partner With Power.

The INTERACTIVE UNIX System is a powerful business partner for companies who know something about power. Companies like BMW, Goodyear, Leica, and Dunlop to name a few. That power can be yours, too. All from SunSoft, the leading supplier of 32-bit UNIX system software.

Call today and save 50% on UNIX power that's so cost-effective, it can't be anything but a PC. 1-800-227-9227.

"Issue dale: April 13,1992 ©1992 Sun Microsystems, inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, lire Sun logo, SunSoft, the SunSoft Logo, VP/ix and Easy Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. INTERACTIVE is a trademark of INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation. UNlXis a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. Looking Glass Professional is a trademark of Visix Software, Inc. All oilier trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective holders. The promotional discount is available to SCO UNIX/XENIX users and is subject to certain restrictions. Contact SunSoft for terms and conditions of promotion. SunSoft reserves the right to stop the promotion at any time. .SunSoft can be reached at 2550 GarciaAvenue, Mountain View, CA94043. (510) 460-3267. B-3/93

Circle 174 on Inquiry Card.

EVTE

March 1993

Volume 18, Number 3

COVER STORY

FEATURE

Smarter E-Mail Is Coming

PAGE 90

SOLUTIONS FOCUS

A Review of E-Mail Packages

PAGE 136

■nrra

24 MICROBYTES

The first HDTV sets are not likely to appear in U.S. homes before 1995, yet companies from Microsoft to HBO are already involved in programming projects.

37 REPORT FROM INDIA

High-Tech Opportunities Abound

by Jay Remade

The government is high on growth

but down on imports.

40 FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A Spring Harvest of Apple Macintoshes

£>v Tom Thompson and Tom R. Half hill With street prices of abotit $ 1000 to $4500, these new Macs are priceconscious and powerful.

90

46

Lotus 1-2-3 for OS/2 2.0

and Lotus Freelance Graphics

for OS/2 2.0, two major

applications for IBM's OS

Sparcstation LX, Sun's featurepacked little Unix box

Personal Communicator 440,

start-up EO does it right the first time

58

PowerExec EL, forgoing some notebook frills means big savings

WHAT'S NEW

BriteL/te LX puts SPARC power on the road, LANDesk simplifies network management, and more.

FEATURES

Smarter E-Mail Is Coming

by Andy Reinhardt

Intelligent E-mail delivers more than messages. It will change how your

business works by improving communications and automating workflow.

THE VINES ADVANTAGE bv Jon Udell

STATE OF THE ART

COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

112 Overview: Collaborative Computing

by Jeffrey Hsu and Tony Lockwood

Computer technology brings workgroups closer.

THE PUBLIC REACTS TO GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS by James D, Ccmtl and Catherine M. Beise

123 Hitting Warp Speed

for LANs

by Mark A. Clarkson

Collaborative

computing demands

faster networks.

129 Better Than Being There

by Tom Yager Desktop video conferencing is on its way.

BEING HERE AND THERE

by David H. Mitchell

4 BYTE • MARCH (993

COVER IMAGE: ELLE SCHUSTER 8 1993

REVIEWS

OPINIONS

136 SOLUTIONS FOCUS t> Mixed Messaging by Howard Eglowstein and Ben Smith Muitiplatform internetwork mail can link diverse clients on widespread networks.

E-MAIL FROM THE WORKPLACE SHELL

by Jon Udell

156 A New Resolution for Desktop Lasers

by G. Armour Van Horn A comparison of the latest 600-dpi laser printers.

165 How to Deal with Taxing Questions

by Kathleen LaRiviere and Stan Miastkowski Tax-preparation software for DOS, the Mac, and Windows.

169 Compaq Stakes Out

Both Ends of the Server Spectrum

by Barry Nance Compaq's new high-end Systempro/XL and low-end ProSignia servers.

173 Two PowerBooks Great and Small

by Tom Thompson

The PowerBook 180 and PowerBook Duo 230 show different design directions.

177 Visual Basic for Windows Gets a Face-Lift by Tom Yager Microsoft improves its programming package with version 2.0.

181 Imagining the World by Raymond GA Cote

Macintosh software for simulating systems from the administrative office to the factory floor.

183 REVIEWER'S NOTEBOOK

It Worked Fine a Minute Ago by Rick Grehan Reflections on Macintosh compatibility problems.

73

184

256

12

20

HANDS ON

187 SOME ASSEMBLY 208

REQUIRED Divide and Conquer

by Thomas Jeffries

Here's how to debug interrupt

service routines.

197 UNDER THE HOOD

CD-ROM Inside and Out 209

by Roger C. Alford Exploring the complexities of CD-ROM drives, discs, and associated standards.

SOFTWARE CORNER Automatic NetWare Log-Ins

by Barry Nance, Tom Thompson, and Ben Smith Let your applications log in to NetWare; a Mac text editor; and a graphics file viewer.

BEYOND DOS Next-Generation OLE

by Bruce D. Schatzman

A faster, simpler OLE looms on

the horizon.

USER'S COLUMN CD-ROM Secrets

by Jerry Poumelle

The trick to integrating CD-ROM

and Windows for Workgroups.

BOOK AND CD-ROM

REVIEWS

The AI Debate Revisited

by Hugh Kenner, Dick Pountain,

and Raymond GA Cote

What Computers Still Can't Do,

guides to the Internet,

an updated Grolier's multimedia

encyclopedia, and more.

STOP BIT Fractal Fantasies

by Clifford A. Pickover Fractals add a new dynamic to game design.

EDITORIAL The State of BYTE

by Dennis Allen

LETTERS

Choosing a CPU; low-cost PCs; BYTE's Windows issue; and other topics.

READER SERVICE

254

Editorial Index by Company

250

Alphabetical Index to Advertisers

252

Index to Advertisers

by Product Category

Direct Link Cards: 252A

213

BUYER'S GUIDE

Mail Order

Hardware/Software Showcase

Buver's Mart

PROGRAM LISTINGS

From BIX: Join "Ustings/frombyte93" and

select the appropriate subarea (i.e., "mar93"). From the UUNET: ftp to ftp.uu.net, log on as "anonymous," and enter your user ID as your password. Type "cd/published/byte" and type "DIR." Files appear in subdirectories arranged by month.

From the BYTE BBS at 1200-9600 bps: Dial (603) 924-9820 and follow the instructions at the prompt.

BYTE (ISSN 0360-5280) is published monthly with additional issues in April and October by McGraw-Hill, Inc. U.S. subscriber rate S29.95 per year. In Canada and Mexico, $34.95 per year. European surface mail subscriptions S60. airmail $80. Non-European subscriptions, 360 surface mail or S85 airmail. All foreign subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds that can be drawn on a U.S. bank. Single copies $3.50 in the U.S., $4.50 in Canada. Executive, Editorial, Circulation, and Advertising Offices: One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. Second-class postage paid at Peterborough, NH, and additional mailing offices. Postage paid at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Registration number 9321. Registered for GST as McGraw-Hill, Inc.. GST #123075673. Printed in the United States of America. Postmaster: Send address changes and fulfillment questions to BYTE Subscriptions. P.O. Box 552, Hightstown, NJ 08520.

INSIDE BYTE

COVER CORNER PHOTOGRAPHY: MEL LINDSTROM © 1993

MARCH 1993 'BYTE 5

I

fWE FIRST OPTICAL s-l&FiQ DMVI,

uiimirdlloloii norfonmiiio),.,"

19 Technology • Irvine, CA 92718 • Int'l (714) 727-3300 • Fax (714) 727-1913

rr dfuve You'll

". . . IllO P1MO-6.SO V/iJS il

voiitiililo m<:!<ol." (Iiiisfoniior Stetson

PC Wm!<

<

lio■ PMO-M^iJls jlu) I'ii")

Heal drive that can get .,d run neck and neck with hard disks"

rov/niiiijio Oj v/o'vo ovor hKla' 11

arrance

TYPE: 5.25" OPTICAL

CAPACITY: 650/600 MB

SIZE: 7.3" (H) X 3.6" (W) X IO.O" (D)

WEIGHT: 7.4 LBS

MOUNTING: VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL

Optical technology has many advantages- making Pinnacle the leader in performance and innovation, removability, reliability, infinite storage capacity, and a lower There is no higher source in the industry. The PMO-130™ and cost per megabyte over magnetic media. The PMO™ series are PM0-650™ore the Twin Peaks. Plug-n-play for PC and based on Pinnacle's own OHD™ (Optical Hard Drive) technology, compatibles, PS/2, MAC, SUN, HP, DEC, and Silicon Graphics.

It's more than a hard drive - It's optical!

(800) 553-7070

56,793 516,390 S32.385 I S 160,345

Pinnacle JvIicro

7&

Circle 129 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 130).

THE OPTICAL STORAGE COMPANY®

BYTE Topic Index

This index helps you find articles that contain information on each of the listed topics. (The topic list changes each month.)

Combined with the table of contents (page 4) and the Editorial Index by Company (page 254),

you can identify articles by type, subject, title, author, or product discussed.

ACCOUNTING 165

Al 184

APPLICATIONS 90, 112,123,165

BASIC 177

BOOKS 73,184

CD-I 197

CD-ROM 73,184, 197

COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

112,123,129

COMMUNICATIONS 136 DEVELOPMENT 177 DRAMS, 64-MEGABIT 24

DVI (DIGITAL VIDEO INTERACTIVE)

197

ELECTRONIC BOOKS 24 ELECTRONIC MEETINGS 112 E-MAIL 90, 136

FDDI 123 FRACTALS 254 GAME THEORY 254 GROUPWARE 112, 123,129 HDTV 24 INDIA 37 INDUSTRIAL 181 INTERNET 184 INTEROPERABILITY 90,136

INTERRUPT SERVICE ROUTINES

187

JAPANESE 73

LASER PRINTERS, 600-DPI 156 MACINTOSH 40, 173,208 MANUFACTURING 181 MAPI (MESSAGING API) 90 MOBILE COMPUTING 46

MULTIMEDIA 73, 184

NETWORKS 73,90, 112,123, 136, 171

NOTEBOOKS/PORTABLES

46,58,173

OLE 209

OS/2 20,46

PEN PCS 46

PHOTO CD 197

PRINTERS 156

PROGRAMMING 37, 177, 187,209

SERVERS 171

SGML 24

SHAREWARE 208

SIMULATION 181

SOFTWARE PIRACY 24

SPREADSHEETS 46

STANDARDS 90, 197

SYSTEMS 40,171

TAX SOFTWARE 165

U.K. 24

UNIX 46, 208

UTILITIES 208

VIDEO 58,129

VIDEOCONFERENCING 112,129

VIM (VENDOR-INDEPENDENT MESSAGING) 90

VINES 90

WINDOWS 20, 73, 90, 112, 165, 177,209

WINDOWS NT 24

WORKSTATIONS 46

X.400 90

X.500 90

Your Choice of Keyboard MonitorSwitches

Access multiple computers with a single keyboard and monitor to cut equipment costs, save valuable space, and end clutter

Manually controlled unit

Simple pushbutton operation for quick selection Four, eight, or twelve ports per unit Daisy-chaining connects unlimited number of CPUs Compatible with EGA, VGA, Macintosh, Sun, and others Optional keyboard booting for 286,386, and 486 Optional RS232 or PS/2 mouse interface PCB construction for high reliability and low crosstalk Rack mount, matrix, and customized units available

Switch by keystroke, from front panel, or RS232 port

Two orfourports per unit

Cascade units to support up to 255 CPUs

Supports monochrome, EGA, and VGA I Includes keyboard booting for 286,386, and 486 I Includes RS232 and PS/2 mouse interface I LEDs display selected CPU and CPU power-on I Scan function switches among CPUs automatically

Keyboard controlled unit

Call toll-free now for your copy of our Switching and Sharing Solutions catalog.

Other Hose products: Print servers, printer sharing units, print buffers, keyboard monitor extenders, video sptitters. All Rose products are US-made and have a l-yearwarranty.

Make the Rose Connection

10850 Wilcrest Drive • Houston, Texas 77099 • Phone (713)933-7673 • Fax (713)933-0044

1-800-333-9343

8 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle T41 on Inquiry Card.

The Software is the Instrument .. ♦^bu Choose the Computer

LabWindows for DOS

If/JYI LabVIEW for Windows MJ LabVIEW for Sun

LabVIEW for Macintosh

ACQUISITION

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119

Graphical User Interface • Hard Copy • File I/O

C and BASIC Programming

Graphical Programming

See us at PITTCON, Booth Call for FREE demo disks

(800) 433-3488 (U.S. and Canada)

Branch Offices: Australia 03 879 9422 • Belgium 02 757 00 20 • Canada 519 622 9310 Denmark 45 76 73 22 • Finland 90 524566 • France 1 48 65 33 70 • Germany 089 714 50 93 Italy 02 48301892 • Japan 03 3788 1921 • Netherlands 01720 45761 • Norway 03846866 Spain91 896 0675 • Sweden 08 984970 • Switzerland 056 27 00 20 • U.K. 0635 523545 ©Copyright 1992 Nationallnstrumcnts Corporation. All rights reserved. Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Circle 116 on Inquiry Card.

4207.

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f¥ NATIONAL M INSTRUMENTS

T/jt> Software is the Instrument ®

6504 Bridge Point Parkway Austin, TX 78730-5039 Tel: (512) 794-0100 Fax:(512)794-8411

Talk about poetry in motion. Introducing the IBM ThinkPad™ 300. Less than six pounds of brilliance and beauty that can accompany you hither and yon. And won't cost you an outrageous fortune.

Introducing

ThinkPad

ThinkPad 300 comes with 4MB of memory upgradable to 12MB and 80MB of hard disk space, upgradable to 120MB. There's even a math co-processor available. But while ThinkPad is the ultimate tool

for your mind, we didn't forget the rest of you. So there's a comfortable, economically designed keyboard with a numeric keypad built in. And a feature that lets you take a break and pick up where you left off. The display is a big 9.5" with incredibly sharp 640x480 VGA resolution. Since complex ideas are rarely black and white, ThinkPad displays 64 dramatic shades of gray—enough to express the subtleties of anyone's gray matter.

ThinkPads set you free, with a world

'Depending on usage and configuration. "'MSRP. Dealer prices may vary. IBM is a registered trademark and ThinkPad, and HelpWare are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.The Intel Inside Logo is a trademark of Intel Corporation. © 1992 IBM Corp.

It's what Shakesp used on a f li

I

wide AC adapter and a port replicator, so you don't have to detach and reattach peripheral cables when you take your ThinkPad with you.There's an Ethernet LAN port right on the machine, with Data Only (2400 baud) and Data/Fax (2400/9600) modems available, too. The dual VGA connector lets you display on other monitors and keep the control right in your lap.

ltd..

ThinkPad

Model 300

Processor

386SL/25 MHz

Display

9.5" Monochrome Display 64 Grayscale Screen

Battery Life*

4-10 Hours

Weight

5.9 Lbs.

Warranty

1 Year

Price**

$2,375

Alas, even great thinkers don't always have all the answers. So ThinkPad comes with HelpWare,™ an invaluable service package including a one-year international warranty and 24-hour, seven-day-a-week assistance by fax, electronic bulletin board or toll-free phone, as you like it. To learn more about ThinkPad, or to order, call 1 800 IBM-2YOU. Or visit your nearest IBM authorized dealer.

And experience your next flight on a higher plane.

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Circle 91 on Inquiry Card.

EDITORIAL

DENNIS ALLEN

The State of BYTE

The changes we're making this year are being made for only one reason: to serve you better

Since I offered my first state-of-BYTE editorial a year ago, BYTE has made some important advances in how it serves you. And this year we have even greater things in store for you. I would like to share a glimpse of what you can expect from BYTE in 1993. First, though, here's a quick review of where we are today.

In 1992, BYTE began doing a new kind of cover story. Our approach combines reportorial breadth with technical depth—a combination that no other computer magazine delivers. To accomplish that goal, we literally threw all BYTE's editorial resources at each cover story. We garnered firsthand reports from our bureaus and staff editors, and, where appropriate, we backed it up with testing from the BYTE Lab. The result has been first-class articles that provide you with information not available elsewhere. Even publications outside the computer field, such as BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal, have quoted from BYTE's cover stories.

Another change came in September 1992 with the globalization of BYTE. Because technology and product developments are not exclusive to North America, BYTE is committed to covering the most important technologies and products from around the world. BYTE also expanded its worldwide position with translations in such places as Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Croatia.

Additionally, we produced two special issues in 1992: BYTE's Essential Guide to Windows and Essential Guide to Portable Computing. These issues departed from BYTE's usual technology-centric coverage to provide practical hands-on and buying information for the two fastest growing segments of users.

All these changes were in direct response to your information needs. In 1993, BYTE will continue to respond to your needs. We'll do so by applying the breadth and depth of our cover stories to other feature articles. BYTE will continue and strengthen its commitment to worldwide reporting on technologies and products. We will also continue to provide the two elements of BYTE that you say you like best: our legendary State of the Art articles that focus on a specific technology topic each month, and the wit and wisdom of industry sage and user advocate Jerry Poumelle. And this spring, BYTE will introduce an updated look that will make finding the information you need easier.

In 1993, BYTE is committed to bringing you two bonus issues on using Windows—one in the spring, the other in the fall. We're also going to provide you with information in forms beyond the pages of a magazine.

We will be listening to you more closely than ever before. Don't be surprised if you receive a survey questionnaire—or a phone call—from BYTE editors, because we want to hear from you firsthand.

All this close communication brings me to our most important announcement of the year. In our May issue, we will introduce the most exciting and innovative product coverage ever. We know that you expect BYTE to write about advanced technologies and leading-edge products, and we will continue to fill that need in a way that only BYTE can. However, we have learned that you also need to know about commodity products for your organization. In other words, it's not enough for BYTE to cover leading-edge dye-sublimation printers, for example—you also need to know which personal laser printer is best for the applications in your business.

Therefore, BYTE will provide large-scale exhaustive testing on commodity products every month. The first product-testing report will be on, you guessed it, printers, and we won't cover just a select few. This roundup will encompass virtually every significant printer on the market. But we won't bore you with 80 to 120 pages of endless printer specifications and features lists; instead, BYTE will deliver only the information you need, in a format that will make zeroing in on that information a cinch.

How can we do it? With our 20,000-square-foot stateof-the-art testing facility, the National Software Testing Labs in Philadelphia. No other computer magazine has such a lab, and no other magazine is listening to its readers in the way that BYTE does.

Moreover, at no other magazine on the planet can you find a better qualified group of technical journalists/ engineers than at BYTE, BYTE Lab, and NSTL.

But it is you, BYTE's readers, who make BYTE a success. No other group of readers demands the kind of excellence in technical reporting that you do.

—Dennis Allen Editor in Chief

12 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Introducing Borland's Paradox for Windows.

Experience the magic of easy database power

Borland,

paradox

If you're looking for the easiest-to-use, most powerful, and most reliable Windows database, this is it! With new Paradox® for Windows, there's no limit to what you can do. The graphical interface makes it easy to access, modify, and present your data. Create customer lists in seconds, automatically generate reports with the push of a button, or retrieve data from different sources into a single answer table.

The best way to manage Paradox and dBASE data

Paradox for Windows makes it easy to work with your Paradox and dBASE* data. You can view, edit, query, and link to all your data, with no limitations. You make your request for data simply by checking off boxes with easy-to-use Query By Example. Then the Paradox for Windows query optimizer automatically

0

Paradox is the best Windows database

Paradox Access

Performance

Insert 1,000 records*

Range selection: 15,000 of 130,000 records*

Complete Paradox and

dBASE file support

Visual data modeling for

forms and reports

Object-oriented development environment

29 sec

<1 sec

147 sec

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determines the fastest way to deliver the answer.

Paradox for Windows lets you manage virtually unlimited data types, too. You can store any kind of information, including text, menus, graphics, OLE objects, sound, and even multimedia. You can even mix and match Paradox and dBASE data in queries, forms, and reports.

More people trust their data to Borland than all other database companies combined. That's why Borland is the Data Company. Put the power of Paradox to work for you today.You will be amazed at what you can i

Special introductory offer.

Offer expires April 30, 1993.

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95

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See your dealer or call now, 1-800-336-6464, ext. 5202

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•All test! run on IBM" PS/2 Model 70 386/20 mhz, 4Mb RAM, Novell 3.11 NetWare, Ethernet nelwork. Special offer good in the United Slates and Canada only. Prices in U.S. dollars. Copyright © I9'J3 Borland International, Inc. All rights reserved. All Borland product names are trademarks of Borland International, Inc. BI 1548

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Increased 386 Perform

AMD's 3-Volt 386 Microprocessors Deliver The Longest Battery Life For Portable Computing.

The power struggle continues. While you can get a 386 microprocessor that goes fast, you'll still burn through a battery charge in a hurry. Lowvoltage 386 CPUs from AMD are the answer—the Am386'"SXLV and Am386DXLV microprocessors.

Here are two CPUs made not only to go fast, but to go the distance with portable computer users. Unlike common power- j; ... ,. hungry 386s, these low-voltage CPUs mamuiein

run on 3 volts. And they automatically slip into a static "sleep" mode to save power whenever the processor is idle. So users depend less on recharge units—and get the longest operational battery life. Both Am386 CPUs were designed to fit as comfortably in your budget as they do your portable computers. But you won't compromise on performance because , theAm386SXLVand Am386DXLV 3-volt

and the 25MH: SXLV

pQFPpacfww microprocessors both run at 25MHz. So

901 Thompson Place, P.O. Box 3453, Sunnyvale, CA 94088. © 1992 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microprocessors For The Masses is a service mark and Am386 is a

ance At No Extra Charce

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they're plenty powerful for running Windows™

Now there's nothing stopping you from charging forth with more efficient 3-volt laptops, notebooks, and palmtops. AMD also has your memory needs covered with our 3-volt EPROMs. And now that the industry at large has welcomed lowvoltage portable computing, you'll find the rest of your components equally easy to come by.

For more information on low-voltage 386 microprocessors and support logic, call 1-800-222-9323

and ask for Literature Pack 15F. And become the current leader in portable computing.

a

Advanced Micro Devices

Microprocessors For The Masses!"

trademark of Advanced Micro Devices. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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EVTE

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dennis Allen

PUBLISHER

Ronald W. Evans

HOW TO CONTACT THE EDITORS

EXECUTIVE EDITORS New York: Rich Malloy Peterborough: Rich Friedman

MANAGING EDITOR

D. Barker

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Lauren Stickler Thompson

NEWS Peterborough:

Senior Editor: Dan Muse

News Editors, What's New: Martha Hicks,

Carol Swartz

Microbytes: David L. Andrews

News Assistant: June Sheldon

San Mateo/West Coast:

Bureau Chief:Andrew Reinhardt Senior Editor: Tom Half hill News Editor: Patrick Waurzyniak Editorial Assistant: Barbara J. Caravello

Los Angeles:

Senior Editor: Gene Smarte

New York:

News Editor: Ed Perratore

BYTE LAB

Senior Editor & Director: A\an Joch

Technical Director: Rick Grehan

Technical Editors:

Stephen Apiki: systems, networking

Stanford Diehl; graphics software,

add-ins, peripherals

Tom Yager: multimedia, Unix, operating

systems, software development

Testing Editors/Engineers: Howard

Eglowstein, Ben Smith, Stanley Wszola

Lab Assistant: Selinda Chiquoine

STATE OF THE ART/FEATURES

Senior Editor: Michael Nadeau Technical Editors: Janet J. Barron, Anthony J. Lockwood, Robert M. Ryan

SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITORS

At Large: Tom Thompson, Jon Udell Columns: Rob Mitchell

ASSOCIATE TECHNICAL EDITORS

Ellen Bingham, Susan Colwell, Jeff Edmonds, Tom Kevan, Cathy Kingery, Margaret A. Richard, Warren Williamson

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Jerry Pournelle

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Hugh Kenner, Barry Nance

CONSULTING EDITORS

Roger C. Alford, Jonathan Amsterdam, Nicholas Baran, Raymond GA Cote, Don Crabb, Anne Fischer Lent, Laurence H. Loeb, Trevor Marshall, Dick Pountain, Wayne Rash Jr., Kenneth M. Sheldon, Jane Morrill Tazelaar, Ellen Ullman, Peter Wayner

INTERACTIVE ON-LINE SERVICE

PRODUCT MANAGER

Kip Bryan

EXCHANGE EDITORS

Amiga Exchange: Joanne Dow Entertainment and Leisure Exchange: Rich Taylor

IBM Exchange: Barry Nance Programmers Exchange: Bill Nicholls Professionals Exchange: David Reed Tojerry Exchange: Jerry Pournelle WIX Exchange:Karen Kenworthy Writers Exchange: Wayne Rash Jr.

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Office Manager: Peggy Dunham Assistants: Linda C. Ryan, Janet A. Young

DESIGN

Director: Nancy Rice Associate Director: Joseph A. Gallagher Designers: Jan Muller, Sharon Price Graphics Manager: Roger Goode

PRODUCTION AND FINANCE

Director: Claudia Flowers

PRODUCTION

Director: David M. Cohen

Production Manager: David R. Anderson

Advertising Graphics Manager:

Susan Kingsbury

Editorial Graphics Manager:

Virginia Reardon

Graphics Production Coordinators:

Barbara Busenbark, Christa Patterson,

Donna Sweeney, Lillian J. Wise

Advertising Services Manager: Linda Fluhr

Senior Advertising Services

Representative: Lyda Clark

Advertising Services Representatives:

Dale J. Christensen, Karen Cilley,

Rod Holden

Quality Control Manager: Wai-Chiu Li

Operations Assistant: Lisa Jo Steiner

FINANCE

Senior Financial Analyst: Kenneth A. King Financial Analyst: Kathleen Deguise Data Processing Coordinator: Diane Henry Billings Coordinator: JoAnn Walter Production Assistant/Purchaser: Agnes Perry

MARKETING AND PLANNING

Director: L Bradley Browne Administrative Assistant: Carol Cochran Marketing Communications Manager: Pamela Petrakos Marketing Art Director: Stephanie Warnesky Market Research Manager: Julie Perron Copyrights Manager: Faith Kluntz Reader Service: Cynthia Sands Marketing Assistant: Carol Sanchioni

CIRCULATION

Director: G\yn Standen Subscriptions Manager: Paul Ruess Assistant Manager: Pam Wilder Subscriptions Assistant: Christine Tourgee Newsstand Manager: Vicki Weston Assistant Manager: Karen Desroches Back Issues: Louise Menegus Direct Accounts Coordinator: Ellen Dunbar

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ADVERTISING SALES NEW ENGLAND

Patricia Payne (603) 924-2654

EAST COAST

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MIDWEST

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Beth Dudas (714) 753-8140 Joseph Mabe (603) 924-2662 Alan El Faye (213) 480-5243 Larry Levine (603) 924-2637

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Jonathan Sawyer (603) 924-2665

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INSIDE ADVERTISING SALES

Director: Liz Coyman (603) 924-2518 Assistants: Susan Monkton, Vivian Bernier

THE BUYER'S MART (1 x 2)

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HARDWARE/SOFTWARE SHOWCASE

Ellen Perham (603) 924-2598 Mark Stone (603) 924-2695

REGIONAL & BUYER'S GUIDE

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BYTE DECK

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EURO-DECK

James Bail (603) 924-2533

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES STAFF

See listing on page 251.

PERSONNEL

Human Resources Administrator: Patricia Burke Assistant: Fran Wozniak Receptionist: Beverly Goss

DIRECTOR OF COMPUTER-RELATED SERVICES

Stephen M. Laliberte

MEMBER SERVICES MANAGER

Kevin Plankey

BIX, owned and operated by General Videotex Corporation, is a worldwide, low-cost, online information service featuring industry news, downloadable software, powerful electronic mail, previews of upcoming BYTE articles, the full text of published issues of BYTE, and source and/or executable code for BYTE benchmarks and noncommercial software mentioned in feature articles. BIX also offers unmatched "conferences" on virtually every computer-related topic imaginable, where you can share information with thousands of other computer pros. To subscribe via modem, set your communications software to full duplex, 7 bits, even parity, 1 stop bit, and then call (800) 695-4882 or (617) 491-5410, or make a data call to our Tymnet address: 310690157800. Then hit the Enter/Return key and enter "BIX" when asked to log in; then enter "BIX.VILLE" when asked for a name. For current fees and more information, call (800) 695-4775 or (617) 354-4137 on voice phone; fax: (617) 491-6642; Internet: bix@genvid.com.

We welcome your questions, comments, complaints, kudos, and submissions. main office: One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. (603) 924-9281. San Mateo: 1900 O'Farrell St. #200, San Mateo, CA 94403, (415) 513-6912. Los Angeles: 15635 Alton Pkwy., Suite 290, Irvine, CA 92718, (714) 753-8140. New York: 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, (212)512-3175. u.k./europe: Wimbledon Bridge House, One Hartfield Rd., Wimbledon, London SW19 3RU. England. +44 81 543 1234. electronic mail: On BIX. send to "editors." All BYTE editors and columnists also have individual mailboxes on BIX for easy access. mci: 250-0135 BYTE Magazine. Many editors also have individual MCI addresses in their own name.

others: Many editors also are reachable through uunet, AppleLink, CompuServe, and numerous other services. U.S. fax: Editorial: (603) 924-2550

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For price quotations on customized reprints of BYTE articles, contact Faith Kluntz, Reprints Manager, at (603) 9242525. (Minimum quantity: 500.)

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Inside U.S. (800) 232-BYTE; outside U.S. +1 609 426 7676. For a new subscription, (800) 257-9402 U.S. only, or write to BYTE Subscription Dept., P.O. Box 555. Hightstown. NJ 08520. Subscriptions are $29.95 for one year, $54.95 for two years, and $74.95 for three years in the U.S. and its possessions. In Canada and Mexico, $34.95 for one year, $64.95 for two years, $87.95 for three years. In Europe, £35 (U.S. $60) for fast surface delivery, E46 (U.S. $80) for air delivery. Non-European countries U.S. $60 for surface mail, or U.S. $85 for air mail. Single copy price is $3.50 in the U.S. and its possessions, $4.50 in Canada. Foreign subscriptions and sales should be remitted in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery of first issue.

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Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for those registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 27 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, to photocopy any article herein for personal or internal reference use only for the flat fee of $1.50 per copy of the article or any part thereof. Correspondence and payment should be sent directly to the CCC, 27 Congress St., Salem. MA 01970. Specify ISSN 0360-5280. $1.50. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the permission of McGraw-Hill, Inc., is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to Faith Kluntz, Copyrights Manager, (603) 924-2525. BYTE is available in microform from University Microfilms International. 300 North Zeeb Rd., Dept. PR. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 or 18 Bedford Row. Dept. PR, London. WC1R4EJ, U.K.

"j'jidl Copyright © 1993 by McGraw-Hill, ■Wflifi lnc" A" r'9hts ^served. BYTE and ■ ■nil byte are registered trademarks of McGraw-Hill, Inc. Trademark registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

®

Member Audit Bureau of Circulation

officers ofmcgraw-hill, inc.: Founder: James H. McGraw (1860-1948).

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer: Joseph L. Dionne; Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary: Robert N. Landes; Executive Vice President: Harold W. McGraw ill; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: Robert J. Bahash; Senior Vice President, Treasury Operations: Frank D. Penglase; Executive Vice President. Publication Services: Norbert Schumacher.

16 BYTE • MARCH 1993

ON ONE HAND,

PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

CAN BE A REAL

HEADACHE.

fiffT '<™

rJx'Hi/1 ' MICROSOFT

PRQJECT& WINDOWS.

■

You work hard enough planning your projects; why not let Microsoft8 Project 3.0 for Windows" help you make it easier?

With clear graphs, you'll be able to see and communicate your project even better-from the tiny details to the big picture.

Changes? No problem. For every revision you make, Microsoft Project helps you see how it will affect the entire job.

Assigning a new job? Just click the People button. Want to know who's doing what, when? Mcrosoft Project can help you keep track of everyone.

And if you need to get off to a fast start, use PlanningWizards to guide you step-by-step. Soon, you'll have great-looking, easy-toread reports that make all your plans perfectly clear.

You can even exchange files between Project on your PC and your Mac? Either way, why not plan on the leading project management software? Microsoft Project 3.0 - it takes the pain out of planning.

Making it easier

5 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All tights reserved. Printed in the USA. Microsoft is a registered tradematk and Windows and the Windows logo ate ttadcmatks of Microsoft Corporation. Mac is a registeted trademark of Apple Computet,

The Widest Ana

Fault Tolerant Disk Array Controllers, Subsystems and Servers supporting NetWare, SCO UNIX and OS/2.

Powerful 1,2, 3, and 5-Channel Disk Array SCSI Controllers

Mylex now offers a range of disk array controllers, all based on the powerful Intel i960CA™ RISC processor. The controllers feature 4/16/64-Mbytes of cache, an EISA host interface and extensive software support.

RAID levels 0, 1, and 5 are supported, with hot swapping, on-the-fly reconstruction, background rebuild, hot standby, multi-threading, and scatter/gather features.

NetWare 3.11, SCO UNIX 3.2.4 and IBM OS/2 2.0 operating environments are supported. All controllers are offered with user-friendly software utilities.

► DAC960-I/2: Single fast and wide SCSI-II channel, which can be upgraded to two channels. Each channel has both 8-bit and 16-bit SCSI-II connectors.

► DAC960-3: Three fast SCSI-II channels, which can support up to 21 SCSI drives.

► DAC960-5: Five fast and wide SCSI-II channels, with the option to drive 8-bit or 16-bit fast SCSI drives.

NetWare, UNIX, OS/2

All Mylex disk array products support Novell NetWare 3.11, with optional support for SCO UNIX 3.2.4 and IBM OS/2 2.0.

Disk Array Subsystem

The disk array subsystem (DAS) features a DAC960 fivechannel disk array controller and a flexible enclosure which houses up to five 5.25" or 3.5" SCSI drives. Each drive is powered by its own power supply for improved system reliability. Disk drives are offered as an option. Up to four of these enclosures can be powered by a single DAC960-5 controller, allowing up to 20 drives for each controller.

The DAS can be used in conjunction with any EISAbased computer to build a powerful file server. Up to four controllers can be configured into the system to offer virtually unlimited disk capacity.

Novell Labs Tested & Approved

y of Disk Arrays.

Integrated Disk Array Server: IDAS2000

The Mylex IDAS2000 is a high-performance integrated disk array server, utilizing state-of-the-art disk array technology.

► CPU Subsystem: Intel 486™ DX2-66MHz EISA system with 256-Kbytes of cache, 8-Mbytes of system memory upgradable to 256-Mbytes, six bus master EISA slots, built-in I/O, flash BIOS and future CPU upgrades with the ZIF socket.

► Disk Subsystem: Features a one-channel disk array controller that is upgradable to two channels for increased performance. The controller utilizes the powerful Intel i960CA RISC processor and includes a standard cache of 4-Mbytes that's upgradable

to 64-Mbytes. RAID levels 0, 1, and 5 are supported with fault tolerance, hot replacement, hot sparing and background rebuild capabilities. Both 8- and 16-bit fast and wide SCSI-II drives are supported. Software support for NetWare 3.11 (Novell certified). Optional support for SCO 3.2.4 and IBM OS/2 2.0 operating environments. Extensive user-friendly software utilities included.

► Enclosure: Includes three redundant power supplies, five cooling fans, 10 drive bays for 3.5" SCSI drives, and four additional drive bays for tape drives, floppy, etc.

The system includes an EISA LAN adapter and super VGA graphics. Disk drives are optional.

We've Benched the Competition

When Mylex conducted benchmark tests to compare our disk array system's performance to our competitors', we outperformed the competition s RAID 3 and 5 systems, as well as duplexed and spanned systems, by a wide margin.

Benchmarks: Disk Array Subsystems

CIPRICO NetArray

RAID 3

CORE IAS

RAID 3

MICROPOLIS RAIDion

RAID 5

ULTRASTOR U124

RAID 5

MYLEX DAC960

RAIDS

4:25

NCOPY all drives

13:19

15:00

13:30

10:06

enabled

NCOPY

14:05

15:00

15:30

10:36

one drive down

4:30 10:17

NCOPY

during rebuild

26:32

20:49

18:30

► LAN Technology's performance tests for Ciprico, Core and Micropolis consisted of copying 2400 files-totaling about 80-Mbytes-from one directory to another using NetWare's NCOPY. The Mylex and UltraStor test configuration included a 486 DX2-50MHz CPU-based EISA system using five HP 97556-30 796-Mbyte drives. Times are shown in minutes.

Visit us at CeBIT - Hall 8/EG, Stand B40.

Flexible Purchase Options

Controllers only, a complete system without disk drives, or a complete system with the drives are offered.

For more information on Mylex disk array systems and controllers, call 1-800MYLEX or 1-510-796-6100. Or, fax us at 1-510-745-8016.

© 1995, Mylex Corporation. Specifications subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective holders. © 1992, M&T Publishing, reprinted with the permission of LAN TECHNOLOGY, August, 1992. Novell certification applies to 5-channel disk array products only. The Intel Inside Logo is a trademark of Intel Corporation.

flVfKX

Circle 113 on Inquiry Card.

LETTERS

The Truth About OS/2

I want to clarify one point in Jerry Pournelle's comments about OS/2 2.0 ("Pondering OS/2," November 1992). Referring to Windows 3.1 bundled applications like Paintbrush and Write, he states that "if you had a bunch of Windows 3.1 applications on your hard disk, this is probably one of them and you'll get a message that the applications can't be run. Considerable time is wasted to no purpose." But Windows 3.1-compatible programs definitely work under OS/2 2.0. Some people misunderstood the phrase and asked me if OS/2 2.0 can't run any Windows 3.1-aware applications. I run Windows applications like Atech's AllType font-conversion program without problems.

Fernando Cassia Buenos Aires, Argentina

Upgrading Made Easier

I appreciated the timeliness of Andy Redfern's article "Make the Right CPU Move" (December 1992). I wanted to upgrade my 386SX/25 to remain more current but was unsure of the best path to take. Since I wanted to realize a major performance improvement but not at an astronomical cost, I had narrowed it down to either the 386DX/40 or the 486DX/33. The article clearly showed that there is not enough difference, performance-wise, to justify the extra cost of the 486 for my applications. I'll upgrade to the 386DX/40 and wait for the P5.

Also, thanks to Jerry for telling the truth about OS/2's installation: If you read the manuals, it's as easy as inserting one disk after another—it is boring, but hardly difficult.

Larry Field College Station, TX

Static Shock

I was shocked when I saw the November 1992 What's New item "Create a New Ion Field" (page 82), which describes a device called the Perfect-Aire 100.

There is no such thing as an ion field. There is also no such thing as ion radiation (except maybe in particle accelerators, and that's stretching it). There is certainly no such thing as electrostatic radiation: By definition, static electricity is static and thus cannot radiate anything.

On top of that, I do not think this kind of device has ever been proved to have any beneficial effect in reducing static. Rather, it often uses high voltages, which tend to produce ozone—a poison if the concentration is too high. Jean-Pierre Weber, Ph.D. in E.E. Stockholm, Sweden

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Address correspondence to Letters Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458, send BlXmail c/o "editors," or send Internet Mail to letters@bytepb.byte.com. Letters may be edited.

Investment Credit

While many companies may be trading off long-term R&D against shortterm financial gain with the new, low-cost personal computers coming out ("PennyPinching PCs: How They Did It," November 1992), not all are cutting back on R&D spending. Apple has increased spending on R&D (26 percent from 1991). Also, the construction of Apple's new R&D campus (Cupertino, CA) demonstrates that not all companies coming out with low-cost personal computers are taking a short-term view of their future.

Mark Boudreau Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Windows Rebellion?

It was interesting to contrast the tone of BYTE's Essential Guide to Windows (1992) with that of "PennyPinching PCs: How They Did It" (November 1992). The former referred to the huge amount of disk storage and RAM required to run Windows applications. The consensus seemed to be a 200-MB hard drive and 8 MB of RAM; a 486 was recommended. In the discussion of the inexpensive PCs (made by Compaq, AST Research, IBM, and so on), the configuration was more like a 40-MB drive, 4 MB of RAM, and a 386SX. Unless there is a wholesale rebellion against Windows applications because of their excessive hardware requirements, I fear that the marketing of low-end PCs by high-end companies will fail.

Henry T. Minden Concord, MA

Where are all the Windows enthusiasts your PC journalists cite in BYTE's Essential Guide to Windows, 1992? The Windows users I see are usually victims of managers trying to entice computer phobics and novices to the system or of their vendor's greedy deals with the Microsoft juggernaut. Enthusiastic PC users gave up on DOS long ago. Most that I know are using OS/2 2.0 and find it a much better platform for their DOS applications than DOS, and especially better than Windows. OS/2's support for Windows applications is a useful bonus.

Joseph C. Hager San Francisco, CA

FIXES

• In BYTE's Essential Guide to Portable Computing, 1992, on page 26 we referred to Mitsuba as a manufacturer of floppy drives as well as notebook computers. Mitsuba does not make floppy drives.

• In "Fast Transit" (October 1992), Henry Quan is identified as president of ATI Technologies. Quan is vice president of marketing. ■

20 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Important News

For The Power Hungry:

Your Dinner's Ready.

U ome and get it.

The new Amiga® 3000T multimedia workstation tower-the most expandable, flexible Amiga ever built.

Now powered by a 25 MUZ Motorola 68040 CPU, the A3000T is faster than ever before. (Current A3000T users can upgrade to a 040based accelerator card.) The A3000T features a 200MB hard disk drive. A 3.5" floppy disk drive. 5MB of RAM, expandable to 18MB. And 32-bit bus architecture to transfer mammoth amounts of information at breakneck

speed. The truly power famished will be happy to know that the A3000T is stuffed with an abundant selection of expansion slots. There's a co-processor slot. A video slot for internal devices. Up to four PC slots. And up to five Zorro III slots. Every Amiga 3000 series computer comes with Commodore Express'" Gold Service options* And convenient leasing terms are available.

Now, you'd expect a power feast like this to carry a fat price tag. But now with our new low price, you can sit down to an Amiga 3000T for just $2,875** Which in itself is a powerful reason for seeing your Commodore dealer today. For a dealer near you, call 1-800-66-AMIGA. In Canada, call 1-800-661-AMIGA. Bon appetit.

*^n

C* Commodore

AMIGA

■a

© 1992 Commodore Business Machines inc. Commodore and the Commodore logo are trademarks of Commodore Electronics Ltd. Amiga is a trademark of Commodore-Amiga,- Inc. Products available on GSA schedule GS-O0K-9I -AGS-5069. * Available only on systems purchased in the U.S. through an authorized Commodore-Amiga dealer. Customer activation

required. Some optional programs include a charge. **MSRP, monitor sold separately.

Circle 75 on Inquiry Card.

Iomega 21MB Floptical Drive. A standard floppy drive and a 21MB floppy drive in one.

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Bernoulli MultiDisk 150. Handles like a floppy, performs like a hard disk.

• 150MB capacity.

• 18-msec effective access time.

• Rugged Bernoulli Technology.

• Disks also available in 105, 65, and 35MB capacities.

• Reads/writes 90MB Bernoulli Disks, reads 44MB Bernoulli Disks.

'Awards won for products using Bernoulli Technology.

S1993 Iomega Corp. Iomega, the Iomega logo, Bernoulli, and Bernoulli Technology are registered trademarks, and MultiDisk and LaserSafe

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are trademarks of Iomega Corp. Floptical is a registered trademark of INSITE Peripherals, Inc. All other products are trademarks of their holders. For customer service in U.S.A. and Canada service, call 1-801-778-3000. For accessory items, call I0MART at 1-800-723-3770.

Circle 94 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

MICROBYTES

HDTV Presages a New Wave of Intelligent Entertainment; Computer Companies Watching

The first HDTV sets, which will offer brighter, wider, and clearer displays than that of today's TVs, will not likely start appearing in U.S. homes before the 1995-1996 time frame. Yet companies ranging from Microsoft to HBO (Home Box Office) are investigating the on-demand delivery of digital TV programs, where the HDTV not only plays the program but actually scans for programming that interests you and delivers it for viewing at your convenience.

Last December, at the HDTV and Future Television conference run by Meckler, Ltd. (+44 071 976 0405) and held in London, Nathan Myhrvold, Microsoft's vice president of advanced technology, said the company plans to help produce entertainment systems that contain computers running a version of Microsoft Windows. Users will preprogram these HDTVs to scan an electronic programming guide and select a particular type of program or movie that appeals to them. Future entertainment centers could also encompass integrated multimedia and movies in which the audience participates with and influences the outcome of a program.

With their 16-10-9 (width-to-height) aspect ratios, HDTV screens are wider than standard TV screens, which traditionally have 4-to-3 aspect ratios. And with display resolution in the range of 1920 by 1035 pixels, HDTV display resolution is much higher than regular TV's and closer to that of a 35mm film.

HDTV is important to an on-demand information delivery, because it offers picture resolution that's sharp enough to clearly display text. Because most of the new HDTV sets will have considerable built-in digital logic, they will take a more active role in entertainment delivery than do today's passive TVs. With standard, smaller picture TV, screen real estate is at a premium. But HDTV screens are rarely less than 32-inches diagonal in size, which should allow enough room for the TV picture, with menus and status indicators at one side of the screen.

Since 1989, Japan has pioneered HDTV broadcasting with daily transmission. Junji Matsuzaki, director of the HDTV division of NHK Broadcasting, Japan, says that "100,000 Japanese households can now receive NHK's HiVision HDTV satellite broadcasts." In Europe, programs from the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain were transmitted using the HD-MAC (High-Definition Multiplexed Analog Components) standard. In the U.S., four all-digital systems for terrestrial broadcast HDTV have been proposed to the FCC, which is expected to choose its standard before the end of the year.

Myhrvold said cable TV systems will likely be the primary providers of interactive HDTV programming in the U.S. He adds, "If you already have digital transmission with cable TV systems, why not [offer] two-way capability and integrate the service with these enhanced entertainment systems?" Robert M. Zitter, senior vice president of HBO's Technology Operations Division, said that in early 1994, direct satellite-to-home broadcasting will start in the U.S, which should help accelerate HDTVs acceptance.

HDTV is already starting to make inroads into high-end graphics displays. Supermac Technologies (Sunnyvale, CA) and Intelligent Resources (Arlington Heights, IL) have released video cards that let you connect an HDTV monitor to a Mac. HDTV systems are expensive, but Larry Thorpe, vice president, production technologies, Sony Advanced Systems division (Montvale, NT), expects the price of the monitors to come down as they become more widely used. NHK Broadcasting's Matsuzaki-san believes that the average 32-inch HDTV set will fall in price below 500,000 yen (about US$4000) this year.

—Trevor Marshall

NANO BYTES

Researchers at Bellcore Labs

(Red Bank, NJ) say they have created experimental prototypes of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that could result in AA-size batteries that can run about three times longer than current products. Researchers had known that rechargeable batteries could be improved with lithium-based technology, but safety and environmental problems with using pure lithium metal prevented lithium-based batteries from entering the marketplace. Bellcore scientists say they eliminated these problems by replacing the highly reactive lithium metal with lithium compounds and graphite. □

Next Computer hopes to boost sales into the European-finance and public-service markets through an agreement signed with Norwegian server-supplier Dolphin Server Technology. Steve Jobs, Next CEO, announced in London that Dolphin will sell Next workstations as clients for its Unix-based server workstations. Dolphin will license the Database Kit in NextStep 3.0 and the NetInfo administration software. □

At the Technologic Partner's Personal Computer Outlook conference, the following interchange took place between moderator

Richard Shaffer and Vern Raburn, chairman of Slate, which develops penbased applications:

Shaffer: So, Vern. What's happened this year [1992] in pen computing? Raburn: Nothing happened in pen computing! That's the problem. □

24 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Deliverin

TT

H

,T

Windows" NT Development Tools from WATCOM

Featuring powerful new GUI debugger NOW available in Beta Calll-800-265-4555

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WATCOM C9.0/386 lets you exploit the two key 32-bit performance benefits. The 32-bit flat memory model simplifies memory management and lets applications address beyond the 640K limit. Powerful 32-bit instruction processing delivers a significant speed advantage: typically at least a 2x speedup.

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32-bit DOS support includes the DOS/4GW 32-bit DOS extender by

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AutoCAD ADS and ADI Development: Everything you need to develop and debug ADS and ADI applications for AutoCAD Release 11

Novell's Network CforNLM's SDK includes C/386

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Autodesk, Robert Wenig, Manager, AutoCAD for Windows: "At Autodesk, we're using WATCOM C/386 in the development of strategic new products since it gives us a competitive edge through early access to new technologies. We also highly recommend WATCOM C/386 to third party AutoCAD add-on (ADS and ADI) developers."

FOX Software, David Fulton, President: "FoxPro 2.0 itself is written in WATCOM C, and takes advantage of its many superior features. Optimizing for either speed or compactness is not uncommon, but to accomplish both was quite remarkable."

GO, Robert Can; Vice President of Software: "After looking at the 32-bit Intel 80x86 tools available in the industry, WATCOM C was the best choice. Key factors in our decision were performance, functionality, reliability and technical support."

IBM, John Soyring, Director of OS/2 Software Developer Programs: "IBM and WATCOM are working together closely to integrate these compilers with the OS/2 2.0 Programmer's Workbench."

LotUS, David Reed, Chief Scientist and Vice President, Pen-Based Applications: "In new product development we're working with WATCOM C because of superior code optimization, responsive support, and timely delivery of technologies important to us like p-code and support for GO Corp's. PenPoint."

Novell, Nancy Woodward, VP. and G.M., Development Products: "We searched the industry for the best 386 C compiler technology to incorporate with our developer toolkits. Our choice was WATCOM."

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Circle 163 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

MICROBYTES

Popular 486 Sees High Demand in Europe

LONDON—Europe faces a potential shortage of 486 chips in the first quarter, with vendors saying that Intel has warned that those without a consignment on order should not expect to obtain parts early this year. The processor family is in heavy demand due to a larger-than-expected need for the 486 family and the rush of vendors wanting to deliver low-cost 486based PCs, said Nick Wood, Intel's technical marketing manager at Intel U.K. Companies that buy 486 chips on the open market—in particular, through the so-called "gray" market from other PC makers— may face a tough time, Wood conceded.

"A significant change in demand for 486s started in Q3 last year, compounded

by the market reaching an overall size of 30 million units [for all PC processors worldwide], compared to a Dataquest forecast of 23 million," Wood said. "Ql will be tough, but we should be able to meet all market requirements." About 60 percent of PCs now shipping are 486-based, Wood added. Chris Bakolas, Dan Technology's technical director in the U.K., confirmed that Intel was warning vendors about potential 1993 shortages as long ago as October 1992. Michael Spiro, financial director of directvendor Elonex, said PC vendors that buy their 486s through the U.K. chip distribution channels may not get enough chips. Chip shortages could recur later this year.

—Dom Pancucci

IBM No Ostrich in Anticipation of NT, Cairo

While Microsoft readies Windows NT, IBM is busily preparing OS/2 2.1. John Patrick, vice president of marketing and sales for IBM's Personal Software Products division, said IBM hopes its 5000site beta test of OS/2 2.1 will help it avoid mistakes made with version 2.0. The haste with which IBM released OS/2 2.0 resulted in about 200 bugs.

Version 2.1 will have seamless support for Windows 3.1 standard mode (with extra drivers for printers and other hardware), the 32-bit graphics engine, and bug fixes. It will also have 256-color XGA and Super VGA drivers, Advanced Power Management support, PCMCIA-card enabling, pen support, a fax send/receive applet, and for Win-OS/2 users, the Windows File Manager and TrueType fonts. What's missing is seamless support for IBM's 8514 graphics standard. "All in all, it's the best beta I've seen to run with all these features,"

said Steve Mastrianni, president of Personal Systems Software (Unionville, CT).

IBM's PSP division is not focusing its development efforts solely on the 32-bit Intel version of OS/2, however. Patrick said the company is targeting a "Workplace Shell-like" GUI-based version of PC-DOS—tentatively called Workplace DOS—at users of 286 and lower-end 386 systems. IBM may come out with pen extensions for this PC-DOS and a ROM version of Workplace DOS. IBM also expects to go into beta test this year with a version of OS/2 running on the Mach microkernel.

Also, Taligent spokeswoman Loretta Stagnetto said that the company hopes this year to announce business and product strategies for the microkernel-based, object-oriented operating system it hopes will win out over Microsoft's upcoming Cairo and other systems.

— Ed Perratore

Intel Faces Competition on Low and High End

BURLINGAME, Calif.—Smaller Intelclone chip makers AMD (Sunnyvale, CA) and Cyrix (Richardson, TX) are upbeat in their assessments about their ability to compete. At the Technologic Partner's Personal Computer Outlook conference, executives from AMD, Cyrix, Sun Microsystems, and AST Research concluded that despite the massive Intel Inside campaign, most users don't care about processor name brand, provided the chip is 100 percent compatible and performs well.

Cyrix's CEO Jerry Rogers said that as a fabless chip maker, Cyrix has concentrat

ed on its strengths and enlisted the aid of Texas Instruments. Subodh Taprani, AMD director of marketing and systems, said AMD has seen strong demand for its 386 chips, noting that it set a record for its 386 unit sales during the third quarter of last year. AMD plans to release a 486-compatible chip later this year.

As Intel prepares to unleash the first Pentium processors and move its user base from the 486 to its next-generation processor, it faces competition from the likes of the Mips R4000 and DEC's Alpha microprocessor. — Patrick Waurzyniak

NANOBYTES

In an ironic twist of fate, Borland International founder Philippe Kahn blames Microsoft for starting a price war that he said forced Borland to lay off 350 people—15 percent of his company—twoweeks before Christmas. "It's painful, it's no fun, but we have to do it," said Kahn. "Microsoft has been extremely aggressive, and we think there will be more price wars in the future." Kahn attacked Microsoft's pricing strategy for Access, a Windows database program introduced last November. Kahn said Microsoft mailed literature that advertised Access at $695 and then slashed the introductory price to $99. Ironically, Borland used a similar strategy a few years ago when introducing Quattro Pro. Observers said that things would not be so bad for Borland had it not been so late in releasing its Paradox for Windows (which should be released by now) and dBase for Windows (slated for mid-1993 release). □

Microsoft (Redmond, WA) denies that its $99 introductory offer for Access was a cruel attempt to squash Borland. Charles Stevens, general manager of Microsoft's Database and Programmability Group, told BYTE that Microsoft was only trying to establish a new database program in an entrenched market. Nevertheless, users report that the first version of Access could have benefited from code optimization. One user complained that Microsoft technical support recommended that he upgrade his 40-MHz 386 machine to at least 8 MB of RAM to achieve acceptable performance. This despite the fact that Microsoft's Access box reads that the program runs on a 386SX with 2 MB of RAM; "4 MB [of RAM] recommended." □

26 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Fina% full-motion video tor your PC.

Now you can create full-motion video and multimedia presentations right on your desktop PC with Video Blaster™ hardware and Microsoft® Video for Windows™ software. Everything you need is right in the Video Blaster box.

Complete video hardware PLUS fullmotion multimedia software...

Video Kit for special effects and JPEG compression software to store images in a fraction of the disk space required by other PC video systems.

Microsoft Video for Windows:

puts the power of full-motion digital video onto your PC screen.

Video Blaster lets you

capture, freeze, store, manipulate and export fullyscalable digital video images from as many as three sources (both PAL and NTSC).

Video for Windows software adds Windowscompatible, Audio-Video Interleave (AVI) format to your Video Blaster hardware. So you can now capture and store full-motion video and incorporate it into OLE-compatible applications. Use the two together to produce and edit full-color digital video sequences in a resizable window. Combine still and moving video with computer-generated graphics and animation, or overlay text and graphics onto live video. With just these tools and a video source, you've got an entire multimedia video studio on your desktop.

To add CD-quality 16-bit stereo sound and on-screen digital mixing, just plug in a Sound Blaster'" 16 ASP™ or other Sound Blaster audio card. Your presentations will sound as good as they look.

Included in your Video Blaster package is over $1500 in software-including Macromind Action!™ and Tempra™ presentation packages for DOS or Windows environments. Plus Creative Labs'

...all in one package.

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For more information and the name of your nearest dealer, call 1-800-647-9933.

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*MSRP $499.95. If MS Video for Windows is not included in your Video Blaster package, a copy can be sent to you at a special offer price. Call 1-800-647-9933.

©Copyright 1992 Creative Labs, Inc. Video Blaster, Sound Blaster, and ASP are trademarks of Creative Labs, Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies. International inquiries: Creative Technology, Ltd. Singapore, TEL 65-733-0233 FAX 65-773-0353.

Circle 170 on Inquiry Card.

Since the beginning of time,

people have been obsessed with

reaching ever increasing rates

of speed. So what else is new

with Microsoft FoxPro 2.5?

IRKPRD

Plenty. For starters, the new Microsoft" FoxPro' 2.5 for Windows" has a rich and productive environment with an intuitive graphical interface. So it's never been easier for you to use and develop powerful database applications. Plus there's a virtual hardware store of tools for both developers and users.

For developers, there are professional tools like Trace and Debug windows, Project Manager, Menu Builder, Screen Builder, and Report Writer. And each one is designed to help you create the most powerful applications possible.

For users, there are lots of handy tools that make it easy to do complex database tasks without programming. Like Relational Query By Example (RQBE), which allows you to build and see queries instantly. Or the graphical Browse tool, an intuitive way to view data.

And with the arrival of FoxPro 2.5 for both the Windows and MS-DOS' operat

* p*1

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Microsoft FoxPro

version 2.5 is the

fastest PC database

management system

available today.'

ing systems (and soon for the Macintosh and UNIX8), you can have the most powerful and most graphical Xbase applications across all major PC platforms.

And if you are thinking about migrating to Windows in the future, have no fear. Microsoft FoxPro for Windows will easily run all your FoxPro 2.0 files.

But no matter which platform you choose, you can count on the new Microsoft FoxPro 2.5 to provide you with the fastest PC-based database management system available today.

For additional information, just zip on over to your nearest reseller, or call us at (800) 882-2000, Dept. JF7. We'll be more than happy to tell you all the ways Microsoft FoxPro 2.5 for Windows can get your adrenaline pumping.

Microsoft

Making it easier

FoxPro 2.5 takes advantage of Windows and allows you to create dazzling applications.

'Qwry test performed by Micro Endearors, Inc.. a third party consulting firm (November 1992). © 1993 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the VSA In the 50 United States, mlUSOO) 882-2000, Dept JFtCusiormrsw Outside the 50

United States and Canada, call (206) 936-8661. Microsoft, MS-DOS and FoxPro are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX Systems Laboratories.

NEWS

MICRO BYTES

First Showing for 64-Mb DRAMs

M

UNICH—Attendees of the ElectronI ica trade expo were treated to previews of 64-Mb DRAMs. These memory chips will be a major factor in the hardware implementation of bit-hungry digital image-processing and transmission applications, which look set to dominate the computer, telecommunications, and consumer markets into the next century.

The chips were shown by Korea's Samsung Electronics, which claims to have wrested world leadership in DRAM production from its Japanese competitors, and by the partnership comprising Germany's Siemens Nixdorf and U.S.-based IBM.

The Samsung chip is based on 0.35micron CMOS technology. Improvements in performance and reliability will be carried out through 1994, when engineering sampling will begin, said the firm. Commercial sampling is scheduled for 1995, and volume production is planned for the

same year. Using a price projection of $600 per chip, Samsung cited a Dataquest forecast that the market for 64-Mb DRAMs would be worth $7 million in 1995 and $2.1 billion in 1997 and would then soar to $7.5 billion in 1998.

More low-key was the decision by IBM and Siemens to show, at the Iatter's Electronica booth, an 8-inch wafer comprising 64-Mb DRAMs that the two firms manufactured jointly at IBM's East Fishkill (New York) facility. Ulrich Schumacher, memory product manager for the German firm since October 1992, told BYTE that "development work on the 64-Mb DRAM in partnership with IBM is proceeding according to plan. In the meantime, work on the 256-Mb DRAM [by Siemens] has commenced with IBM and Toshiba, with preliminary results not expected until the end of 1994."

—Raymond Boult

Europe Struggles with Piracy Definitions

LONDON—Pan-European computer companies are being forced to review their antipiracy procedures across Europe because different EC (European Community) states are implementing the centrally agreed legislation in different ways and at different times.

The deadline for passing the EC directive on copyright protection and building it into national law was January 1, but many countries have missed this target. Despite extensive argument during the drafting of the central directive, each country has since reworked the document to fit their traditional style of statute. "The directive from Brussels was wrought after such heated debate that it was felt it would be wrong for member states to paraphrase it," said Vanessa Marsland, chairwoman of the legal advisory group for the U.K.'s FAST (Federation Against Software Theft). This has already happened, however, leading to slight differences in key definitions such as originality, interoperability, and the restrictions on practices such as decompilation (i.e., reverse engineering).

There are also discrepancies between the directive's and the specific country's definitions of a "computer program" and in the areas of expression versus ideas, which proved such a crucial point in the famous Microsoft/Apple interface battle. These differences will be tempered by the fact that national law has to be interpreted by judges in the spirit of EC law. Neverthe

less, the different implementations of the EC legislation will require careful study by companies in the U.S. and Japan wishing to do business in Europe.

According to Marsland, certain amendments in the EC directive could inconvenience suppliers more. "A quirk of the wording [paragraph 5.1 of the directive] may mean [cun-ent user] agreement licenses need rewriting. There is a question now over whether things which are not prohibited are permitted," she said. The combination of the EC directive and each country's implementation will likely keep international counsels for companies busy.

The U.K. government has received joint complaints from the Software Publishers Association, the Business Software Alliance, and FAST about the proposed form of the U.K. statute.

Neil Goldman, international counsel for Lotus Development, said, "We are hoping that none of the slight variations will compromise the EC standards. But we have delayed bringing legal action in some countries because some are slower than others at putting the law in place." Currently, the Business Software Alliance is pursuing an active campaign against software piracy worldwide. In Europe, the worst offenders are Spain, Italy, and Portugal, according to industry trade associations. Spain is not expected to amend its copyright laws until mid-1993.

— Louise Cole

NANOBYTES

DEC says that nearly 900 technical and commercial applications from 400 software developers have been announced so far for DEC OSF/1 for AXP, Open VMS AXP, and Windows NT on Alpha AXP systems. Of the 900 applications, 400 should be released by March, according to Marion Dancy, director of the Alpha AXP Applications Program. Sarah Miller, spokeswoman for DEC, said the application breakdown is about 500 for OpenVMS AXP, 300 for the 64-bit OSF/1 for AXP, and 75 or 100 for Windows NT. The numbers do not include DEC's own applications or custom applications being ported to Alpha using DEC's binary translators and compilers. □

Demand for Intel's 486 pushed the company's fourth quarter revenue to a record $1.86 billion. Net income for the quarter was $429 million, compared to $189 million for the same quarter in 1991. Vinod Dham, general manager for Intel's microprocessor division, told BYTE that for 1993, Intel's volume processor will be the 486— not the Pentium. □

IBM has recalled two former top executives from retirement to advise the company as it tries to climb out of a slump. Paul Rizzo and Kaspar Cassani, both formerly vice chairmen of IBM, will advise chairman John F. Akers as counselors and advisers. IBM says it will eliminate 25,000 jobs this year—possibly through its firstever layoffs. IBM blamed a sharp drop in European sales in recent months for its worsening financial results. □

Computer maker Everex Systems

(Fremont, CA) has filed for voluntary protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. CEO Steve Hui had resigned, and Everex has pared its workforce to less than 900 employees from the 2100 people it employed about a year ago. □

30 BYTE • MARCH 1993

What a 15" Monitor Should Be

Our New Generation

ViewSonic 15 monitor features color temperature control and exceptional clarity.

And it boasts of an ultra high 76Hz refresh rate at 1,024 x 768 which exceeds the tough ISO9241-3 requirements for a flicker-free image. The larger flat square screen provides reduced distortion along with a full edge-to-edge image. For a brighter, crisper image the ViewSonic 15 offers Invar Shadow Mask technology and digital controls with 26 userprogrammable modes.

The new ergonomically designed drop-down control panel is as easy to use as a keyboard, which makes it great for adjusting image size, position, color and pin cushioning.

This monitor is compatible with all current video standards from VGA up to 1,280x1,024 non-interlaced, and is certified to meet strict Swedish MPR-II low radiation standards.

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Circle 161 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 162).

NEWS

MICROBYTES

FTC Ready to Rule on Microsoft

The FTC has completed its antitrust probe into the business practices of Microsoft and concluded that the company engaged in anti-competitive behavior, says a report in Business Week; FTC staffers are preparing recommendations that include breaking the company up into smaller pieces and establishing a "wall" between its operating-system and applications divisions.

Microsoft continues to post big profits while other software companies straggle. Although this does not mean that Microsoft's success is due to anticompetitive behavior, competitors say Microsoft can subsidize its applications development with revenues from its operating-system operations, and that its applications people can benefit from early details of an operating system.

"It's always been true the more you knew about the operating system, the better you could make your apps," said Fred Gibbons, CEO of Software Publishing. "There's no

way on God's green Earth that I can believe that Microsoft didn't have an unfair competitive advantage by being in the operating-system and the apps business."

Microsoft argues, however, that a company that is creative and aggressive can succeed in the market and offers companies like Adobe and Intuit (maker of the Quicken personal-finance manager) as examples. "We're competing with Microsoft and doing very well," said Kevin Harvey, president and CEO of Approach Software, makers of a Windows database package.

"Microsoft is a brilliant company run by a brilliant individual. Bill Gates is the Henry Ford of this half century," Gibbons said. But Gibbons added he wished Microsoft would do everything within its power to make sure that its applications division gets the same information at the same time as independent vendors.

—Dave Andrews and Patrick Waurzyniak

Portable Documentation Accelerating SGML

Worldwide revenues for products related to SGML, the Structured Generalized Markup Language established by the ISO in 1986 and adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense, will more than double by 1995, according to InterConsult (Arlington, MA, (617) 646-9600), a market-research firm specializing in the computer-publishing market (see the figure). The study predicts that the steady growth for SGML-based software is due in

SGML ON THE MOVE

1991

$203.8 million $1.6 billion

1995 (projected)

$550 million $3.4 billion

■ SGML software revenue

■ Total software-publishing market

InterConsult's worldwide SGMLspecific software revenue figures include parsing, composition, auto-tagging, and SGML integration programs for workstations and mainframes.

part to the shift toward electronic delivery of massive amounts of documentation required in manufacturing, military, telecommunications, and service fields.

Louis R. Reynolds, president and CEO of Electronic Book Technologies (Providence, RI, (401) 421-9550), said SGML offers an open standard that lets users access hypertext documents under multiple operating systems like Windows, DOS, Unix, and the Mac. With the growing acceptance of CD-ROM, companies can put the equivalent of several large, complicated manuals on a single CD. "The hardware technology [for portable computing and remote access] is becoming cost-effective and available," he said. "It's driving the whole industry to electronic delivery."

Control Data Systems announced it will use EBT's DynaText electronic-book publishing and delivery system to convert its paper documentation to electronic manuals, joining Novell and Silicon Graphics as EBT users. Reynolds predicts that within two to three years, applications will be supporting SGML on a wide scale. For example, a word processor's Save options will include SGML as well as options like ASCII. "Electronic books are potentially bigger than spreadsheets," Reynolds said. "Think of it this way, how many people play with spreadsheets and how many people read books or reference manuals?" ■ — Dave Andrews

NANO BYTES

Novell has signed a letter of intent to acquire Unix System Laboratories, the subsidiary of AT&T that provides the Unix operating system and related software and services. The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of March. Ray Noorda, president and CEO of Novell, said the acquisition is being done at the "urging of customers" who have asked Novell to "support the Unix system directly and integrate it more fully within the NetWare environment." Analysts said the announcement illustrates the importance of Unix systems in downsizing business applications to computer networks and shows how seriously Novell regards the potential challenge of Microsoft's unreleased Windows NT operating system. □

Users depending on Microsoft for "mission-critical" project management were dismayed to learn last year that a bug in Microsoft Project 3.0 causes file corruption. Microsoft technical support acknowledges that a serious bug will cause file corruption on large projects using shared resources. If users save often, the software doesn't relinquish memory properly. What the company calls a "memory leak" eventually crashes the program with a protection fault. Microsoft says its developers are aware of the bug. A maintenance release that fixes the problem was due in mid-February. □

WordPerfect is finalizing beta testing on a program called IntelliTag that converts WordPerfect documents into SGML (Structured Generalized Markup Language). You can use IntelliTag to convert other word processors' files into WordPerfect 5.1 format and then into SGML. A Unix version (expected price is $495 for one user) is slated for release for Sun Sparcstations in the February/March time frame. A DOS version is planned for June release, says a WordPerfect representative. ■

32 BYTE • MARCH 1993

^bu mean I can order

from IBM

over the phone?"

PS/UtluePoint™ 433DX

i486™DX/33 MHz

120MB hard drive

8MB RAM

Pre-installed OS/2® 2.0 (with

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i486DX2/66 MHz 212MB hard drive 8MB RAM Pre-installed OS/2 2.0 (with

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Internal i487 math coprocessor 128KB L2 cache 8KB internal cache 1MB Video DRAM Industry standard compatibility Networkable 5 slots/5 bays

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Hundreds of IBM products.

The IBM Direct catalog highlights a broad range of other products such as application software, storage devices, memory options, connectivity adapters and much more. In addition, our 40-page catalog features other IBM PS/ValuePoint and ThinkPad configurations. And if you want a PSA/aluePoint system with DOS and Windows only, that is also available on certain configurations.

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■ One-year, on-site warranty for PS/ValuePoint products and ThinkPad 300.

■ Three-year international warranty for ThinkPad 700 and 700C (in U.S., first year on-site).

■ 24-hour 800# assistance, 7 days a week1

1 At no additional charge during warranty. 'Available Monday through Friday 8 am-5 pm in your time zone, when serviced by IBM. If parts are required, this service is provided after receipt of parts shipped overnight. Applies to IBM Direct sales onty.

■ 4-hour service response time, on average2

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3 Warranty and 30-day guarantee information available from IBM and IBM authorized dealers. Please call 1 800 426-2968 for details regarding IBM's money-back guarantee and limited warranty. Copies of the terms of IBM's moneyback guarantee and limited warranty are available upon request.

"Wow!It's the biggest color screen I've ever

seen.

* IBM prices onty. The offerings, pnces and products are subject to change or withdrawal without prior notice. Products you acquire may not be counted under any existing Volume Purchase Agreement. The same offerings and products may be available through IBM Authorized Remarketers. Remarketer prices may vary.iShipping and handling charges are extra. 1 ThinkPad 300 and 700C systems and options are manufactured in Japan. PSA/aluePoint 6312. 6314 and 6319 Color Displays are manufactured in Korea.

"PRODIGY will not run without a modem. A modem is not included with the ThinkPad 700C. A customer who acquires the ThinkPad 700C and a modem which operates at a speed below 9600 bps may contact Prodigy to obtain a One-Month Free Trial Membership.

When calling, please reference X213BYTE.

except the price.

CALL TO ORDER TODAY

1 800 IBM 2YOU

1 800 426-2968 8am-9pm EST Monday-Friday Circle 110 on Inquiry Card.

44

V)

Catalog

For handy reference and comparison shopping, the IBM Direct Catalog is a comprehensive source for a broad range of products available through IBM Direct.

'And with one phone call I can get all this, too?

You bet And much more. This page offers just a sampling of the more than 250 advanced technology products IBM Direct offers to help you keep pace with your changing computer needs. From IBM desktops, ThinkPads and displays to adapters, peripherals, software, network connectors, even multimedia options. Just give us a call. We'll be glad to guide you to the IBM products most appropriate for your needs. We can also provide you with accurate specifications and answer any questions you may have.

Free

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An IBM LaserPrinter 6 delivers up to 6-pagesper-minute performance, 300 dpi resolution for sharp images, and a variety of built-in type fonts.

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$549

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Data/Fax Modem (2400 bps/9600 bps)

$330

Port Replicator

$120

Operating Systems and Application Software

DOS 5.0, Stacker V2.0 and 386MAX 6.0

$135"

OS/2 2.0, Upgrade from DOS

$ 99

WordPerfect* 5.1 for DOS

$355

Lotus" 1-2-3" for DOS

$355

Microsoft" Excel™ 4.0 for Windows

$335

Lotus Freelance Graphics" for OS/2

Non-IBM programs are licensed under the manufacturer's, supplier's or publisher's terms and conditions. "Promotional price. Offer good until 3/31/93. Offer may be modified or withdrawn at any time.

$425

LAN Communications

Token Ring Network 16/4 Adapter for AT Bus

$535

EtherCard PLUS Elite 16 Combo™

$195

PC LAN Program 1.3

$185

NetWare'- V3.11 (5 User)

$720

IBM OS/2 LAN Server 3.0, Entry

$505

Printer and Printer Options

IBM Personal Printer Series II, 2390

$385

IBM ExecJet' Printer, 4072

$775

500-Sheet Second Drawer for 4019(E), 4029

$295

PostScript" Option for 4019(E), 4029

Technical suoporl for IBM primers is provided by Lexmark™ International, Inc

$335

PS/ValuePoint Displays

IBM 6312 Color Display

$405

IBM 6314 Color Display

$530

Expansion Unit (Docking Station)

The 3550 Expansion Unit for ThinkPad 700 and 700C gives you two slots and one bay, and accommodates 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch SCSI devices.

$859*

IBM 6319 Color Display

$660

IBM, OS/2. PS/2 and ExecJe! are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. PSA/aluePomt. SLC. ThinkPad, TrackPomt II and HelpWare are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

The Intel Inside Logo, i486 and i487 are trademarks of Intel Corporalion, Lexmark is a trademark of Lexmark International. Inc. Windows and Excel are trademarks of Microsott Corporation EtherCard PLUS Elite 16 Combo is a trademark ot Standard Microsystems Corporation,

Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of the Novell Corporation. PPODIGY is a registered service mark and trademark of Prodigy Services Company. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation. Lotus, 1-2-3 and Freelance Graphics are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated

©1993 IBM Corp.

When calling, please reference X213BYTE.

IBM Direct

CALL TO ORDER TODAY

1 800 IBM 2YOU

1 800 426-2968 8am-9pm EST Monday-Friday Circle 111 on Inquiry Card.

REPORT FROM INDIA

JAY RANADE

High-Tech Opportunities Abound

NEW DELHI—India, the country that introduced the world to the decimal system and the use of the numeral 0, is still far from being a serious player in the computer industry. According to Dataquest, an Indian computer magazine, total revenue generated by the Indian computer industry passed the US$1 billion mark for fiscal year 1991-92. This may sound like a staggering figure for a country whose GNP is only $450 billion, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the global information-technology market.

To encourage growth, the Indian government has recently adopted a more liberal policy that makes it easier for foreign companies to set up high-tech industries in India. The government is emphasizing domestic manufacturing. It is discouraging imports by imposing a crushing import duty of more than 100 percent for hardware and 70 percent for software. According to many sources, hardware manufactured in India is as robust as any available. However, the most popular operating systems are the U.S.-developed DOS and Unix-on-Intel operating systems, with Microsoft Windows catching up rapidly.

India, with a population of 870 million, is the second most densely populated country in the world, and it presents a huge consumer market. An educated middle class of about 300 million is an unexplored market that will become hungry for PCs if the prices are low enough. A cutthroat competition among Indian vendors has already resulted in price-cutting that saw an average PC drop in price by more than 50 percent. Even with that reduction, a 386 system sells for about $3300; a 486 system sells for about $4900.

The Indian government is looking for foreign companies to invest in the capital-hungry computer market and thus create more competition. If U.S. and European hardware vendors are not quick to react to the recently liberalized foreign-investment policy in India, they will lose the opportunity to fill the gap between supply and demand of PCs in India.

A country with more English-speaking people than there are in England, India offers an inexpensive but talented pool of 140,000 software professionals. The South Indian city of Bangalore, also called the Silicon Valley of India, has more than 300 software houses that export software to other countries. Primarily, though, such ventures deal with applications software and turnkey projects only.

Public schools in India follow the "catch them young" philosophy. According to Jaya Narasimhand of the Modern Public School in Delhi, Logo programming is taught

India's emerging class of computer users will create a great demand for computers

in elementary schools beginning with the fourth grade. Students in the ninth and tenth grades learn BASIC, and eleventh- and twelfth-grade students advance to Pascal.

In a few years, this emerging class of affluent and computer-literate students will create a great demand for computers. These future entrepreneurs, whose parents are already well established in business, will do nothing short of launching a massive computerization of their businesses. But the Indian computer industry is not ready to meet this demand. This creates a hotbed of opportunities for U.S. and European companies that are interested in investing in high-tech industries abroad.

There are hurdles, however. The telecommunications system is still in a primitive state. It takes anywhere from one to two years to get a telephone connection—if you are lucky. In spite of these obstacles, the National Information Center, a department of the Planning Commission of the Indian government, has installed a satellite-based network connecting 470 districts in India using VSAT (very small aperture terminals) technology. According to Dr. N. Vijayaditya, the deputy director general of NIC, "It is the largest satellite-based network outside the U.S."

Major international hardware and software vendors like Hewlett-Packard, DEC, Olivetti, Intel, Lotus, Honeywell, Unisys, Motorola, and Microsoft already have a presence in India, whether through joint ventures with Indian companies or through local outlets for export purposes. However, India is still largely a market waiting to be discovered. ■

Jay Remade is the series editor in chief for McGrawHill's books on the subjects of IBM, DEC, computer communications, and workstations. He has written more than 10 books and edited more than 100 hooks in this series.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 37

HeydMSEU

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II

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A Spring Harvest of

Apple Macintoshes

TOM THOMPSON AND TOM R. HALFHILL

Six new computers redefine the Mac product line

In 1990 Apple began its major assault on the _ microcomputer market with six new machines.

No portion of the market was left untouched: - The Mac Classic II, with its black-and-white

display, targeted the low-cost segment, while

two 68040-based Macs, the Quadra 700 and 900, took the high-end, high-performance territory. For the on-the-go office worker, the PowerBooks—three notebook Macs with black-and-white screens—offered many features that PC notebook computers lacked. Since then, Apple has made enhancements to these product lines, such as a faster Quadra (the Quadra 950) and more powerful notebooks with gray-scale displays (the PowerBook 180 and PowerBook Duo 230).

On February 10, Apple unleashed its second wave in the market-share war. As before, the company introduced six Macs that compose a sweeping revision of its product line. Among the changes is the first compact Mac with a color screen, the first PowerBook with a color screen, and a new Quadra with a shorter mini-tower design. A newly introduced Centris series—a set of 68040-based midrange computers—is intended to replace the Mac II line. Also shown was the Mac LC III, a high-powered successor to the LC II.

Willi street prices likely to range from $1000 to $4500. these new Macs address the price-conscious segment of the microcomputer market while delivering processing power. Because low-end Macs now account for the vast majority of Apple's unit sales, we'll start at the bottom of the product line and work our way up. We looked at preproduction units of each model. Note that the prices given here are preliminary and may change by press time.

Color Classic

Low-cosi computing on the Mac traditionally meant sacrificing color capability. This is no longer true. The Color Classic's built-in monitor uses a 76-dot-per-inch, 10-inch-diagonal Sony Trinitron tube that displays a 512- by 384-pixel screen. Previous compact Mac screens—such as the Classic II—are only 512 by 342 pixels, making the Color Classic's screen taller by 42 pixel lines. To accommodate the larger tube, Apple slightly altered the compact case design, using a larger front bezel that also includes a built-in microphone. As with the Classic II. the Color Classic's main logic board uses a 16-MHz 68030 processor and has 4 MB of RAM standard (the Classic II initially had only 2 MB of RAM, but since mid-1992, Apple has been shipping the unit with 4 MB). RAM is expandable to 10 MB using 30-pin RAM SIMMs. There is 256 KB of 100nanosecond VRAM (video RAM) that lets

40 BYTE • MARCH 1993

PHOTOGRAPHY: MEL LINDSTROM 1993

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

the computer display 256 colors on-screen. You can expand it to 512 KB by adding a VRAM SIMM; the system can then display 32,768 colors.

The Color Classic still uses a 16-bitwide bus that reduces system costs, but at the expense of throughput. However, the video-frame buffer now resides in VRAM rather than in main memory and thus eliminates a performance hit that hobbled the Classic's design. In the old design, as the video circuits periodically accessed memory to refresh the screen, they blocked the processor's access to the bus, which degrades overall performance. With the video-frame buffer in separate VRAM on the Color Classic, both video and processor operations run unimpeded. The result should be better performance, and the preliminary BYTE low-level benchmark results (see the figure) support this conclusion. The Color Classic is about as fast as a Mac LC II, or about Mac II caliber.

Normally, the compact Mac design offers limited expansion options, but here's where the Color Classic really breaks with tradition. First, there's a socket for a 68882 FPU. Next, there's a 96-pin PDS (Processor Direct Slot) that's electrically and physically compatible with Mac LC and LC II expansion boards. Finally, you can junk the Torx screwdriver and case-cracking tools required to open older compact Macs. Just tug on two tabs at the bottom rear of the computer to remove a panel, and the

main logic board slides out, letting you easily add extra RAM, the FPU, or an LC or LC II expansion board. This arrangement also prevents exposure to the hazardous voltages lurking in the color-video circuitry.

A Color Classic with 4 MB of RAM and a 40-MB hard drive costs $ 1300. The 68000-based Classic is being discontinued, with the Classic II taking its place as the lowest-cost Mac. No upgrade path from a Classic II to a Color Classic is offered.

Mac LC HI

As limited as its expansion options are (a single PDS slot and no FPU), the Mac LC II is Apple's best-selling computer. The company asked users what design improvements they'd like to see in the computer. The answers were, allow more memory, add more display options, and make it faster. The LC III does these things—and more. A new controller chip—an enhanced derivative of a Mac LC ASIC (application-specific IC)—enables you to expand RAM to 36 MB (up from 10 MB). The main logic board has 4 MB of 80-ns RAM soldered to it, and a single SIMM socket provides memory expansion using a highdensity SIMM. The LC III uses an industry-standard 72-pin SIMM, rather than the 30-pin SIMMs found in other Macs.

The LC Ill's built-in video supports a bevy of monitors, from Apple's 12-inch RGB display (512 by 384 pixels) to its 16

inch display (832 by 624 pixels) and VGA monitors. The 512 KB of 80-ns VRAM soldered to the main logic board supports 8-bit pixels (256 colors) on these screens. A single SIMM socket lets you add 256 KB of VRAM (for a total of 768 KB) so that you can view 16-bit images (32,768 colors) on 14-inch monitors (640 by 480 pixels).

The LC Ill's 68030 processor is clocked at 25 MHz (up from 16 MHz), and there's a socket for a 68882 FPU. More important, the LC III uses a 32-bit-wide bus. whereas the LC II's bus was only 16 bits wide (a cost-cutting move, as in the Classic design). The end result is that the LC III serves up nearly Mac Ilci performance, according to the BYTE benchmarks. A notched 114-pin PDS connector accepts existing 96-pin LC II expansion boards, with a maximum power budget of 4 watts. An LC III with 4 MB of RAM and a 40MB hard drive costs $1300. Mac LC II owners can rest easy: Through a logicboard swap, they can upgrade their computers for $599, although they will have to replace the old RAM^The LC II won't be discontinued; instead, its price will be lowered.

Centris 610

With the market's low end firmly anchored by the Classic II, Color Classic, LC II, LC III, and the Performa line, Apple turned its attention to the aging 68030-based Mac II line. The top performer here has been the 25-MHz Mac Ilci, whose design is more than three years old. The new Centris 610 and 650 computers are low-cost 68040-based midrange Macs.

Tight integration of components has reduced the 10 custom ASICs used in the Quadra 950 design to only three, which reduces the cost of the Centris computers and the 33-MHz Quadra 800 (described later). One of these chips, the memorycontroller ASIC (MEMC), now lets you mix different-density RAM SIMMs (as long as they are 4 MB or larger) on the main logic board. At boot-up time, the MEMC maps the different-size chunks of RAM into one contiguous memory space.

Throughput wasn't sacrificed while cutting costs. Both Centris computers use the 53C96 SCSI controller, the same one found in the Quadras. This controller has a maximum transfer rate of 5 Mbps, versus the 53C80 found in other Macs that handles only 1.5 Mbps. The I/O bus in the Quadra design has practically disappeared,

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 41

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

with most I/O signals and controls combined into one ASIC (the IOSB). The IOSB is clocked at CPU speeds, so on the Quadra 800 most I/O operations run at 33 MHz. The exception is the Ethernet controller, which runs at 16 MHz.

The Centris 610 is a low-profile desktop computer similar in design to the Mac LC III. It has room for two internal SCSI devices: a 3'/:-inch drive and a bay at the front for a 5'A-inch half-height device (typically a CD-ROM drive). An 86-W power supply provides ample power for these peripherals. To reduce costs, the Centris 610 uses a 20-MHz 68LC040, which is essentially a 68040 processor without an FPU (sort of like a 486SX). However, it uses the same socket as a 68040, which offers the possibility of an upgrade.

An Ethernet port, using the AUI (Attachment Unit Interface) connector, is an option. This option is actually a main logic board populated with the Ethernet port and electronics. Like the Mac Ilsi, the Centris 610 has a single 68040 PDS expansion slot, which can also be a NuBus slot by using an adapter board. To fit within the computer, these boards must be only 7 inches long (current NuBus boards can be up to 12 inches long) and use a maximum of 10W.

The Centris 610 starts with a base 4 MB of RAM; two 72-pin SIMM sockets let you expand memory to a maximum of 68

MB. Its 512 KB of 100-ns VRAM supports 8-bit colors on monitors from 12 to 21 inches (1152 by 870 pixels). Two SIMM sockets let you increase VRAM to 1 MB, to support 16-bit-deep screens on monitors as large as 16 inches.

A Centris 610 with 4 MB of RAM and an 80-MB hard drive is expected to cost under $2000. You get a lot of bang for your buck here: The BYTE low-level benchmarks peg the 20-MHz Centris 610 at better than Mac Ilfx performance (the Mac Ilfx uses a 40-MHz 68030 and 68882 FPU.) Even with the 68LC040, the Centris 610 did better than the Mac Ilfx on floating-point operations.

Centris 650

If you require more expansion options than are offered by the Centris 610, there's the Centris 650. It uses the same Mac IIvx housing with a bay for a 5!/i-inch SCSI device, a 68040 PDS, and three slots that implement a NuBus 90 backplane. The slots accept full-size NuBus boards. A 112-W power supply powers the system, and 15 W is available for each NuBus slot. The processor is a 68LC040 or a 68040 clocked at 25 MHz. As with the Centris 610, the Ethernet interface is an option. The Centris 650's on-board video is identical to the Centris 610's and supports the same monitor sizes and screen depths. But it uses 80-ns VRAM instead of 100-ns hardware.

The Centris 68040-based Macs make up Apple's new midrange computers. Both are shown with an optional CD-ROM drive.

The main logic board has 4 or 8 MB of 80-ns RAM; four 72-pin SIMM sockets let you expand memory to as much as 136 MB (assuming 8 MB on the main board). The memory subsystem in the Centris 650 and the Quadra 800 has been enhanced to support interleaved memory. The MEMC ASIC arranges RAM in logical banks and then provides a hardware assist by rapidly stepping through the banks during burstmode accesses. This shaves several clock cycles off these memory operations and improves throughput The memory on the main logic board is interleaved, and the socketed SIMM RAM must be the same density for memory interleaving to occur.

The BYTE benchmarks show that, on average, the Centris 650's memory operations are faster by about 13 percent than the Quadra 700 (Apple claims 10 percent to 15 percent). While not all memory operations can take advantage of burst mode, the test results do indicate that the memory subsystem uses them when it can. The benchmarks show that the 650 edges out the 25-MHz Quadra 700 in performance.

A Centris 650 with 4 MB of RAM and an 80-MB hard drive sets you back $3000. It's expected that the Mac Ilsi and Ilci will be discontinued, leaving the Mac IIvx as the sole survivor of the Mac II line.

Quadra 800

The Quadra 800 is a short, squat tower similar to the Quadra 950, but it stands only 14'/j inches high (versus the Quadra's 18-Y-i inches). It uses a 33-MHz 68040 processor and comes with 8 MB of 70-ns RAM on the main logic board. Four 72-pin SIMM sockets let you expand RAM to 136 MB. Memory on the main logic board is interleaved, and so is the socketed RAM if it is all the same density. Ethernet is standard, and three slots implement a NuBus 90 backplane, which handles fullsize NuBus boards.

The tower contains three bays at the front that can hold four SCSI devices: a 5'A-inch half-height device (typically a CD-ROM), a 3^-inch half-height device (a hard drive), and either a 3M-inch fullheight device (typically a disk array) or two half-height devices. A ribbon cable with SCSI connectors and four power cables at the ready make adding a SCSI peripheral easy. The 200-W power supply provides ample muscle for these peripherals and 15 W per NuBus board.

Because the Quadra 800 borrows from the same design used by the Centris 610 and 650, it supports the same monitors and screen depths (up to 16 bits deep on a 16inch monitor). Video performance on all

42 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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Trakker goes anywhere. It's light and compact, the ideal solution for backing up notebooks and laptops. And Trakker can back up unattended, so you can go anywhere, too. Trakker is available in two models. At $448, Trakker 120 (120

Megabyte capacity, using data compression) is the price leader. And Trakker 250 (250 MB capacity using data compression) is the fastest in its class at up to 8 MB/minute. Both give you QIC Industry Standard Recording Format, as well as Novell'" and LANtastic" certification.

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Circle 73 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 74).

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

PRELIMINARY LOW-LEVEL BENCHMARK RESULTS

I CPU Index

FPU Index

I Disk Index

I Video Index

Mac Classic II

Color Classic

Mac LC III

Mac llfx

Centris 610

Centris 650

PowerBook180

PowerBook165c

Quadra 950

Quadra 800

For all tests, a Classic II = 1. Higher numbers indicate better performance. All Macs ran System 7.1. The Color Classic had an FPU; the Centris 610 did not.

three systems is faster because the IOSB eliminates one wait state from VRAM accesses. Also, certain QuickDraw graphics routines have been modified to take advantage of the 68040's MOVE16 instruction (which burst-transfers 16 bytes), improving the speed of scrolling and filling operations.

The BYTE benchmarks show that the Quadra 800 is slightly faster than the 33MHz Quadra 950. This results from the improvements in the Quadra design: memory interleaving, the I/O functions merged into the IOSB, and the optimized video.

A Quadra 800 with 8 MB of RAM and a 230-MB hard drive costs $4700, a most attractive price when you compare it to a similarly equipped Quadra 950 ($7359). Where the Quadra 800 falls short of its predecessor is in its lack of 24-bit video, fewer slots, and fewer peripheral bays. The features the Quadra 800 packs, however, should attract a flock of buyers.

PowerBook 165c

Last but not least, Apple closes the gap in its notebook line with the PowerBook 165c. Essentially a PowerBook 180 (a 33MHz 68030 processor, 68882 FPU, external video, and 4 MB of RAM), the 165c differs mainly in its color passive-matrix LCD screen that displays 256 colors. The 9-inch-diagonal display is smaller than the PowerBook 180's 77-dpi, 10-inch-diagonal display, but its 85-dpi density packs in the same 640- by 400-pixel screen. The screen uses special filters and polarizer

materials to provide good contrast and a wide viewing angle, while two backlight bulbs and a filter increase its brightness. The screen adds only 'A pound to the system's weight (for a total of 7 pounds).

Internally, the engineers moved the 4 MB of RAM and 1 MB of ROM to a "cousin card" to make room for the color display's controller and DRAM. The display consumes more power (about 6 to 7 W). Thus, the PowerBook 165c uses a beefier 2.9-watt-hour nickel-cadmium battery (the PowerBook 140/170 use a 2.7Wh battery). Also, the power charger now cranks out 24 W (up from 15 W) to recharge the battery faster.

The 165c's screen is brighter than we expected, with rich colors. Scanned color images are a joy to behold. The BYTE benchmarks indicate that the 165c is slightly slower than the PowerBook 180. The video benchmarks were especially slow because the display's frame buffer doesn't use dual-ported VRAM. Although the PowerBook 165c's passive-matrix screen might not match the brisk colors of an active-matrix screen, the trade-off here is for your wallet. A PowerBook 165c with 4 MB of RAM and an 80-MB hard drive costs $3279. The prices of comparable PC notebooks with active-matrix screens start at about $4300.

A Mac for Every Purpose

This latest generation of Macs spans every part of the microcomputer market. At the low end, there is the affordable Color Clas

sic with a small desktop footprint. If you need more power, the LC III serves up Mac Ilci performance.

The 68030-based midrange Mac II line was in desperate need of an overhaul. The Centris line of Macs brings this section up to date with affordable 68040-based computers that deliver ample horsepower.

The Quadra 800 mini-tower offers leading-edge performance while intelligent design compromises make it the most affordable Quadra ever. And for those who need color on the road, the PowerBook 165c is a powerful 33-MHz color notebook that delivers performance while sparing your budget.

As usual, we admire the Apple engineers who have reused proven technologies where they can (e.g., enhanced versions of the Mac LC components for the LC III) and maximized their design efforts (e.g., by integrating the Quadra design into fewer ASICs and using them in the Centris computers as well as the Quadra 800). The result is better performance at lower cost— a win-win situation for the Mac user. ■

Tom Thompson is a BYTE senior technical editor at large with a B.S.E.E. from Memphis State University. He is an associate Apple developer. You can reach him on AppleLink as "T. THOMPSON" or on the Internet at tomt@bytepb.byte.com. Tom R. Halfhill is a BYTE senior news editor based in San Mateo, California. You can reach him on BIX as "thalfhill."

THE FACTS

Color Classic (with 4 MB of RAM/40-MB hard drive): $1300

Mac LC m (with 4 MB of . RAM/40-MB hard drive): $1300

Mac Centris 610 (with 4 MB of RAM/80-MB hard drive): under $2000

Mac Centris 650 (with 4 MB of RAM/80-MB hard drive): $3000

Mac Quadra 800 (with 8 MB of RAM/230-MB hard drive): $4700

Mac PowerBook 165c (with 4 MB of RAM/80-MB hard drive): $3279

Apple Computer, Inc. 20525 Mariani Ave. Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-1010 Circle 1165 on Inquiry Card.

44 BYTE • MARCH 1993

1280x1924

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©1993 Copyright SCEPTRE Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Circle 223 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 224).

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

1-2-3, Freelance for OS/2: Major Applications at Last

®

m

The lines "something borrowed, something blue" came to mind while I looked at Lotus's first two applications for OS/2 2.0. Lotus 1-2-3 and Lotus Freelance Graphics for OS/2 2.0 were written for this platform, not ported, yet they borrow from among the best features of their DOS and Windows counterparts while bringing out the best of Big Blue's 32-bit operating system.

Based on the beta versions that I saw, OS/2 2.0 is worth consideration—or reconsideration—as a platform that is supported by major, and native, applications. The attraction of 1-2-3 for OS/2 2.0 and Freelance Graphics for OS/2 2.0, however, is also their tight integration when both are installed—from file operations to the sharing of resources and an OLE-like method of saving all a project's files under a single desktop (.DSK) filename.

Both products should now be available, and Lotus says that OS/2 2.0 versions of cc:Mail and Ami Pro should follow within a couple of months. Lotus will then have OS/2 2.0 products in all four major applications categories. A 32-bit version of Lotus Notes has been held up. Lotus officials indicated at press time that it may not be ready to ship until the end of the year.

Lotus 1-2-3 for OS/2, formerly called Lotus 1-2-3/G, has improved with OS/2 2.0's functionality in mind. Lotus quietly shed the redundant G (for graphical) label around the time it released 1 -2-3 for Windows. But true to the form of products maintained across multiple platforms, the newer 1 -2-3 for OS/2 has gone beyond the current Windows version.

In addition to a more powerful charting engine based on a DLL shared with Freelance Graphics, 1-2-3 for OS/2 includes Smartlcons—one-click shortcuts to operations such as insert or delete row/column, format currency, add, and undo. One handy icon will resize one or more columns to their maximum widths necessary to display all data contained in each respective column. You can also customize the default Smartlcon set to substitute ones you use more frequently.

Among other enhancements, you can select discontiguous sections (called collections) for various operations by using the right mouse button, and you can se

Template*

if

Minimized Window Viewer

*

mme

Master HeSplSSI^i'wfo^ion

OS/2 System DOS Piogtams

irtdom Pregtam-s Additional DOS Pro-ams Addi

m

orw! 0512 Picgtarm

0 *Q

Dim A PiWa . DESK3.DSK "'"

Reedy

file Edit Worksheet Range Copy... Move.

Print Graph Data Utility Quit.

Help

lect whole rows and columns by clicking on them in the frame. The next version of 1-2-3 for Windows (expected to ship this spring) will support collections. OS/2's Workplace Shell will now let you drop a filename onto the printer, shredder, or 1-2-3 icon (or the Freelance icon if both are installed). The application icon will launch the application and load the file.

Freelance Graphics, developed for OS/2 before DOS and Windows, uses the same process-oriented approach that Lotus first used in the Windows version 1.0. In other words, the program guides you through each step of building a presentation through a succession of templates.

Version 2.0 for Windows shipped early this year, so the OS/2 version gleaned plenty of functionality from its older sibling. Smartlcons let you click on page layouts, select a text block for input and change the font, start a new page, and page in either direction. Some functions (e.g., outlining and organizational charting) present in the new Windows version are missing from Freelance Graphics for OS/2 2.0. Other functions, particularly those related to the OS/2 Workplace Shell, are not in versions written for other platforms.

Individually, 1-2-3 and Freelance Graphics are worth a look; together they may be irresistible. For starters, you save more than 4 MB on your hard disk thanks to code shared between the two applications; you also save RAM, but usage varies too much to provide a concrete figure.

The common charting engine, which saves about 2 MB in itself, represents one less part of either program for new users to learn. And, if you're working on several files grouped under a single desktop file.

all Smartlcons and menus are context-sensitive and change as you move from worksheet to graph to presentation. Lotus expects that if you use cc:Mail for OS/2 when it ships later this year, you'll be able to drag a file icon to the cc:Mail icon to attach a file to an E-mail message.

You've heard the OS/2 trash talk: It has no so-called killer application that will do for Big Blue's platform what the original 1-2-3 did for DOS. No true killer application may surface in a market that is far more segmented and sophisticated today than it was 10 years ago, but Lotus's first two OS/2 2.0 offerings indicate that adopting the OS/2 platform is now an easier choice to make.

—Ed Perratore

THE FACTS

Lotus 1-2-3 for OS/2 2.0 single-user standard edition, $495; network server edition, $595; $395 per concuirent network user (not including documentation) above price of network server edition

Lotus Freelance Graphics

for OS/2 2.0

(prices same as for 1-2-3)

System requirements: 386 PC (minimum 20 MHz recommended) with OS/2 2.0 (equipped with Service Pak) or higher; if installing both products, 4 MB of RAM (7 MB recommended) and 11 'A MB of free disk space; for 1 -23 alone, 4 MB of RAM (8 MB recommended) and 9/4 MB of free disk space; for Freelance alone, 4 MB of RAM (8 MB recommended) and 6[A MB of free disk space; a mouse.

Lotus Development Corp.

55 Cambridge Pkwy.

Cambridge, MA 02142

(800) 343-5414

(617)577-8500

fax:(617)693-4551

Circle 1166 on Inquiry Card.

46 BYTE • MARCH 1993

^5r<°"!

siro"""1

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Type

,.»^stf*,ft

^

*/?C

<%*

V6>

CorelDRAW 3.0

Pi<%£pc^

Create

logos!

ROUS

r SSS-17.3-1 fa^M?'

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Look at all you can do with CorelDRAW 3.0!

• Create Effective Charts and Pictographs!

Choose from dozens of preset templates or create your own. With over 14,000 clipart images available, you can add power to your message with exciting pictographs!

• Type Letters and Produce Dynamic Newsletters!

With spellcheck and thesaurus, CorelDRAW is a convenient word processor. Incredible type control and many import/export filters let you add flair to your communication.

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• Design Impressive Corporate I.D.s!

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Circle 79 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sun's New Unix Box: Short and Sweet

With its introduction of the Sparcstation IPC, Sun Microsystems started a new packaging trend: small and inexpensive Unix workstations. With their small footprints and like-size expansion cabinets (for external drive, tape, and CDROM), Sun's IPC and its descendants took the bulk out of workstations. But Sun's best-performing desktop systems were still found only in the traditional "pizza-box" case. If you wanted a zippy CPU or drive, you had to invest in something other than Sun's squat boxes.

The Sparcstation LX hopes to change all that. As with the IPC, miniaturization abounds, but Sun has found some innovative ways to pack more functions into a case that hasn't gotten any bigger or heavier. The LX addresses many of the wishlist items Sun users have desired.

At the heart of the LX is its MicroSparc CPU, developed by Sun and Texas Instruments and runnina here at 50 MHz. This CPU rolls the integer, FPU, MMU (memory management unit), and cache into one chip, bringing the chip count down, reducing costs, and making room for more goodies. Those objectives were furthered by Sun's replacement of most of the system's I/O controllers with a pair of ASICs (application-specific ICs). The LX makes fine use of the extra real estate, building in support for basic-rate ISDN, twisted-pair Ethernet, 16-bit digital audio, and accelerated graphics.

Most of the new features built into the LX require outside-world connections, and the back panel of this system is densely packed with connectors. One DB-25 splits out to two serial ports, and another one services a bidirectional parallel port, expanding the range of supported printers. The Ethernet port pops out in two places: a tiny socket into which you plug a thinwire transceiver or an AUI (Attachment Unit Interface) conversion cable, and a twisted-pair jack that lets you hook directly into a network. You'll also find a jack for connection to an ISDN line and connectors for SCSI and audio I/O.

The LX's standard audio capability is a leap beyond that built into previous Sparcstations. The LX manages 16-bit audio at sampling rates of up to 48 kHz. The system includes a battery-driven condenser microphone with mounting hardware to" stick it to the front of your monitor.

The most impressive aspects of this new system relate to performance: CPU, display, and drive performance have all been

enhanced. With the 50-MHz MicroSparc CPU, the LX is faster than Sun's Sparcstation 2, previously its fastest uniprocessor desktop system. But it's not much faster—the documentation refers to it as being "1.5 times the speed of a 486." My tests against an Altos System 5000 (33MHz 486) proved that statement to be true, at least for integer performance. In other areas, the LX positively skunked the 486: The LX was three times faster in floatingpoint and disk I/O. These results are unreliable because the LX I tested was a preproduction unit, but they at least show that Sun isn't inflating its performance claims.

I'll admit I had hoped that by now Sun would have taken a big leap in single-CPU performance, along the lines of 68030 to 68040 or 386 to 486. That didn't happen: My CPU performance tests showed the 50-MHz MicroSparc to be calculating almost exactly twice as fast as the 25-MHz chip in an IPC unit. It's fine for Sun to quote performance numbers against the 486, but the company is losing ground against IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Silicon Graphics, all of which have reducedcost RISC workstations with excellent single-processor performance. The LX will also be competing soon against systems built around Intel's Pentium, which, if you take Intel's vaunted performance figures as truth, could also make the MicroSparc look a little sickly.

If the LX's CPU performance isn't stellar, it's at least adequate, and some of the slack is picked up by the system's other turbocharged features. The GXplus graphics accelerator built onto the LX's motherboard boosts the system's texl and graphics performance. The first evidence of this

is in the LX's text mode. Previous Sun systems were practically unusable without the window system running because text was displayed and scrolled so slowly.

Once you fire up OpenWindows, the GXplus really earns its keep. Sun claims the chip enhances everything from window operations to 3-D wireframe and flat shading; I had no complaints with the system's performance in these areas. The LX comes with a 16-inch color monitor that shows the Sun-standard 1152- by 900-pixel resolution, but you can pick up a 21inch monitor that handles the GXplus's top resolution.

Overall, the Sparcstation LX strikes me as a solid machine. True, it's not at the top of its class in CPU performance, but it certainly makes a capable platform for the majority of applications you'd want on your desktop. The standard accelerated graphics means that whether you run a program locally or reach across the network to some high-performance computer server, your display won't be a bottleneck. The LX's fast SCSI makes quick work of applications I/O and makes the LX valuable in the peer-to-peer world of TCP/IP and NFS (Network File System)—or even as a low-cost file server.

The Sparcstation LX is priced at $7995 with 16 MB of memory (expandable to 96 MB using 16-MB SIMMs, 24 MB otherwise), a 424-MB hard drive, a 3M-inch 1.44-MB floppy drive, and a 16-inch color monitor. A license for Sun's new Unix System V-based operating system, Solaris 2.1, is included with the system. A CDROM drive is not included, but if you plan to buy anything from Sun, you'd better make room for one in your budget. All Sun's software products are shipped exclusively on CD-ROM, and most SPARC applications vendors are following suit. —Tom Yager

THE FACTS

Sparcstation LX

$7995

Sun Microsystems Computer Corp.

2550 Garcia Ave.

Mountain View, CA 94043

(415)960-1300

fax:(415)969-9131

Circle 1167 on Inquiry Card.

48 BYTE ■ MARCH 1993

Power Packed Upgrades.

STANDARD UNITS

These UL/CSA approved, fully-tested power supplies are die best basic units available.

STANDARD 200 XT $69

STANDARD 205 SLIM $89

STANDARD 220 BABY $89

STANDARD 220 AI7TOWER $89

ULTRA-QUIET UNITS

Unrattle your nerves with noise levels (db) ., silencer power supply,

°* recognized since 1986 as °* die industry's quietest. i_ m Cooled with efficient, variable-speed fans that

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SILENCER 205 SLIM $119

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fflGH-PERFORMANCE UNITS

Upgrade your computer with one of our premium Turbo-Cool power supplies—die choice of PC professionals. You'll get 50% -100% more power, built-in line conditioning, a dual-stage EMI filter, super-tight regulation, ultra-clean DC output, our high-capacitv ThermaSense variable-speed fan (300W models), UL/CSA/TUV approvals, and a no-hassle 2-year warranty! Ideal for high-end workstations and network file servers.

TURBO-COOL 200 XT $159

TURBO-COOL 300 SLIM $169

TURBO-COOL 300 BABY $169

TURBO-COOL 300 AT/TOWER $189

TURBO-COOL 450 AT/TOWER $349

REDUNDANT POWER SYSTEM

Eliminate the risk of network downtime or data loss due to power supply failure with die TwinPower 900 redundant power system. It delivers high-capacity, fault-tolerant power to the entire network server. Consists of two Turbo-Cool 450 power supplies in parallel, utilizing a special power-management interface module. A must for mission critical LANs.

486 CPU COOLER

■ Super Server Power. Widi 900 watts of peak power, die TwinPower 900 effortlessly runs any array of drives- without die need for sequencing.

■ 100 Times More Reliable.

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■ Optional Enclosures. We offer "monster" cases that hold TwinPower's two power supplies and the interface. The Standard Tower (51 lbs.) holds 13 drives, while die all-steel Industrial Tower (104 lbs.) allows dual systemboards and holds up to 16 drives. Now, that's expandability!

TWIN-POWER 900 $995

W/STANDARD CASE $1695

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It's a fact. 486 chips run hot, often exceeding 185°F! Now, you can reduce the operating temperature of your 80486 processor to a cool, safe 85°- 95 °F with our popular CPU-Cool. You'll prevent random system erron and add years to the life of your

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POWER SUPPLY ADVISOR

1. Even before it fails, an inferior power supply can be trouble. Nasty hard-to-track problems such as rebooting, loss of setup, overheating, and memory errors are often power supply related.

2. You can't have too much power. A power supply delivers only what the PC needs and actually performs best at 25% -75% of its rated capacity.

3. For greater hard drive reliability, use a power supply with independent regulation and extra cooling such as the Turbo-Cool 300/450.

4. Buy from a reputable power supply specialist. You'll get real sendee, not some runaround like: "Here's a number in Taiwan, give diem a call".

5. To save money, PC manufacturers put ordinary power supplies— with limited features— in their systems. To upgrade, call us direct or ask your PC supplier for one of our units by name.

PC POWER & COOUNB, INC.

5995 Avenida Enemas, Carlsbad, CA 92008 • (619) 931-5700 • (800) 722-6555 • Fax (619) 931-6988

Most orders shipped same day. We accept Visa, MC, COD, or PO on approved credit. Turbo-Cool anil TwinPower models guaranteed for 2 years. All oilier products guaranteed for 1 vear. Hours: 7 a.m. - 5 pjn. (PI) Won. - J:ri. ©1992 PC Power & Cooling, Inc. Silencer, Turbo-Cool, ThermaSense, TwinPower, and CPU-Cool are trademarks of PC Power & Cooling, Inc. All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Circle 123 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 124).

NO OTHER PEN HAS THIS KIND OF

The 3.3-pound machine is considerably lighter than many competitors' machines. Its black-and-white screen uses a back light,

*"<-<** ,

which will allow customers to use the computer in difficult lighting situations.

fi *-*+^p

it. if

'•v^n* -.a^*'

- Los Angeles Times, Nov. 2,1992

,i>;naes foi ,v. connections, they saia.

One problem we've had is seeing the screens [of other pen computers] in various lighting environments...[Toshiba is] using new backlit reflective technology; you can see it in any lighting.

- Reprinted from PC Week, Sept. 14,1992

- -..^date users said.

[Toshiba has] done an exceptional job in the industrial design of the system, and going beyond that, looking at specific vertical solutions.

See TOSHIBA page 10:

- Stella Kelly, InfoCorp Senior Analyst lnfoworM.Nov.2,1992

The Toshiba Dynapad makes most transreflective-sidelit display, engineering in Dyn

of its predecessors look clunky by 40MB hard drive and two PCMCIA pen market has bee

comparison. Packed into this sleek, 2.0 slots. Clearly a 3rd-generation

little 3.3-pound tablet is a 9.5" pen computer, the innovative

- Portia Isaacson, Dream IT, Inc.

INTRODUCING THE TOSHIBA DYNA

INK.

[Toshiba has] a much better infrastructure for providing support than some other pen computer companies.

-Tim Bajarin, President/Creative Strategies Research International Inc. lnfoworld,'Nov.2,1992

[The Dynapad is] a nice system, has a good feel and [Personal Computer Memory Card International Association] cards, and at that low weight, it's much more the kind of thing people are going to need in the field than something like the ThinkPad.

~-)anet Cole, Dataqitest Analyst Computeruvrld, Nov. 2,1992

I've been saying that [a pen computer] needs to be small, W rugged, and able to run 386 ' f or better^ ,^.

- Mel Hinton, Senior Engineer/Public Service Electric and Gas Co. lnfoworld,Nov.2,1992

Amazingly,

we've even been able

to incorporate two

PCMCIA slots for

expandability.

PAD T1 0 OX

Leave it to Toshiba engineers to create a pen computer that has left an indelible impression on the computer world.

Presenting the acclaimed Dynapad T100X.

It's almost as if, for the first time, someone actually considered how people would use a pen computer. And designed it from there.

For starters, it's phenomenally light, weighing in at 3.3 pounds. So you can carry it for extended periods in the field without your arm falling off.

But don't be fooled into thinking that it's a lightweight. Because it boasts a 25 MHz Am386" low-voltage processor. Offers 4MB RAM—expandable to 20MB. And comes with a 40MB hard disk.

The screen is equally impressive. We purposely designed a large 9.5-inch transreflective screen so it's easy to view whether you're in a pitch-black tunnel or out in the field in the blinding sunlight.

We were no less painstaking with the ergonomics. At 10.6" x 8.3" x 1.5',' the T100X is very easy to hold. The weight is well balanced. There are no sharp corners. And we've given you both a top-view silo, so you can see if you have your pen, and the option of tethering the pen.

And like every computer we make, our T100X offers a variety of Toshiba innovations. Like our MaxTime" power management system, which offers such features as AutoResume and AutoSave. So you get the maximum out of every battery charge.

To learn more, call the toll-free number below for the location of your nearest Toshiba reseller.

Because as you can see from the quotes to the left, this is one pen that's already made its mark.

In Touch with Tomorrow

TOSHIBA

1-800-457-7777

© 1993 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. AH products indicated by trademark symbol are trademarked and/ or registered by their respective manufacturers. PC Week quote copyright © 1992 Ziff Communications Company.

We took pains

to ensure our

Dynapad is perfectly

balanced. Thus

making it easy to hold

in either arm and in a

variety of positions.

At33pounds, it's truly one of the few pen computers where employees won't get fatigued carrying it.

We gave our pen a transreflective display

screen so it can be

used in a variety of different locations and

lighting conditions (underground, at night,

in broad daylight).

Circle 156 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

EO's Personal Communicator Ushers In a New Era

Much as the Macintosh represented a conceptual leap forward for personal computers, so too does the Personal Communicator 440 from start-up EO. EO has changed the definition of a mobile computer, uniting the functions of a handheld organizer with a cellular telephone, both running under an intuitive pen-based user interface (see "Communications Gets Personal," February BYTE).

In BYTE's first hands-on evaluation of the Personal Communicator 440,1 looked at a machine that breaks with the past in more than just conception: It is the first system built on the AT&T Hobbit RISC chip, a 3.3-volt CPU that offers fast performance with low power consumption. It also runs Go Corp.'s PenPoint operating system, ported to the Hobbit. EO has guts to eschew compatibility with the Intel/Microsoft and Mac standards, but the company sees communicators as a separate market from portable PCs.

Available this spring, the 440 sports a unique design with no keyboard and a distinctive set of "ears" on either side of the screen. These ears contain I/O ports, a speaker, and a microphone. The 1-inchthick unit measures 11 by 7 inches without the ears: with one 4-hour nickel-cadmium battery, it weighs 2K pounds.

The system uses a 20-MHz Hobbit chip and ships with 8 MB of ROM (containing PenPoint and 10 bundled applications) and 4 MB of RAM. Using standard 88-pin JEDEC memory modules, you can expand the RAM to 8 or 12 MB through a small door on the front; the preproduction unit I evaluated was loaded with 12 MB. Another door on the front contains a PCMCIA slot (Type 2, Level 2), which you can use for nonvolatile removable storage or other peripherals. My evaluation model also

included the optional fax modem and $800 cellular-phone handset.

The 440 makes a nice pen-based personal organizer with a built-in PIM (personal information manager) and note taker, but the system doesn't come into its own without the phone. The 440 diverges from earlier pen-based systems in its tight integration of communications. The bundled GoFax, GoMail, and address book make it easy to send documents from within any program, and the built-in sound lets you attach voice annotations to documents.

Much of this capability comes from PenPoint, whose notebook metaphor and gesture interface make the 440 remarkably easy to use. The object orientation of PenPoint allows transparent sharing of data between applications.

The software I ran was a beta release, but it had few bugs and the performance was perky. The bundled programs and applets—which include MiniNote (for writing in digital ink), MiniText (for entering text via handwriting recognition), EO Calc

(a paper-tape calculator), and Pensoft's Personal Perspective (a scaled-down version of the company's PIM)—were powerful yet amazingly easy to use.

In fact, the 440's intuitiveness demonstrates how far user-interface design has come. I had only a few minutes of training on the basic gestures, yet I barely cracked a manual to use the system. I wasn't able to try the tutorial because it wasn't ready, but I liked being able to get context-sensitive help simply by writing a question mark over the area in question.

The Personal Communicator 440 is well designed and feels solidly built, and I found the nonreflective LCD screen easy to read. Perhaps for the first time in pen computing, a company has got the details right. AT&T has even gotten into the act. As a major investor in EO, AT&T will sell the 440 and 880 under its own name.

EO is only the first player in an expected wave of mobile devices that integrate computing and telephony. Over the next year, you can expect competition for EO and AT&T, but all new arrivals will have to be judged against the high standard set by the Personal Communicator 440.

—Andy Reinhardt

THE FACTS

Personal Communicator 440

(price not available at press time)

EO, Inc.

800A East Middlefield Rd.

Mountain View, CA 94043

(415)903-8100

fox: (415) 903-8190

Circle 1168 on Inquiry Card.

PowerExec EL Notebook: More for Less

If our review of the AST PowerExec notebook ("AST's PowerExec Goes Modular," January BYTE) caught your eye, but you found the price a bit sleep, AST has something new for you—the PowerExec EL. The EL stands for "entry level," and with a list price of $1745, it may appeal to cost-conscious notebook users. Thai's what AST is hoping for, anyway. Philip Osako, AST portable systems marketing product manager, says that the EL is targeted at small businesses and peo

ple who need a notebook to supplement their office system.

AST is not alone in offering attractively priced notebook packages. Compaq and Toshiba, among others, offer modestly priced 386 systems. But for the purely price-sensitive shopper, the EL, at press time at least, leads the pack.

Like the higher-priced PowerExec, the preproduction EL I saw is a roadworthy notebook. It weighs in at almost 6 pounds and uses a nickel-cadmium battery pack.

Its base price includes an Intel 25-MHz 386SL processor, a coprocessor socket, a 60-MB hard drive, a 1.44-MB floppy drive, 2 MB of RAM, and one each of serial, parallel, monitor interface, keyboard/keypad connector. Type 2 PCMCIA slot, and expansion bus ports. For a $2295 list price, you can get a 120-MB hard drive, 4 MB of RAM, Windows 3.1, and AST's SmartPoint trackball.

With the list price of the PowerExec at $2395, just what do you give up when you

52 BYTE ■ MARCH 1993

Our new color printer

not only looks great on

it looks great on paper.

The eye

when it sees black

and white.

The eye when it sees color.

True, the brilliant color produced by the new Tektronix Phaser® 200 is captivating. But the price is equally attractive. And though we've become the award-winning leader in color printers by frequently outdoing the c \Jj

competition, this time ^s|

we've even outdone ourselves. Introducing our newest business work group color printer.

The Phaser 200 is compatible with virtually any business software and can print two colorful pages per minute. No, not two minutes per page—two pages per minute. And even at a speed like that, it still manages to print eye-catching color on common laser paper or transparencies using a separate input tray for each. You select the medium you want at your computer keyboard. And it switches automatically from user to user just as easily, using its parallel, serial, AppleTalk,™ or optional EtherTalk™ and Ethernet™ ports.

It has all the advantages of a laser printer. True Adobe PostScript™ Level 2, networkability, Pantone* colors, speed and price. (Did you notice it's only $3695, slightly below unheard of?) And when you add to that extremely high materials capacity and sparkling TekColor™ output—not just any color, but the indisputably best color in the business— you've got something even better than our previous best. Which is quite a feat.

So stop by your nearest Tektronix dealer or call us at 800/835-6100, Dept 28Jforafree output sample. For faxed infor- ,--—"5%>.; f

iiiii ii i m

i

mation call 503/682-7450, ask for document / 1223. You won't find another business investment that looks this good on paper.

Tektronix

/

Phaser is a trademark of Tektronix, Inc. PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Circle 152 on Inquiry Card.

Circle 78 on Inquiry Card.

Images in your Computer

from Video or full page Scanners. Boost your productivity in DeskTop Publishing, OCR and Multimedia applications.

ColorSnap PC

Professional. REAL TIME, video image capture,full screen. 16.7 million colors & grayscale. Use any NTSC/PAL video source, camcorder, live TV, still video, VGA, SVGA supported, files saved in standard formats. Free Aldus PhotoStyler. Video-forWindows compatible. Digitize movies at 30 frames/sec. Hundreds of applications. Demo disks available. $599.00

Life View Encoder

Record your computer presentations to video or display to any TV monitor. NTSC or PAL 249.00

Color 6000

600 dpi. full page, sheetfed color (24-bit) scanner Complete with Color Im- $595.00

age Processing Software and WordScan OCR s/w. HP ScanJet emulation driver.. Color 3000, 300 dpi unit, $495.00

ArtiScan 1200 dpi

$1795.00

1200 dpi,desk-top, fast (SCSI), 24-bit, flat bed, color scanner. True hardware resolution, superb picture quality, color-gray' scale. Free linage Processing software. 600 dpi model $975.00,800 dpi, $1289.00. Optional X-Ray, Slide Scanner ($545.00). Twain univ. driver with all models. OCR software.Recognita, $159.00 WordScan, $99.00. Best magazine ratings.

PageReader 300

Full Page, 300 dpi Scanner complete with OCR WordScan software & line-art Imager software!! HP-ScanJet em ulation driver hence compatible with any OCR package. Fast! Reads avg. page in <10 sec. With Recognita, add $159.00 - 9600 fax/modem send/rec, add $99.00. Ideal in any office for text, AutoCad drawings, fax etc

Call/fax forCatalog on MultiMedia DeskTop Video Systems and Image Transfer Systems

30-day return guarantee. I year warranty. Major credit cards. Resellers Welcome.

Computer Friends, Inc. - 14250 NW Science Park Dr. - Portland OR 97229 Founded Toll Free 1-800-547-3303 - tel. (503)626-2291 - fax (503)643-5379 1982

PRICES HARD TO MEET - SERVICE HARD TO BEAT! World Wide Inquiries Promptly Filled

NEWS

get an "equivalent" EL? First, unlike with the PowerExec, you cannot upgrade the processor and there is no 64-KB cache. Second, there is only one PCMCIA slot with the EL. The 9^-inch-diagonal, 640by 480-pixel resolution VGA display is different, too. It provides 64 shades of gray, but it's not quite as bright aid doesn't offer as much contrast as the one on the PowerExec. Finally, the AC adapter takes a bit longer to recharge the battery pack.

AST says that the nickel-cadmium power pack will last about 3 to 4 hours because the EL has the same heuristic power management system as the PowerExec. In fact, with the exception of the differences noted, this EL is a PowerExec. The long list of options includes a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, RAM modules (the EL expands to 20 MB), PCMCIAbased modems, Ethernet and SCSI adapters, and passive- and active-matrix color displays.

The PowerExec EL is a good example of the more-for-less, Windows-capable hardware trend so prevalent with desktop systems. Other examples of this move toward affordability in notebooks are systems from Toshiba, Compaq, and a few others that are full-featured competing notebooks at similar user-attractive prices. For example, the Compaq Contura 3/25 Model 84/w+ comes with an 84-MB hard drive and 4 MB of RAM. It can be had for a street price of about $1900. Notebooks such as the PowerExec EL show that "entry level" doesn't have to mean starting at the bottom anymore. ■

—Gene Smarte

THE FACTS

PowerExec EL

with 2 MB of RAM, a 60-MB hard drive, and a monochrome display, $1745

with 4 MB of RAM, a 120-MB hard drive, Windows 3.1, and a SmartPoint trackball, $2295 display upgrades (done at factory): passive, $1169; active, price not available at press time

AST Research, Inc.

P.O. Box 19658

Irvine, CA 92713

(800) 876-4278

(714)727-4141

fax:(714)727-9355

Circle 1169 on Inquiry Card.

54 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 144 on Inquiry Card.

P)mj)jmjMH PcJicuitii

GO

WATCOM SQL Developer's Edition

by WATCOM

Complete client/server development tool allows you to develop and deploy singleuser standalone applications, and to develop applications for use with the Network Server Edition. Includes: Single-user database server; ACME application development system; Embedded SQL C/C++ preprocessor; libraries for WATCOM C, C/386, MS/C ++ and BC/C++.

List: $395 Ours: $299

FAXcetera* 1683-0010

HUGE

SELECTION AT THE

RIGHT

PRICE!

CALL TODAY

1

3S6MAX

$64

Label Master

$429

Baler

$399

Lahey EM/32 5.0

$1,015

Bar Code Library

$350

mini Ed Tools

CALL

Borland C++

$319

MKS Learning UNIX

$99

C Windows Tlkt. 386

$179

MKS Toolkit

S239

C++/Views

$449

MS C/C++

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C-DOC Professional

$269

MS FoxPro

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CAD/CAM Products

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Multi-Edit Professional

$139

CASE:W Corporate

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Norton Desktop/Win

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Clipper

$499

object-Menu

$269

CodeWright

$225

Opt-Tech Sort/Merge

$119

dBASEIV

$499

Paradox 4.0

$569

dBFast Windows

$395

PGL

CALL

dGT-Unlirnited Runtime $499

.RTLink/Plus

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Dr. Switch-ASE

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ED for Windows

$269

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WATCOM FORTRAN 77/38

6 $719

Essential Graphics Chart™ for Windows

by South Mountain Software

■ "

lilts

Essential Graphics Chart for Windows lets you

turn your data into charts and graphs that

make an immediate visual impact. Features

include; DLL-works with any Windows API

compatible language, 2D bar, 3D bar. legends

for all chart types, real-time charts, tine perspeclive and rotational capability.

No Royalties.

List: $399 Ours: $299

FAXcetera # 2089-0017

CA-dBFast Windows 2.0

by Computer Associates

The complete stand-alone dBASE/Xbase development language for MS Windows. Create fast, powerful, easy-to-use graphical applications. Over 200 extensions to the dBASE III PLUS language and includes an interactive editor, compiler, and linker. Challenge your creativity and imagination! Design multiple windows,

pull-down menus, check boxes. list boxes, radio buttons, bit-map pictures, and more!

List: $550 Ours: $395

FAXcetera # 1004-0003

Dan Bricklin' s Demo II

by Lifeboat Software

Experience for yourself why 30.000 people have made Demo II 3.0 the leading tool for producing program prototypes, demonstrations, and tutorials. Demonstrate commercial software to potential customers without shipping live software. Produce effective tutorials that interactively teach products. Create

Computer Based Training for a fraction of the cost of dedicated CBT authoring software.

List: $249 Ours: $215

FAXcetera # 0233-0003

Q+E Database Library (QELIB) 1.1

by Pioneer Software

A set of Dynamic Link Libraries prowling

a common call level interface for developer

tools such as Visual Basic. ToolBook,

Actor, Smalltalk, C, C++, etc. and most

macro language products to access data from Oracle. SQL Server. Sybase. EE

Database Manager. DB2. Netware SQL. dBASE. Paradox. Excel, and text files.

List: $399 Ours: $359

FAXeefera* 2625-0003

Microsoft Windows for Workgroups

Considering how easy it is to use MS Windows™, imagine what MS Windows™ for Workgroups can do for an entire group. Such as information sharing among many PC users that can lead to even better, more collaborative work. Printer sharing that uses hardware resources more efficiently. And schedule management that improves efficiency.

Workgroups List: $249 Ours: $175

ADD-On List: $ 79 Ours: $ 61

FAXcetera # 1269-0042

FORWORKGROUPS

MediaDeveloper

by Lenel Systems

Create multimedia-enabled applications

with MediaDeveloper and ObjectVision. It is

THE Multimedia Development Toolkit to

integrate sound, images, animation and

full-motion video into Windows applications. Includes media and

device control for multimedia peripherals including CD-ROMs. VCRs

and laserdisc players: support for major animation, video, audio and

graphics formats: a multimedia database; OLE server: and many DLLs.

MediaDeveloper List: $595 Ours: $449

w/ObjectVision 2.1 List: $745 Ours: $499

w/ObjectVision 2.1 Pro List: $1090 Ours: $749 FAXcetera # 1005-0302

oftmare tha

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WATCOM C/386 9.0

by WATCOM

WATCOM C/386

Develop and Debug 32-bit applications for

extended DOS. Windows, and OS/2 2.0 with

the most complete 32-bit C development

package available. Includes the royalty-free

D0S/4GW DOS extender by Rational

Systems, components from MS Windows

SDK, compiler, linker, debugger, profiler,

plus numerous development tools. Supports

other industry standard 32-bit DOS extenders. Create

Applications for AutoCAD or embedded systems development.

List: $895 Ours: $599

FAXcetcra # 1683-0001

ADS

Visio

by ShapeWare

Now everyone can create professional-quality graphics! Straightforward stencils, designed for everyday business drawings and technical diagrams, provide all the shapes you need. Whether you're creating engineering schematics, network or block diagrams, org charts, programming flow charts, or your own custom drawings, Visio has a stencil of shapes that will make your job easier. GET A $79 VISIO PROGRAMMER'S STENCIL FREE WITH EACH COPY OF VISIO YOU ORDER!

List: $299 Ours: $225

FAXretera* 1006-2801

WindowsMAKER Professional 4.0

by Blue Sky Software

Next generation of industry standard C/C++ development tool for Windows. The easiest fastest way to create Windows apps. just point and click. New architecture uses Switch-It™ Code Generation Modules for generating ANSI C, MFC++. or OWL C++ code among others. Award-winning Visual Prolotyper lets you test the look & feel and make changes on the fly. TmeCode

technology ensures the user code is preserved during code regeneration.

Generates Windows .EXE w/fully commented C or C++ source.

List: $995 Ours: $695

FAXatem # 2602-0003

j ■ x • in n

_f THE MONTH

Visual Basic for Windows

by Microsoft Corporation

The fastest way to program for Windows just got faster. When you need to create a Windows application quickly, nothing offers the sheer productivity of Microsoft Visual Basic 2.0 Standard Edition. A visual development environment, flexible programming language, and fast runtime execution make this the shortest route to full-featured Windows applications. The Professional Edition includes messaging and data access capabilities, a wide variety of add-on tools, and more.

Standard Edition List: $199 Ours: $139

Professional Edition List: $495 Ours: $337

FAXcetcra* 1269-0039

ED-The Programmer's Editor for Windows

by Lifeboat Software

A full-featured Windows-based programmer's editor is here! ED is setting the standard with features like background compilation, automatic code indenting and completion, hypertext function/procedure lookups, "smart" language-specific editing, a fast "C" extension language. Windows Toolbar, unlimited undo and redo, keyboard macros and remapping, and emulation of popular DOS editors.

List: $269 Ours: $199

FAXcetcm # 0233-0011

CA-Clipper 5.2 Competitive Upgrade

by Computer Associates

Yes, the newly released CA-Clipper version 5.2 is being offered to Xbase language product owners at the low retail price of $199. This competitive upgrade is available for a short term only! What a great opportunity to get the power of CA-Clipper. at a super price!

List: $199 Ours: $149

FAXcetcra* 5400-0001

SB£Sf|

CA-Clipper

MS Visual Basic for DOS

Draw forms and controls, write event-procedures, use and create custom controls-in DOS! Create all-new apps or combine with existing C/C++ or Pascal code. Highly compatible with VB/Win for multi-platform development. Even run existing MS Quick Basic/Basic PDS code! Includes a native 80 x 86 compiler that creates 100% standalone .EXE files, 386 code generation. MOVE overlays, an integrated ISAM and much more!

Standard Edition List: $199 Ours: $139

Professional Edition List: $495 Ours: $325 FAXcetera # 1269-0039

Janus/Ada Compiler

by R.R. Software

Janus/Ada for DOS: the power and reliability of Ada, priced for everybody! You get a full, validated implementation of Ada-compiler, linker, royalty-free runtime libraries, multiple memory models, environment, tools, and even a tutorial. And R.R. Software supports you with 12 years of Ada experience and know-how. Now's the time to use Janus/Ada.

List: $129 Ours:

FAXcetem# 1876-0001

$115

VhJM^MmM 'PohAufobi

®

MetaWare High C/C++

by MetaWare, Inc.

MaljiWere' !Ui

MetaWare, Inc. announces its newest product! The 32-bit High C/C++ compiler version 3.0 is a true compiler, not a C to C++ translator. "Incremental Strengths" let you specify the level of C++ compilation, allowing you to migrate from C to C++, one C/C++ block at a time. Included is a C++ tailored source-level debugger and a 32-bit Application

Development Kit for Windows. MetaWare offers a full line of multi-language, multi-platform compilers for professional software developers.

List: $795 Ours: $669

FAX«tcra# 1590-0008

VMData

by PocketSoft, Inc.

VMData for Windows is a DLL that manages up to 128 MB of dynamic data. Eliminates annoying slowdowns commonly seen in 386 Enhanced Mode when programs use large amounts of dynamic data, and eliminates outof-memory problems in Standard Mode. Provides superior run-time performance and ensures that your program is a good citizen under the Windows environment.

List: $495 Ours: $359

FAXcctcm* 1987-0005

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WinGEN

by Buzzwords International

Converts ObjectVision .OVD to Source Code!

Make the title bar disappear and run your application at compiled speed. WinGEN

produces code for Windows versions of a. )' ia e e mt dBASE, C/C++, and Turbo Pascal.

Supported engines include: Paradox Engine. Sequiter Codebase, POET. Raima, Faircom c-tree, Sybase, Novell Btrieve, Novell Btrieve with SQL/XQL Manager, OLE & DDE/DDEML, and Q & E.

List: $149 Ours: $79

FAXcetem* 1873-0002

DataBoss

by Kedwell Software

Relational database application generator. Use to develop complete applications with menus, forms, browse tables, memo fields, reports and more. Includes sophisticated screen painter; field definition template for defining field characteristics, indexes, data files and their relations; WYSIWYG report designer; generator engine and skeletal files. Generates structured C/C++ or Pascal source code. No license or runtime fees.

List: $695 Ours: $499

FAX«tcra# 3758-0001

Multi-Edit Professional

by American Cybernetics

A richly featured, easy-to-use programmer's text editor. Multi-Edit's flexibility and sheer power combine to provide you with unparalleled productivity. Features include: intuitive user interface, mouse support, syntax highlighting, cross

directory multiple file search AND replace, color templates, + much more! Finally, a text editor that thinks like a programmer! Free demo disk available.

List: $199 Ours: $139

List: $295 Ours: $259

FAXcetera# 1846-0001

Jtt

SVS C3/FORTRAN-77

by Silicon Valley Software

Version 2.8.2

SVS C3/FORTRAN-77 runs in and creates 32bit executables for use with MS Windows 3.x as DPMI executables. Compiler, development tools and applications are DMPI conforming and support most VCPI requirements.

Extensive graphics and scientific function library is included.

Executables are run-time royalty free.

List: $395 Ours: $356

FAKcetm* 2863-0001

PROTOGEN 3.0

by ProtoView Development

NEW VERSION! The industry standard for code generation and prototyping Windows applications. Develop the user interface of your application using Visual prototyping methods. ProtoGen generates expert level, commented code for ANSI C, Microsoft NT Win32. All generators included! User Coders preserved from one generation to the next. It's easy and fast.

List: $99 Ours: $95

FAXccttra # 2553-0002

rri IM •/■! J k i 1 d il :Mci i

PRICES!

(Call for details)

• order call: 800-445-7899

orporate (CORSOFT): 800 422-6507

FAX: 908 389-9227

International: 908 389-9228

Customer Service: 908 389-9229

For more information on the oducts feat

• All prices are subject to change without notice. Circle 102 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

WHAT'S NEW

SYSTEMS

SPARC-Based Portability

A portable workstation based on the 50-MHz Sparcengine LX board from Sun Microsystems, the BriteLite LX is 100 percent compatible with Sun hardware and software, according to RDI Computer. The SoJaris 32-bit distributed environment is preinstalled.

Features of the BriteLite LX include a Colorplus active-matrix TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD, which offers 256,000 colors and 64 levels of gray. Standard memory is 16 MB (expandable to 96 MB), and hard disk storage is 450 MB. Ports include a SCSI-2 connector, an audio/attachment unit interface port, and a bidirectional programmable parallel port. Price: $15,995. Contact: RDI Computer Corp., San Diego, CA, (619) 558-6985; fax (619) 5587061. Circle 1075 on Inquiry Card.

Modular Power Fits in Your Hand

A hand-held PC geared for rugged use, the modular DAT300 features a removable data-cassette hard disk. You can use the cassette— available with from 256 KB

The BriteLite LX puts SPARC power into a portable workstation.

to 2 MB of SRAM (static RAM) or flash EPROM and as a 20- or 40-MB micro hard disk—like a floppy disk to exchange data and programs.

Other modules include a removable battery pack, a plug-in radio interface for wireless communications, and a plug-in impact miniprinter. The unit is C-programmable in Windows. You can access the removable data cassettes, as you would a normal hard drive, directly from your desktop PC's parallel port. Price: $1350 (1,889,325 lira) and up.

Contact: 4P.s.r.l., Padova, Italy, +39 498 700474; fax +39 498 700943. Circle 1076 on Inquiry Card.

Configuration Choice

The expandable DT486 DLC-40 system is available in desktop, minitower, and medium-tower models. The system has a basic configuration of 4 MB of RAM (expandable to 32 MB on the motherboard), dual floppy drives, an 80-MB hard drive, a Super VGA color card and monitor, a keyboard, DOS 5.0, and a serial mouse.

Upgrades for the system include 120-, 170-, 200-, and 340-MB hard drives, a 2.5MB IDE cache controller, and a Windows accelerator VGA card. You can also add Windows 3.1 and a 256-KB cache-memory module. Price: Basic system, $1299. Contact: Diamond Technologies, Inc., Irvine, CA, (800) 989-7253 or (714) 2521008; fax (714) 252-1508. Circle 1077 on Inquiry Card.

Desktop Power Packer

The small-footprint Image 466/66i runs at 66 MHz internally and 33 MHz externally. The system has 4 MB of SIMM RAM, expandable to 36 MB on the system board, and 128 KB of ROM. NEC's implementation of local-bus video technology, ImageVideo, is a dedicated video bus that operates at 33 MHz. ImageSync automatically synchronizes the system to the optimum frequency of one of NEC's MultiSync FG series of monitors. The system has four 8-/16-bit ISA expansion slots and four drive bays.

Price: With a 120-MB IDE hard drive, $2501; with a 240-MB IDE hard drive, $2677.

Contact: NEC Technologies, Inc., Boxborough, MA, (508) 264-8000. Circle 1078 on Inquiry Card.

Multiuser System

Alpha Microsystems' multiuser AM-1600LC runs on the company's proprietary operating system, AMOS, and is based on a 25-MHz MC68020 processor. Four memory slots accept 1- or 2MB memory modules for expansion (up to 8 MB).

The system is available with the company's optional Virtual Personal Computer technology, which lets you execute DOS programs without a DOS workstation. Price: With 2 MB of RAM, four serial ports, one parallel port, a 120-MB SCSI hard drive, and a tape streamer for backup, about $7624 (£4830). Contact: Alpha Microsystems (GB), Ltd., Maidenhead, Berkshire, U.K., +44 628 822120. Circle 1079 on Inquiry Card.

58 BYTE • MARCH 1993

NEWS

WHAT'S NEW

A D D - I N S

The SCSI-2 Advantage

The SiliconAdvantage SCSI-2 host adapter cards provide synchronous data transfer rates as high as 10 MBps and asynchronous rates as high as 7 MBps. Able to perform complex SCSI-2 command sequences without software intervention, the cards automatically handle all command-queue responses from the SCSI devices, in addition to sorting and reordering commands.

Other features of the cards include scatter/gather, enhanced virtual memory performance by off-loading disk I/O tasks from the operating system, connect/reconnect support, and slow cable mode for noisy environments. The cards support up to 49 SCSI devices via use of logical unit numbers. Optional driver support is available for operating systems such as DOS, NetWare, OS/2, Windows, SCO Unix, and Solaris. The software interface is ANSI CAM (common access method) compliant. Price: ISA card, $495; Micro Channel card, $795. Contact: Atto Technology, Inc., Amherst, NY, (716) 688-4259; fax (716) 6363630. Circle 1086 on Inquiry Card.

Up the Resolution

The LazerSetter PCL Plus provides 600- by 600-dpi resolution in PCL (Printer Control Language) mode on Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II, IID, III, and HID printers. The optional LazerTrax PostScript-compatible interpreter can boost resolution to 1200 by 1200 dpi.

A controller card that plugs into the optional I/O slot of the printers, the LazerSetter PCL Plus is based on the 960SB/16 RISC processor. On-board RAM provides fast

SiliconAdvantage cards boost data throughput in SCSI-2 systems.

processing without your having to add additional memory to your printer. Price: $795 and up. Contact: Bolder Systems, Inc., Boulder, CO, (800) 9670973 or (303) 938-9949; fax (303) 449-4005. Circle 1087 on Inquiry Card.

A New View for PowerBooks

Applied Engineering's BookView Imperial pseudostatic RAM and video adapter card plugs into the memory-expansion slot on the motherboard of the Apple PowerBook to let you connect the notebook to large color monitors. The card, which has 6 MB of RAM, provides 8-bit color and levels of gray. It supports standard and full-page VGA, Apple monitors, NTSC, and overhead projectors. Price: $11 16.

Contact: Applied Engineering, Dallas, TX, (800^5546227 or (214) 241-6060; fax (214)484-1365. Circle 1088 on Inquiry Card.

DSP Boards

Three data acquisition boards use a DSP (digital signal processor) chip to give you the power of signal processing on your desktop system.

complete DSP subsys& tern based on AT&T's DSP3210 chip, the Qw3210SA signal analysis board has 136 KB of high-speed SRAM (static RAM) (expandable to more than 2 MB) and a dualport RAM interface between the PC and the DSP. The board provides 32 MFLOPS of processing power.

Each of the two channels in the board's analog I/O subsection has a 200,000-sample-per-second 16-bit A/D and D/A converter; a differential-input, programmablegain instrumentation amplifier; and optional programmable-cutoff analog filters. Software included with the board is a C interface library and Resmon, a memory-resident DSP program that sets up the hardware, reports on errors, and provides task-switching services. Price: $2995.

Contact: Quanlawave, Marlborough, MA, (508) 4819802; fax (508) 624-0942. Circle 1089 on Inquiry Card.

The DSP_400 and DSP_MOD boards, based on AT&T's DSP32C chip, provide 25 MFLOPS of processing power and have up to 8 MB of zero-wait-state onboard memory. Each board has a 12.5-MHz, 32-bit parallel port for direct data transfers to the on-board memory without tying up the AT bus on your PC.

Each board comes with a complete software package that provides everything you need to begin developing DSP applications. The DSP_ 400 uses individual memory chips, and the DSP_MOD uses memory modules. Price: $950 each. Contact: Symmetric Research, Kirkland, WA, (206) 828-6560; fax (206) 8273721. Circle 1090 on Inquiry Card.

Sound Out Your PC

A sound board that automatically adapts to different voices and accents, the Cyber Audio Card lets you assemble your own vocabulary of voice commands. The card maintains an active 125word vocabulary.

The board includes digital audio recording and playback on two mono channels or one stereo channel at 11 to 44 kHz and 8- or 16-bit resolution. Other features include compression/decompression as high as 4 to 1 at a 22-kHz sampling rate, a MIDI interface, compatibility with SoundBlaster and Adlib, and an on-board stereo mixer for three stereo channels or six mono channels. Price: $395.

Contact: Alpha Systems Lab, Irvine, CA, (714)2520117; fax (714) 252-0887. Circle 1091 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 'BYTE 59

NEWS

WHAT'S NEW

CONNECTIVITY

Manage Networked PCs

Intel's LANDesk software tools provide simplified management of desktop PCs and related services on Novell NetWare 3.x LANs. The tools include LANDesk Manager, LANDesk Protect, and LANDesk Inventory Manager.

LANDesk Manager provides a single control point for all local network management solutions. The program lets you remotely view a workstation or file-server screen; query for system information; control the keyboard and mouse; and make changes to the system, such as moving or copying files, rebooting, and executing programs. LANDesk Manager also displays statistics such as packet traffic, error rates, and utilization.

LANDesk Protect continuously scans all network traffic to detect and isolate more than 1900 PC viruses, including common strains, self-encrypting stealth viruses, and polymorphic (i.e., mutation engine) viruses. LANDesk Inventory Manager generates a summary of the hardware and software resources on the network to help you manage upgrades, maintenance, contracts, and licensing compliance.

Price: LANDesk Manager, $1295 per server; LANDesk Protect, $995 per server; LANDesk Inventory Manager, $595 per server. Contact: Intel Corp., Santa Clara, CA, (408) 765-8080; fax (408) 727-2620. Circle 1092 on Inquiry Card.

14,400-bps Notebook Modem

The Smart One 1442 PCMCIA modem from Best Data Products provides notebook PC users with high

The LANDesk software tools provide LAN administration functions such as node management, network and application monitoring, virus protection, accounting, troubleshooting, capacity planning, remote control, and inventory.

speed, error-corrected data transfer and faxing capability. Using built-in CCITT V.42bis and MNP level 5 data compression and V.32bis error correction, the modem lets you achieve effective throughput rates of up to 57,600 bps even on dial-up lines, as well as full sendand-receive fax capability at 14,400 bps. In addition, the Smart One 1442 PCM-CIA operates in full background mode for uninterrupted operation.

The modem's fax features include broadcasting of multiple files to various fax machines; the ability to view, rotate, and print incoming faxes; and time-scheduled transmission. You can keep data and fax numbers in a flexible phone book, and handy logs record fax and even error reports. Price: $599.

Contact: Best Data Products, Inc., Chats worth, CA, (818) 773-9600; fax (818) 7739619. Circle 1093 on Inquiry Card.

Antivirus Utility for NetWare

Fifth Generation Systems' Untouchable Network NLM (NetWare loadable module) detects and recovers viruses on NetWare 386-based file servers. The package employs integrity checking on the file server to detect viruses without relying on frequent virus signature updates.

A patented virus-removal technique guarantees safe restoration of recoverable infected files, including those hit by new, unknown viruses. The package also features on-line scanning of compressed and archived files and seamless integration of Untouchable Network NLM for detection and recovery of viruses at individual nodes.

Price: $995 per server. Contact: Fifth Generation Systems, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA, (504) 291-7221; fax (504) 295-3268. Circle 1094 on Inquiry Card.

Workgroup Connectivity

With Powerfusion for Workgroups, Unix resides as a peer partner in the Windows for Workgroups environment. The package supports Unix, DOS, Windows, and Windows for Workgroups users and provides three connectivity solutions: plug-and-play operation; support for Windows for Workgroups orphans, such as IBM XTs and ATs and Unix; and low memory overhead. Powerfusion for Workgroups allows network users to share resources such as disks, printers, keyboards, screens, and CD-ROMs.

Price: DOS and Windows users, about $100 per workstation; supported Unix clients, $100 each. Contact: Performance Technology, San Antonio, TX, (210) 349-2000; fax (210) 366-0123. Circle 1095 on Inquiry Card.

PCMCIA Wireless Adapter

A wireless LAN adapter, the RangeLAN/ PCMCIA fits the specifications of the Type II PCMCIA credit-card-type slot. Using spread-spectrum technology over a range of up to 800 feet, the adapter can operate at a data rate of 242 Kbps. The RangeLAN/PCMCIA adapter provides a wireless networking solution to portable users, allowing them to easily set up an "instant" LAN without cables or to extend an existing LAN to hard-to-reach places. The RangeLAN/PCMCIA comes with drivers for popular LAN operating systems. Price: $595. Contact: Proxim, Inc., Mountain View, CA, (415) 960-1630; fax (415) 9645181. Circle 1096 on Inquiry Card.

60 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Why some software sejjs more than others. «

Success. All software developers strived for it. Now, Don Gall P was on top of the world. Software protection made all the difference. Especially in Europe and Asia. Sales were four times better than before. He is the founding father of Sentinel — the guru of software success. Struggling Software Sales

One day, trekking through the coffee fields of Java, Don ran into his old college buddy Simon Seagull. "Don, my sales are well below expectations." Simon explained his plight. "My software should sell like yours, Don!" Yet despite critical acclaim Simon's company SimonSays Software, teetered on a financial tightrope. "What's your secret, Don?"

They spent hours analyzing potential problems. They looked at everything. The Key to the Problem Finally, Don leaned back and asked the assumptive question, "What about protection?"

Are you using Sentinel?" Nervously, Simon sipped his

coffee. His hands shaking as his eyes darted the room. "No. I didn't think I needed to."

Don's chair slid out from under him and he crashed to the floor. Amazed in disbelief, Don cried, "You What?!" Grabbing his tattered

scrapbook, Don pulled out photos of his travels. "Ever been to Seoul? Prague? Anywhere? Ten bucks will buy you anything even bootlegged copies of software

Don's Road to Success

Thumbing through the scrapbook, Don shared his experiences. "Back in the '80s, I was in your shoes beaten, battered and bruised.' Simon listened. "Then, after a heart breaking trip around the world, I called the Software Publishers Association (SPA).

"I could hardly believe it.' They told me developers lose billions of dollars each year. Why? Illegally copied software. "In some countries there are nine pirated copies for each legal copy sold."

Simon was disgusted, "It's just not fair."

"That's why I committed myself to solving the piracy problem." Simon's eyes lit ^\ up. "The dongle!" he shouted. Don ^ corrected him, "Not just any dongle— the dongle that paved the road to success for over 10,000 developers worldwide — Sentinel."

Successful Developers Use Sentinel

Don pulled a stack of letters out of his gunny sack. "All of these people tell the same story." Don read about a successful developer from California who swears she wouldn't be in business without Sentinel. Another company says protection costs less than litigation, plus they don't have to spend time and money $ i supporting illegal users.

Others confessed they wouldn't market products internationally without protection.

The hours flew by, story after story, Simon learned Don Gall's secret. To succeed is to protect. To protect is to secure with Sentinel.

Most Advanced and widely Used Dongles in the World

Backed by the world leader in software protection, Rainbow Technologies, the Sentinel Family of hardware keys is the most diverse and comprehensive selection available. For DOS,OS/2, Mac, Windows, LAN, UNIX and others. They're simple to install, and are the most reliable and compatible available.

Rainbow offers just-intime delivery and the largest technical support and engineering staff in the software protection industry. Call Don Gall today for a free copy of "The Sentinel Guide to Securing Software." Or better yet, ask him for a low cost 1^ Sentinel Evaluation kit today - complete with a working dongle!

CALL

800/ 852-8569

FOR YOUR FREE GUIDE TO SECURING SOFTWARE

SEIUinEL

Securing the future of software

When you need a dongle, you need Sentinel. The only dongle Don Gall will use.

^.RAINBOW

T ECHH0L0GIES

9292 JERONIMO ROAD, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA 92718 ■ 714/ 454-2100 ■ fax 714/ 454-8557 International offices are located in the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Circle 138 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 139).

microsoft windows comfatible

The Muffin Of P

1984

The Luggables

■ 35 pounds

class CPU I512KRAM 1 Floppy drive I No hard drive I AC only

I Monochrome display $4000 to $5000

Laptops

pounds

80286-clas.s CPU RAM ve 20MB hard drive

1.5-hour battery display $4500

You've been wrestling with over-sized, over-priced portables for nine long years! Now Gateway 2000 emerges from the struggle and introduces the missing link in the evolution of portable computing. It's the HandBook, a perfect combination of portability and functionality for all on-the-go Homo Sapiens.

The HandBook is a real PC in a revolutionary new form. Not a notebook, not a palmtop, the HandBook is the first fully-functional PC in a truly portable, handbook-sized form. You can easily take the HandBook anywhere because this new species measures a mere 6x10 inches and weighs only

2.75 pounds, yet it runs over 5,000 of your favorite DOS applications. You aren't stuck buying and learning proprietary "card" programs when you have a HandBook.

The exclusive auto-resume feature enables the HandBook to work like no other PC you've ever seen. Auto-resume allows you to suspend the computer's operation for moments or weeks at a time, and then return to your work right where you left off - in seconds, and at the touch of a button.

With the HandBook you get 40MB of hard disk capacity to easily and quickly store all your DOS programs and files.

The quiet and comfortable touch-type keyboard allows you

ortable Computing.

1990

The Notebooks

■ 6 lo 9 pounds

■ 80286 or 80386SX-class CPU

■ 540K RAM I Floppy drive

■ 20 to 40MB hard drive

■ 2 lo 3-hour battery

■ CGA or VGA display $2900 to $4500

Today

The HandBook

■ 2.75 pounds

■ C&T CPU. 286-clus performance

■ 1MB RAM

■ 40MB hard drive

■ 4.5-hour battery

■ 640 x 400 backlil display

■ Auto-resume feature

$1295

to type as fast as you can on your desktop keyboard.

The HandBook's 640 x 400 resolution backlit screen can be read in virtually any light and is large enough to display full 80-column lines of text, so you can use the HandBook whenever and wherever you need to. And the HandBook gives you all this with up to 4.5 hours of life on a replaceable battery.

The Gateway HandBook was designed specifically for you - today's on-fhe-move computer user. Once you get your hands on a HandBook, you'll struggle no more with a Neanderthal artifact

The HandBook was named one of the year's "Best of What's New" products by Popular Science magazine and received BYTE magazine's Award of Distinction.

r

GATEWM2000

"You've goi a friend in the business."

800-846-2000

610 Gateway Drive • P.O.Box 2000 • North Sioux City. SD 57049-20 605-232-2000 • Fax 605-232-2023

©1992 Gateway 2000, Inc., HandBook is a trademark of Gateway 2000, inc. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

WHAT'S NEW

NEWS

PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE

Windows Charting Tools

A collection of graphics and user-interface routines, the Windows Charting Tools package helps C and C++ programmers add scientific, engineering, and business graphics to their applications. The package for Windows 3.1 provides dialog boxes, high-resolution printer support, and Clipboard and metafile support. It also includes a library of C functions that you can use to create charts such as line, area, scatter, and group plots; horizontal and vertical bar graphs; floating bars; error bars; open-high-low-close plots; and pie charts.

Windows Charting Tools let you combine multiple chart types, data objects, and x and y axes in the same graph. You can set axes for linear and logarithmic scaling, and you can label axes with numeric values in decimal and scientific notation or with user-defined strings. You can output your charts to Windows-supported printers. Price: $400; with source code to the Quinn-Curtis Charting DLL, $800. Contact: Quinn-Curtis, Needham, MA, (617)4496155; fax (617) 449-6109. Circle 1102 on Inquiry Card.

Wireless Network Applications

You can add wireless capabilities to your new or existing applications with Motorola's WaveGuide 2.0 connectivity tool. WaveGuide provides a consistent API that lets you build applications for multiple wireless data networks in a DOS or Windows environment with minimal code changes. The WaveGuide API provides a highlevel C-language interface that is independent of the un

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With Windows Charting Tools, you can edit chart characteristics such as graph position, plot attributes, axis parameters, fonts, and data.

derlying wireless network protocols and modem interfaces. WaveGuide 2.0-based applications allow two-way data communications over ARDIS and RAM, two popular wireless networks that transmit data using radiopacket technology. Price: $1495.

Contact: Motorola, Inc., RadioWare Solutions, Schaumburg,IL, (708) 576-1600; fax (708) 576-0710. Circle 1T 06 on Inquiry Card.

Mac Error Detection

StratosWare offers versions of its error detection and prevention product, MemCheck for the Macintosh, for the Think C and MPW C environments. Requiring no source code changes, MemCheck detects errors such as memory overwrites and underwrites, memory leaks (i.e., failure to free allocated memory), and heap corruption. MemCheck operates transparently, appearing only to report errors with exact file and line-number in

formation in the source code. MemCheck for the Macintosh can detect failures in memory allocation routines, failures in many resource operations, and invalid operations on unlocked and purged handles, as well as the inappropriate use of nonresource handles in Resource Manager traps. You can switch MemCheck on or off at run time, link it out via the Production library, or compile it out with no source code changes. Price: $179.95 each; bundled, $239.95.

Contact: StratosWare Corp., Ann Arbor, MI, (313) 9962944; fax (313) 747-8519. Circle 1103 on Inquiry Card.

Windows Program Generation

Microlex says that its GUIDE (GUI Development Environment) tool provides all the Windows program-generation facilities you need in one system. The package lets you create compiled programs in a fourthgeneration-language environment, and it can handle future Windows developments such as Windows for Pen Comput

ing, Windows NT, and multimedia.

Offering Novell NetWare compatibility, GUIDE provides features such as entityrelationship database design tools, a menu designer, and form- and screen-design tools. Other features include interactive multidimensional graphics, comprehensive font and color-palette controls, bit-map sequencing, an integrated table and spreadsheet tool, and report generation and project management facilities.

Price: Four-user version, about $18,300 (£12,000). Contact: Microlex pic, Derby, U.K., +44 332 290630; fax +44 332 290624. Circle 1104 on Inquiry Card.

Unix Productivity Tool

WithiXBuild2.1,you can build, prototype, and test OSF/Motif-based GUIs for software applications, independent of the underlying application. Interfaces that you build with iXBuild are run-time independent and can run on most Unix platforms. The package includes a graphical WYSIWYG editor, a set of Motif widgets; automatic interfacing to existing databases; graphical editing functions, which include a Search Editor for positioning, sizing, cutting, pasting, copying, inserting, and deleting elements of your work; context-sensitive on-line help; and dynamic testing facilities. You can also extend iXBuild 2.1 with user-defined widgets and resources (i.e., attributes). Price: First user license, $4500.

Contact: UniPress Software, Inc., Edison, NJ, (908) 2872100; fax (908) 287-4929. Circle 1105 on Inquiry Card.

64 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Since when is Raima first in Co Database Deve

Raima Database Manager was the database of choice in the ;First Annual Windows World Open. The competition featured innovative 'custom applications built with Windows development took Threeofthe seven winners, and two of the finalists, used Raima Database Manager to solve their critical application needs.

For professional developers like yourself, Raima products offer:

• High performance: unmatched application speed.

• PortflbJ/^-raifeonDOS^mdow^OS/l/UN^VMS^QNX.

• Royalty-free distribution; increase your, profits.

• Source-code availability: total programming flexibility.

• Affordable.pricing: starting at just $395.

;'■-.•• Language support: ANSI C, C++, arid Visual Basic.

Listen to what some of our customers say about pur products:

"No other products matched Raima for the'price"

James Lisiak, developer, Chevron

"Raima provided us with speed, flexibility, and joydlty-free distribution which Allowed us to meet aniexceed our customers' needs." Dave Cooper, developer, Atlantic Research Corp, (subcontractor, Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Activity)

"Database Manager gave us the edge we needed to handle large amounts of data quickly and efficiently within Microsoft Windows..." Kelly Patrick, developer, PHHFantus

If you're looking for an award-winning application development tool, give us a call. And discover the Raima advantage.

Raima Database. Manager The high-performance dbms Raima Object Manager .jite object storage- class Ubmnj

Raima Corporation IbiB NW Sammamish Rd, Suite200 Iasaquah,,WA98027 (206)557-0200 Fax: (21

Circle 137 on Inquiry

Co[Utrighiri992 Raitmi Ct>rporath«. All-rights reserved.

- *, EY33WA

33 Windows World

Play to win in the "City of Winners"...7j&^,

It's two world-class events happening side by side in Atlanta...and the year's first opportunity to go to the cutting edge in computer and communications technology.

• More than 1,000 exhibiting companies with thousands of exciting new products!

• Plus dedicated Technology Showcases on Network Computing, Multimedia, Mobile Computing, UNIX®/Open Systems, OEM Sources, and Office and Imaging Systems!

• 75,000-plus attendees...including over 5,000 international delegates from more than 70 countries!

• The rollout of Windows NT— plus a world of new Windows applications!

• "Featured Country" program highlighting Canada!

• More than 100 separate educational conference sessions on the latest technology, business and distribution issues!

• Keynote addresses from Bill Gates of Microsoft and James Cannavino of IBM...plus "CEO Perspectives" from Robert Palmer of DEC and Jim Manzi of Lotus!

If you play to win in the computer industry, there's only one place to go this spring— COMDEX and WINDOWS WORLD in Atlanta!

:|HbL ^^

Don't miss the next COMDEX and WINDOWS WORLD! FAX: (617) 449-2674

Hotels fill up fast—reserve your accommodations today!

YES! I want to see it first at COMDEX and WINDOWS WORLD!

□ Send information on attending, including hotel and travel savings. D Send information on exhibiting.

n ©C@mi>IH7Spring,93

The world's #1 computer and communications marketplace for resellers and corporate decision makers.

□ !ffiWlNDOWS\W)RLD'93

The official conference and exposition on Windows computing. Produced in cooperation with Microsoft.

May 24-27, 1993 Georgia World Congress Center • Atlanta, Georgia USA

Name.

8LKCA

. State.

Zip/Postal Code. Telephone.

. Country. . Fax

Fax 617-449-2674 or mail to: The Interface Group, 300 First Avenue, Needham, MA 02194-2722 USA.

I

«1993The Interlace Group • 300 First Avenue, Needham, MA 02194-2722 USA. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of AT&T.

Circle 93 on Inquiry Card.

NEWS

WHAT'S NEW • S C I E N C E / E N G I N E E R I N G SOFTWARE

Scientific Graphics

Grapher for Windows creates presentation-quality x,y graphs for scientific and engineering applications. Graph types include line, symbol, bar, and open-highlow-close graphs. You can add vertical and horizontal error bars, with complete control over their line style, width, and color.

The program provides automatic or user-defined axis scaling, tick marks, labels, and legends. You can choose from linear, logarithmic, exponential, power, spline, polynomial, and runningaverage curve fits, with an unlimited number of curves and fits on each graph. The program supports multiple axes per graph, and you can plot several graphs on a page.

Built-in drawing tools let you place rectangles, circles, areas, or points anywhere on your graphs. You can use the text editor to create text blocks with superscripts, subscripts, and mathematical formulas and symbols. Price: $199.

Contact: Golden Software, Inc., Golden, CO, (303) 2791021; fax (303) 279-0909. Circle 1114 on Inquiry Card.

Project Visualization

The CVpvs project visualization system for Sun, DEC, and Hewlett-Packard systems provides a virtual walk-through of large-scale 3-D CAD projects so you can see the structure and appearance of the project from every angle. Spatial orientation features let you move forward, backward, left, right, up, and down, as well as turn and orbit. They also control zooming, the point from which a view originates, and the direction of your gaze.

A 2-D scientific graphics package, Grapher for Windows supports up to 32,000 data points per curve.

In mechanical and manufacturing environments, the CVpvs software lets you inspect complete assemblies, subassemblies, and individual components by manipulating, communicating, and animating a large-scale design. The CVpvs program lets you interrupt display graphics, verify or query nongraphics model attributes from an external database, add notes and labels, and measure dimensions and distances. Price: $8925. Contact: Computervision Corp., Bedford, MA, (617) 275-1800; fax (617) 2752670. Circle 1117 on Inquiry Card.

Exploratory Data Analysis

The latest version of Data Desk, exploratory dataanalysis and graphics software for the Mac, works with an unlimited number of cases and adds multivariate general linear models, nonlinear

smoothers, automated slider tools, summaries by categories, derived variables, and random subset sampling. Fast calculations let you quickly pursue several analysis paths, and Data Desk 4.0 links all plots and analyses, so you can move from one to another to visualize your data in different ways.

A Linear Model Outline organizes the decisions you need to make to perform linear model analysis, as well as the results that linear models compute. An Overview table gives a summary of results from the analysis, so it is easy to identify factors with strong effects, factors with little or no effect, and factors whose effects are not consistent. Price: $595.

Contact: Data Description, Inc., Ithaca, NY, (607) 2571000; fax (607) 257-4146. Circle 1116 on Inquiry Card.

Mathematical Modeling

Ideal for technical specialists, VisSim is an interactive program for mathematical modeling, animated simulation, real-time control, and analysis of dynamic systems. The Windows software

offers more than 70 linear and nonlinear mathematical function blocks and six integration methods.

To visually solve complex differential equations, you select the blocks representing the standard procedures required, wire them together, and run the simulation. VisSim's function blocks cover most arithmetic, Boolean, transcendental, linear and nonlinear, integration, and signal-processing operations. Price: About $755 (£495). Contact: Adept Scientific Micro Systems, Ltd., Letchworth, Hertfordshire, U.K., +44 462 480055; fax +44 462 480213. Circle 1115 on Inquiry Card.

The Engineer's Companion

If you are involved in the mechanical design of structures for supporting, bracing, and containment, then The Engineer's Companion may interest you. More than 100 engineering calculations let you design and analyze torsional and thermal deflection and stress; contact deformation and stress between spheres, parallel and crossed cylinders, and spheres and cylinders on plates, as well as in sockets; beam-column instability; stress in curved beam sections; and mechanical and thermal stress and expansion in pressurized cylinders and spheres.

For most calculations, you can evaluate equations for a single set of values, tabularly display or plot them over a range of a variable, or plot families of curves based on a continuous range of the variable and stepped over a range in a chosen parameter. Price: $199.95. Contact: Dynacomp, Inc., Webster, NY, (716)2654040. Circle 1118 on Inquiry Card.

68 BYTE • MARCH 1993

The UltraLite Autograph is just one of the many

innovations NEC has

brought to portable

computing. Others

include the first

active-matrix color

notebook, the first

color laptop and

the first portable

Docking Station™

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After you see our performance

*

you'll want our Autograph.

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Nobody gives you as ZEDS At any

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Magazine said the ZEOS 486DX2-66 "shattered our previous record.. .by nearly fourfold." Now the dazzling video performance that rated #1 with PC Magazine can be yours!

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■ You get eight expansion slots, including two that support VESA-standard local bus devices with bus mastering. Expandability with local bus performance in mind!

■ Twin cooling fans. A ZEOS quality extra to help protect your long-term investment. One cooling fan just isn't enough to cool any modern PC, particularly at such high speeds. That's why ZEOS gives you two.

■ "An array of features to make a user's mouth water." —PC Magazine. Such as stronger cases, high-capacity power supplies with built-in surge suppression, floppy drives by Teac, and so much more.

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to us for a complete, no-questions-asked refund. Plus, you're covered by our One Full Year Limited Warranty, our Express Parts Replacement Policy and our Complete Customer Satisfaction Package.

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Or we can custom-build a system to #1 #2 #3 #4 your exact specifications. Just call us!

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NEWS

WHAT'S NEW

OTHER SOFTWARE

Automate MIDI Devices

Mark of the Unicorn offers Unisyn, a universal MIDI system editor/librarian program for the Mac. Unisyn gives you control over popular MIDI synthesizers and devices with integrated editing, librarian, and database functions to create, store, and manage synthesizer sounds and other MIDI device configurations. A graphical interface lets you edit patches and sounds, and Unisyn's onscreen sliders, buttons, and other controls facilitate programming even complex synthesizers.

The Performance function memorizes and restores the settings for an entire MIDI studio. You can build libraries of complete studio configurations as well as separate libraries for individual synthesizers and MIDI devices. Database functions let you tag sounds with multiple user-definable keywords. In addition, Unisyn lets you freely move patches among libraries, banks, and devices' internal memory. Price: $395.

Contact: Mark of the Unicorn, Inc., Cambridge, MA, (617) 576-2760; fax (617) 576-3609. Circle 1140 on Inquiry Card.

Retrieve SQL Data

IQ Access can selectively retrieve and automatically reformat data for use with popular desktop applications such as Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Excel, WordPerfect, dBase, and Microsoft Word for Windows, as well as Btrieve, ASCII, and DIF files. The program for Unix SQL RDBMSes (relational database management systems) from Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, and Informix allows

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Unisyn lets you create performance snapshots of an entire MIDI studio, including individual patches and entire banks, and control patches, setups, and sounds for all the devices in your MIDI system.

authorized users in an organization to access corporate data and, with just a few keystrokes, move it into their spreadsheets, word processing documents, or mail/merge files. There are no import routines or cleanup procedures because IQ Access handles the data conversions automatically.

The program is designed to take advantage of vendorspecific optimizing features, such as Sybase's dynamic SQL capability and Ingres's histogram-based query optimizer. In addition to the four Unix SQL RDBMSes, IQ Access will also be available for about 60 other databases and ISAM (indexed sequentialaccess method) file systems on DOS, VAX/VMS, and Data General's AOS/VS, as well as 35 Unix hardware

platforms. In client/server environments, the DOS version of IQ Access will work with software such as Oracle's SQL Net, Informix's I-Net, and IngresNet. Price: $1000 to $42,500, depending on the CPU; client/ server, $2500 for a five-pack; network versions, $1500 and up.

Contact: IQ Software Corp., Norcross, GA, (404) 4468880; fax (404) 448-4088. Circle 1141 on Inquiry Card.

Documents to Data

Now ListReader dbR lets you convert printed or typed documents to data records without keyboard entry. The Windows product

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scans document pages, recognizes the text, and automatically places it into the correct data field. You can convert many kinds of documents, including lists, forms, or tables, and output data for DBMSes or spreadsheets at speeds of up to 2500 records per hour. You can combine the lists, forms, or tables in any combination for complex documents. The program also supports one-to-many relationships for documents that have a master/detail arrangement. You create templates that tell ListReader dbR what to expect from individual pages—from simple mailing lists to complex insurance forms. Price: $895. Contact: Solea Systems, Inc., Laguna Hills, CA, (714) 768-7736; fax (714) 3808950. Circle 1 142 on Inquiry Card.

Voice Annotation for WordPerfect

With VoiceOver, you can annotate your WordPerfect 5.1 documents with comments in your own voice. The program lets you record sounds, which it then stores within the WordPerfect document. Voice annotations appear on the screen as standard WordPerfect comments, and they include each annotation's author, date, time of creation, and length. In addition, you can cut and paste voice annotations like standard WordPerfect comments. VoiceOver also works over a network. You can access VoiceOver documents on a file server or send them as an attachment via E-mail. Price: Single-user license, $129.

Contact: Rational Data Systems, San Rafael, CA, (415) 499-3354; fax (415) 4998115. Circle 1143 on Inquiry Card.

72 BYTE • MARCH 1993

USER'S COLUMN

JERRY POURNELLE

CD-ROM Secrets

It has been a frantically interesting month. I finished Prince of Sparta, A Novel of Falkenberg's Legion by Jerry Pournelle and S. M. Stirling (Baen Books) two days ago. By the time you read this, you will be able to buy copies, which is astounding. Jim Baen takes my Word for Windows text, translates it to XyWrite for prepping, pours it into Ventura Publisher, and prints out page proofs. Copyediting corrections are fed in. The book is then formatted, printed out with the LaserJet in Baskerville typeface, and photoreduced to proper page size. Go buy a copy and compare: I'll bet you the print quality will be as good as that of any other paperback original you'll find.

I did Prince of Sparta in Microsoft Word for Windows (W4W for short). Steve Stirling did a partial WordPerfect draft from my outline. Then I used Mastersoft's Word for Word to convert his files to Q&A Write format, which is what I use for creative writing; but this time the first job was extensive editing of Stirling's draft, which is a great deal more easily done in W4W. I piped everything through Word for Word again, converting files to the Word for DOS format because Word for Word doesn't recognize W4W files. However, W4W reads Word for DOS files.

Amazingly, everything went fine. On a 486/33, W4W is very fast. While I get frustrated by some of its arcane command structure, I am getting used to it; and it is very powerful. I can keep an entire book in W4W, use bookmarks at each chapter beginning or critical scene, and jump around like nobody's business. If I want to be sure of a character's name or make global changes, search and replace is very fast over the whole novel.

Jim Baen is a publisher, but he is also one of the best editors I've worked with. I'd PKZip each newly finished chapter and use ZMODEM protocol to squirt it up to BIX at 9600 bps with the USRobotics Courier HST V.32bis modem in about a minute; the whole book took under 5 minutes. Jim would download the latest version from BIX and upload editorial comments. I could then make editorial changes, such as expanding a scene to explain an apparent plot glitch or character inconsistency, and use search and replace to find the exact spot where a change was needed. Sometimes we'd work by telephone.

Toward the end, I was creating a new chapter de novo every two days. I would not have finished the book on time without W4W; and it wouldn't be typeset and in bookstores in such a short time without desktop publishing capability. Little computers are wonderful.

Integrating a CD-ROM drive with Windows for Workgroups can be tricky

CD-ROM and Workgroups

I say I've been using Windows, but actually I am using Windows for Workgroups, henceforth W4WG; and it's not quite the same thing.

The primary difference is network capability. With W4WG going, I can periodically squirt off a copy of my work to another machine, which makes for great peace of mind. Writers tend to be paranoid about losing text, and I don't really feel that work is saved until there are multiple copies on multiple machines; W4WG makes that easy to do.

On the other hand, I nearly went nuts getting the CD-ROM drive to work with W4WG. The good news is that I did succeed.

My CD-ROM system ran fine with Windows 3.1. I was using a Corel driver card and software and a Toshiba CDROM drive, and all was well; but when I shifted to Windows so I could use W4WG, any attempt to access the CD-ROM while I was in Windows would lock up the machine. The infuriating part was that everything worked just fine as long as I was in DOS; but as soon as I got into Windows, accessing the CD-ROM drive locked things tight. I could recover from the lockup by doing CtrlAlt-Del, which would get me back to the program manager; but it certainly wasn't acceptable not to have a CD-ROM drive.

Then things got worse. I did something, I forget what, to CONFIG.SYS, and this time I was able to get the CDROM going in Windows. Joy. I told File Manager to share that CD-ROM drive on the network and went over to another machine on the network and accessed the CDROM. More joy. And then came disaster.

I got an error message I had never seen: SERIOUS DISK ERROR. Other mysterious things happened, and not even hardware reset worked. I had to turn the machine stone-cold off, and when I rebooted, CHKDSK

ILLUSTRATION: STEVE TURKB1993

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 73

Circle 83 on Inquiry Card.

USER'S COLUMN

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said my disk was a mess. That was cured by my rebooting with a floppy disk—if you haven't made a bare-bones (no CONFIG.SYS and no AUTOEXEC.BAT) boot floppy disk for your system, go do it right now! Then I let Norton Disk Doctor do its thing. I could boot up again, but now, any attempt to access Windows failed. Up would come the Windows logo, then my wallpaper (I like EGYPT.BMP), and then that hourglass would sit there, and nothing would happen. Not good.

I went back into CONFIG.SYS and REMARKed out every reference to the CDROM drive, rebooted, and tried again. This time Windows told me that my swap file was corrupt, and did I want to erase it? Certainly, said I. It then said that it was impossible to share the E (CD-ROM) drive, and did I want that shared on startup in future? No, no, a thousand times no; and that fixed things so that I could access Windows again. Of course, it still didn't get me a CD-ROM drive.

By this time I was talking to half a dozen Microsoft people who were eager to help, but nothing helped. The problem was passed upstairs to a senior Microsoft technical-support official, who said, "Ah, we know about that one. He's got to use the new MSCDEX.EXE that comes with W4WG, and it must have the /S switch in the command line that loads it." Alas, while those are both important points, I was already using the new MSCDEX and W4WG Setup had automatically added the /S option in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

Be Relentless

I got a lot of advice from other technicalsupport people, but nothing worked. Time for my never-failing remedy, the relentless application of logic.

Start with when it last worked. That was under Windows 3.1, and I had carefully made no needless changes while converting to W4WG; so what changes had I made? One of them was obvious: I had added the Intel EtherExpress board that comes with the W4WG Starter Kit. Before I did that, I'd used Dariana's WinSleuth Gold to determine what port addresses and interrupts were in use and print out a report. This is one of those programs that you don't use often, but when you need it, you need it bad.

This time, though, I hadn't needed WinSleuth: the Intel Softset program looks for any conflicts and then reprograms the network board to an unused address and interrupts. It's very painless. I used WinSleuth Gold to have another look, and yep, it could see the EtherExpress board just fine, and it was indeed located in what

WinSleuth reported previously as unused locations.

It didn't look as if there were hardware conflicts; still, the first step in relentless logic is to remove all possible conflicts, so I removed the Sound Blaster card. No joy. CD-ROM worked in DOS, but it locked up in W4WG.

Next step: edit CONFIG.SYS to REMARK out all references to network driver software and run Softset again. When you do that, Softset sees the existing card and assumes that its current interrupt and address are in use; so it finds new ones and reprograms the board accordingly. Thus, if I were accidentally stepping on something already in use because Softset hadn't seen that the first time, this procedure, by relocating the board, should have cured that problem.

No joy. Symptoms unchanged. In fact, it made no difference whether I let CONFIG.SYS load the network drivers or I left them REMARKed out; meaning that it might not be the network that was causing the problem.

OK, it wasn't hardware. Microsoft technical support told me thousands of people were successfully using W4WG with CDROM, so it wasn't inherently impossible. Simplify the software, then. First thing, remove QEMM-386, the Quarterdeck memory manager, and stop loading things into high memory, and see if that works; and in fact it did.

The only trouble was that I now had about 400 KB of memory. While that's no problem for people who use Windows applications exclusively, about half the programs I run are DOS applications, and most of them want a lot more than 400 KB. Games, in particular, want upwards of 570 KB to run properly. Some Windows users get around that by rebooting the machine using a separate bare-bones CONFIG.SYS that doesn't load any TSR programs; then they play games and run other memory-hog programs in DOS. That doesn't appeal to me. I want big DOS sessions under Windows.

I reloaded QEMM and did more experimenting. I won't report all the tedious work that was involved. The result was that I found the secrets, some as a result of tips from Stafford Williamson of Quarterdeck's technical-support group and some by working on my own. Here, published for the first time anywhere, is the secret for CD-ROM under W4WG while retaining 600 KB of memory for DOS sessions under Windows.

The Secret

The secret of success is that in W4WG you can load MSCDEX into extended

74 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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USER'S COLUMN

memory (the /E switch works fine), but you must not let QEMM load MSCDEX high. I know that won't be clear to everyone, so I'll give details.

Set up your system without QEMM and get it running properly with the CD-ROM in DOS. Now install W4WG (if it wasn't already installed). When all that's done, you'll have about 400 KB of memory. Now, working in DOS, install QEMM and let its Optimize program do its thing. You may or may not need to do some memory

exclusions. In particular, nearly every system will need the line X=B000-B7FF to exclude some video areas from being used by QEMM; and if you have a caching disk drive controller or other SCSI device, you will need to exclude its address area as well.

The next time you boot up your system, you'll probably get some loud complaints. Microsoft Windows Setup generally automatically installs its SMARTDRV caching program with double buffering. Dou

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ble-buffered SMARTDRV comes in two parts: a chunk that's loaded by CONFIG.SYS and another that's loaded by AUTOEXEC.BAT. It's the CONFIG.SYS part that's causing the problem; that can't be loaded high, but Optimize will have a try at it.

The remedy is simple. Look into CONFIG.SYS (I use the little editor that's built into Norton Commander for this sort of thing). If you see a line that begins DEVICE=:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS, gives a couple of parameters, and continues :\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER, delete parts of that line so that it reads DEVICE=:\WINDOWS\ SMARTDRV.EXE /DOUBLE_BUFFER. You can also move the altered line up above the line that loads QEMM in case you need to use Optimize again.

Once that's done, it doesn't hurt to put the statement DBF=2 into the QEMM command line.

Now reboot. You shouldn't receive any more complaints, and your CD-ROM ought to work fine in DOS. Test to be sure it does. However, if you enter W4WG and try to access the CD-ROM drive, it will probably lock up (although it would work just fine in Windows 3.1). Even if it does not, don't take chances: exit Windows and edit AUTOEXEC.BAT.

In there you will find a command that begins :\QEMM\LOADHI and then has some parameters, continues with :\WINDOWS\MSCDEX.EXE /S /V, and then has some more stuff. There may or may not be a /E in there after the MSCDEX. If there isn't one, put one in there. Now edit the line so that all traces of the QEMM attempt to load high are gone; that is, delete until the line begins :\WINDOWS\ MSCDEX.EXE and do not change anything after the MSCDEX except to add /E if needed. The /S is also needed, but I presume that W4WG's Setup will have added it automatically.

Now reboot. Your system should have something over 590 KB of DOS memory, and your CD-ROM will work fine in both DOS and Windows.

I don't want to take up the whole column with this, so I'll explain what's going on another time.

Adding Network Resources

You might think that a writer has no need for networked computers, but that's not so. One major reason I want a network is to access resources that I simply can't pack onto my main system. In particular, 1 want the Pioneer read/write optical cartridge drive (files written to a glass disk are pretty safe), a WORM drive (files burned into a good WORM drive are nearly eternal),

76 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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ProtoGen 3.0

by Protoview

NEW VERSION! The industry standard for code generation and prototyping Windows applications. Develop the user interface of your application using Visual prototyping methods. ProtoGen generates expert level, commented code for ANSI C, Microsoft MEG C++, Borland OWL C++, Turbo Pascal, and Microsoft NT Win32. All generators included! User Code is preserved from one generation to the next. It's easy and fast.

LIST; $199 PS Price: $99

FastFaxts 2115-009.

WindowsMAKER Professional

by Blue Sky Software™

Considered the easiest and fastest way to create MS-Windows applications in C/C++. Generate the Windows .EXE w/complete source & production files (no royalties). Just Point & Click to define the Windows user interface. Lets you animate your design to instantly test look & feel and make changes on the fly without needing to compile. Custom code is preserved during code regeneration. The leading development tool for Microsoft Windows. Highly Recommended.

LIST: $995 PS Price: $895

FastFaxts 2001-006

Distinct TCP/IP for Windows

by Distinct Corporation

Distinct TCP/IP for Windows SDK extends the TCP/IP and RPC/XDR networking capabilities to Microsoft Windows. Includes the smallest and fastest DLLs today available for Berkeley Sockets, RPC, Telnet, and FTP. Coexists on the same board with l.an Manager, Novell and Banyan. Supports Packets, NDIS and ODI drivers. Only 5KB of DOS memory required.

(SDK) LIST: $495 PS Price: $439

(AppIications)U$T. $395 PS Price: $379

FastFaxts 1951-003:(SDK), 1951-007:(App.)

Visual Basic for Windows 2.0

by Microsoft Corporation

When you need to create a Windows application quickly, nothing offers the sheer productivity of Microsoft Visual Basic 2.0, Standard Edition. A visual development environment, flexible programming language, and fast runtime execution make this the shortest route to full-featured Windows applications. The Professional Edition includes messaging and data access capabilities, a wide variety of add-on tools, and more.

LIST PS Price

PRO $495 $399

Standard $199 $139

FastFaxts 502-443: (FRO), 502-431; (Stand.)

WATCOM C9.0/386

byWATCOM

Develop and debug 32-bit applications for extended DOS, Windows and OS/2 2.0. Includes royalty-free 32-bit DOS extender, true 32-bit Windows GUI Application Kit, our bust, tight, and reliable 32-bit Code Optimizer, licensed Microsoft Windows SDK Components, an interactive Source-Level Debugger, an Execution Profiler and more! Now includes OS/2 2.0 support.

LIST: $895 PS Price: $599

FastFaxts 1044-029

SVS C3 ANSI C, Pascal, or FORTRAN-77

by Silicon Valley Software Only from the Programmer's Shop! ANSI compliant, optimizing, 32-bit compilers; DPMI-compliant, royalty-free DOS extender; source level debugger; utilities. Supports "flat model" code. Linker, librarian, make, 1387 emulation, W31/4167 support. Interoperable languages! Call: 413-572-880

LIST PS Price

ANSI C $325 $315

Pascal $325 $315

FORTRAN $395 $375 FastFaxts 1958-048: (C), 1958-050: (Pascal), 1958-049: (FORTRAN)

The PKWARE Data Compression Library

by PKWARE

The PKWARE Data Compression Library allows software developers to add data compression technology to applications. The application program controls all data I/O, allowing data to be compressed or extracted to any device or area of memory. Only 35K of memory is needed to compress data, and only 12K is needed to extract data. Compatible with MSC, BC++, TC, TP 6.0, Clipper, Basic 4.5, 7.1, ASM.

LIST: $295 PS Price: $275

FastFaxts 3043-011

To Order Call

D

1-800-421-8006

Create and Deliver Professional Applications with New CA-Clipper 5.2

Create And Deliver Professional Applications With CA-Clipper

CA-Clipper consists of a robust language, an efficient linker, flexible

preprocessor and high-performance compiler. Together with tools

such as an editor, debugger and make

utility, these elements form a complete

development system for the creation and

distribution of professional PC and

LAN-based applications.

Only CA-Clipper gives you an open programming environment with high-level networking, data entry and database support. The extended memory system capability of CA-Clipper gives you additional power to build faster, more sophisticated applications.

CA-Clipper Shatters DOS Memory Barriers

• Dynamic overlay management lets you run applications that exceed available RAM—without the need to manually create overlays

• Virtual memory management allows applications to have up to several megabytes of strings and arrays

Open Architecture: Freedom to Grow

• Customize CA-Clipper with user-defined commands and functions

• Build generic libraries to eliminate repetitive programming tasks

• Build specialized libraries for applications such as accounting, real estate and personnel

• Seamlessly integrate modules from languages such as C, Assembler, dBASE* and Pascal

• Access data transparently from foreign data sources with Replaceable Database Drivers and function libraries (available separately), including data on LAN database servers and mainframes via gateways

Simplicity and Control: The Optimal Balance

• Descriptive function/command names and concise operators promote language fluency

• Syntax ranges from simple, expressive commands to precise string and file primitives for minimal programming with maximum control

• CA-Clipper promotes disciplined, modular programming for easier debugging, simplified maintenance and greater code reusability

• High level "objects" simplify the construction of sophisticated interfaces. Build pop-up and pull-down menus, custom BROWSEs and text editors quickly and easily

Open Networking: Freedom to Connect

• Create and distribute multiuser applications without LAN Packs or workstation licenses

• Applications run on all networks which support MS-DOS 3.1 and higher

• Modest memory requirements allow smooth operation with even the largest network shells

To Order Call

PC Magazine Editor's Choice

CA-Clipper, version 5.01 received the

PC Magazine Editor's Choice award for

Xbase Development Systems in May 1992.

qomputer Associates

Software superior by design.

Full-featured record and file locking gives developers precise concurrency control

Intelligent design permits read-through record and file locks Applications run quickly and reliably, even as networks evolve

• Connect to IAN database servers with Replaceable Database Driver's (available separately)

Free Distribution of Applications

• CA-Clipper produces executable applications (EXEs) that you may distribute without additional cost

• Multiuser CA-Clipper applications require NO licenses, NO runtime fees andNOLANPacks

Capacity

• Procedures per application: unlimited

• Functions per application: unlimited

• Array size: 4,096 elements per dimension, unlimited dimensions

• Expanded Memory use: 0 to 32 MB

• Virtual memory: up to 64 MB (main memory, expanded memory, hard disk space); up to 16 MB of object memory

(characterstrings, arrays); up to 9 MB (main memory, expanded memory) for database buffering

Supplied Database Driver (DBF Format)

• 1 billion records per data file

• 1,000 fields per record

• Over 200 open data files (limited to file handles)

• 15 active indexes per open data file

• Character fields (fixed length): 65,536 characters

• Numeric fields: 30 digits, precision up to 16 significant digits

• Support for logical fields (true/false)

• Date fields: 01/01/0100-12/31/2999

• Memo fields (variable length): 65,536 character's

System Requirements

CA-Clipper 5.2 requires an IBM PS/2. AT, XT, PC or its compatibles; 640K RAM; expanded memory requires UM 3.2 or higher; hard disk required for development; DOS 3.1 or higher; works with all networks compatible with DOS 3.1 or higher.

For a limited time only!

Clipper users can upgrade to version 5.2 for only $139- A competitive upgrade is also being offered for a limited time to all Xbase system users for only $179, and you'll receive a free CA-dBFast, CA-Clipper Tools or CA-Clipper/Compiler Kit for dBASE TV (your choice).

To qualify for the competitive upgrade, fax a copy of your manual cover to 617-749-2018.

To order, call the Programmer's Shop at 800-421-8006. Hurry, time is of the essence. Call to place your order today. Mention Code BY393

I

1-800-421-8006

USER'S COLUMN

and the Pioneer six-pack CD-ROM Minichanger.

I had the Pioneer R/W optical drive and the Minichanger in a SCSI daisy chain run by a Corel interface card. They were running fine, but as a test, I had, with some help from Alan Rogers ("arog" on BIX), converted that machine to run under DR DOS 6.0. It worked fine, and I so reported, but networking a DR DOS machine into my Windows system was not something I would get done in time for this column.

Converting back turned out to be harder than you'd think, because DOS 5.0 generally comes as an upgrade, not as a standalone product. Somewhere I suppose there are floppy disks of the original DOS that came with that 486 machine, but this is Chaos Manor: the chances of finding them are about nil.

The solution was to boot with a barebones DOS floppy disk that contains SYS.COM, use Norton Commander to find and delete all the hidden system files in the machine's root directory, and use the SYS command to install the system from the boot floppy disk. I could then reboot from the hard disk and use the Microsoft DOS 5.0 and Windows upgrade

package to complete the job.

Next I restored the original CONFIG .SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT so that the machine would access the optical and CDROM drives. That turned out to be a tedious job, but eventually I had it done. Moreover, when I brought up Windows and opened File Manager, there were drives D (the optical drive), and E, F, G, H, I, and J, the six CD-ROM drives on the Minichanger. Joy.

At this point I confess a lapse of faith. Remembering the problems I had with converting my main system with one CDROM to W4WG, I was so certain I was going to have real problems connecting up to a system with six CD-ROMs and an optical drive that I sent off E-mail to the long-suffering Microsoft PR people, who must pretend to like putting up with my problems, and a copy to the Corel people in case I needed help from them. Incidentally, when it comes to systems integration, Corel has always proved to be a tower of strength. They really understand SCSI and other peripheral devices and how to make them work with both DOS and Windows.

Having confessed my breach of faith, I

proceeded to open the machine and insert the EtherExpress board, run Softset and let it choose where to set the board, connect the Ethernet cable and terminator to the new machine, and install W4WG.

When that was done, I tested nothing: I entered Windows, opened File Manager— and Lo!, there were all my assets, and they all worked. When I told the system to share them (CD-ROM as read only, the Pioneer drive as read and write), it made no complaint. I then put Microsoft Bookshelf into one of the six CD-ROM slots, went over to my main machine, and proceeded to install Bookshelf across the network.

It works wonderfully. It's a little slower than what I can get with the Bookshelf disk in the CD-ROM drive connected to my local machine, but that's probably because my local drive is faster than the Pioneer Minichanger. That, incidentally, is about to change. At Comdex, Pioneer showed me a new Minichanger that is so blazingly fast I can hardly believe it, and I'm supposed to have one about the time you read this.

And in any event, what I've got now is Good Enough, and the installation was harder to describe than to do. Once you

...Shop the Shop.

Janus/Ada for Windows

by R. R. Software

Janus/Ada for MS Windows is a complete implementation of Ada for Windows. Windows Applications can be developed in Ada when the Toolkit is used with the Janus/Ada PDS. Hosted on 80386 and 80486 platforms, the Windows toolkit with PDS includes: royalty-free runtime libraries, Adasensitive editor, Ada make utility, Ada syntax checker and pretty printer, Full Chapter 13 support including C interfacing, assembler, and tutorial.

LIST: $900 PS Price: $849

FastFaxts 586-061

Q+E Database Library

by Pioneer Software

Q+E Database Library provides complete database connectivity to Windows and OS/2 applications using Dynamic Link Libraries. QELIB can read, insert, update, create or delete database records for the following database formats: Btrieve, dBASE, DB2, Excel files, INGRES, NetWare SQL, Oracle, OS/2 DBM, Paradox, SQI/400, SQLBase, SQL/DS, SQL Server, Sybase, Tandem NonStop SQL, text files, andXDB.

LIST: $399 PS Price: $339

FastFaxts 2137-012

But wait, there's more: Bargains galore!

LIST

PS

• After Dark for Windows

50

28

• Blinker

299

269

• Borland C++ 3.1

495

319

• BTricve for DOS

595

399

• Carbon Copy 6.1

199

165

• Clarion Prof. Developer 2.

i

845

469

• CA Clipper 5.2

795

499

• DESQview 386

220

149

Call the

P

ro

gr

■ UCt

like I con

• DR DOS

• LapLink Pro

• Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows

• Microsoft Excel

• Microsoft Windows 3.1

• Microsoft Word (Windows)

• Norton Desktop for Windows

• Norton Utilities

Programmer's Shop today:

Mention Code BY393

Call FastFaxts for product information any time, day or night. 617-740-0025.

Get free information on all of our more than 10,000 products any time you like • Dial from a fax machine or fax-board equipped PC • Follow the voice computer's instructions • Receive literature instantly via fax

LIST

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99

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150

115

170

109

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129

89

495

359

• QuattroPro

495

349

495

329

• R&R Report Writer Xbase Ed.

249

159

150

99

• WATCOM C 9.0/386

895

599

495

339

• WordPerfect

495

279

179

139

• 286/DOS Extender SDK 2.5

495

435

179

115

• 386/DOS Extender SDK

495

435

0

1-800-421-8006

Canada 800-446-3846

MA 617-740-2510

FAX: 617-749-2018

90 Industrial Park Road, Hingham, MA 02043

• Credit card orders processed only when product is shipped • All prices subject to Chang.

• International prices will vary

The only Windows statistics package you'll ever need.

NEW

SYSTEM® for WINDOWS

#1 for DOS and Windows

Rated "the best general-purpose statistics program" for the PC by Software Digest"', SYSTAT for DOS is now joined by SYSTAT for Windows. This addition to the SYSTAT family takes full advantage of Windows, with pull down menus, dialog boxes, sizable windows, and the ease of use you expect in a Windows package.

SYSTAT for Windows runs in standard and 386 enhanced modes and can take advantage of Windows advanced memory management. No matter how large or complex your analysis is, you can use SYSTAT.

SYSTAT delivers a balance of power and simplicity. It lets you analyze and manipulate data

with a comprehensive range of advanced statistical procedures, and present your results with stunning graphics.

Just point and click

SYSTAT is a full-fledged Windows application. Just point and click. SYSTAT's QuickStat™ buttons give you simple, single-click shortcuts to common statistical analyses.

More statistics, from the basic to the most sophisticated

A full range of univariate and multivariate statistics-from t tests to multidimensional scaling. With a few clicks you can turn most statistics into graphs and perform:

■ multiway crosstabs with log linear modeling

■ nonparametric statistics

■ principal components and factor analysis

■ cluster analysis

■ time series

■ nonlinear estimation

■ correlation matrices

■ means, effect, and dummy models

■ post hoc tests

SYSTAT offers the most advanced multivariate general linear model available for Windows.

The most graphics

No other statistical or graphics package can produce all the scientific and technical graphs that SYSTAT can-nor surpass its ease of use. Graphics capabilities include:

■ histograms

■ single, multiple, stacked, and range bar graphs

■ single and grouped box plots

■ stem-and-leaf diagrams

■ pie charts

■ scatterplot matrices

■ 3-D data and function plots

■ contour plots

■ control charts

■ maps with geographic projections

■ Chernoff faces

■ complete color spectrum

■ log and power scales

■ confidence intervals and ellipses

■ linear, quadratic, step, spline, polynomial, LOWESS, exponential, and log smoothing

A compatible family of products

Whichever you choose-SYSTAT for Windows, SYSTAT for DOS or both-you'll enjoy the most powerful statistics and scientific graphics software available for the PC.

For more information, special offers for current users, and demo disks, call:

708-864:5670

For Windows circle 150, For IBM/DOS circle 151.

SYSTAT

For more information call or write: SYSTAT, Inc., 1800 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201-3793. Tel: 708.864.5670, Fax:708.492.3567

Australia: Hearne Marketing 61.3.8661766, BeNeLux Countries: Oasis 31.3402.66336, Denmark: Agrolab 45.64.406575, France: Deltasoft 33.76.418508,

Germany: STATCON 49.55.4272075, Italy: PiSoft 39.587.213640, Japan: HuLinks 81.33.5902311, Malaysia: Dagang Teknik 6.03.719.8299,

New Zealand: Hoare & Assoc. 64.78.562675, Spain: AdrJLink 34.3.4590722, Switzerland: Fritschy & Partner 41.31.215151, SYSTAT UK: 44.81.4620093

© 1992 SYSTAT®, Inc. Software Digest Ratings fleportttS May, 1991. Software Digest is a registered trademark ot NSTL, Inc.

USER'S COLUMN

have a W4WG network running, adding assets to it really is simple.

LAN Alternatives

The major advantage to W4WG is the simplicity. You can set it up quickly, and you don't have to know about network management to use it. However, there are limits to what W4WG can do (it won't, for example, run on a 286 machine). Much more on that another time, but you should be aware of alternatives.

One is to install Novell NetWare and run W4WG on top of it. That works, but there are disadvantages, two chief ones being that it costs money and you end up with limited DOS memory.

The other is not to use W4WG, but use regular Windows and Artisoft's LANtastic for Windows. This has the added advantage that you can network in Artisoft's Central Station, which is a network hub without computer to which you can plug in your laptop and other assets for sharing

ARE YOU SPENDING

TOO MUCH TIME

DRAWING FLOWCHARTS?

YOU NEED FLOW CHARTING '"3.

livery day, professionals worldwide save time and money using Flow Charting 3. It's fast, efficient, easy to use, and always produces presentation-perfect charts and diagrams.

With Flow Charting 3's built-in flexibility, you can create customized charts using a variety of shapes, lines, and text— placed where you want them.

Plus, Flow Charting 3 is now available in a LAN version. Making it easy to share files and set up work groups for specific projects.

And it's backed with free technical support and a 90-day no-risk guarantee. So if you're spending too much time drawing charts, call for a free demo and see for yourself what makes Flow Charting 3 the best-selling flowcharting software.

See your dealer today! Or for a free interactive demo disk,call 1-800-525-0082, ext. 112

International: 408-778-6557, ext. 112

a

PATT0N&PATT0N

Software Corporation

Irademark of Novell, Inc.

Excellence in charting the flow of ideas!

Patton & Patton Software Corp. 485 Cochrane Circle, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

across the network. Another advantage is that you can hook up LANtastic for Windows and LANtastic for the Mac, thus networking the different platforms with something a lot faster and better than AppleTalk. I have all the Artisoft products, and I'll set up a LANtastic network as soon as I have a bit of time. This is indeed the Year of the LAN, and I expect to be doing a lot of LAN development and testing before it's over.

Creative's Multimedia Upgrade

There hasn't been a lot of multimedia software, but I think the flood is about to begin. Even if it doesn't, there are a lot of good reasons to upgrade your system by adding a CD-ROM drive, and if you don't have a sound board, you're missing something.

Of course, you can add a CD-ROM drive to any SCSI device string, and there are a dozen sound boards ranging from expensive professional systems down to swap-meet el cheapos. For that matter, Microsoft has come out with a new Windows sound system. Interestingly, the Microsoft sound board has no joystick port: the product manager claims they consulted businesspeople, and the overwhelming opinion was that business purchasers would pay extra not to have a game port. One wonders what that means; after all, you can control most games quite nicely with a mouse....

Anyway, one simple way to add multimedia capability is to get the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Multimedia Upgrade Kit. This comes with a CD-ROM controller on a Sound Blaster Pro card, an internally mountable CD-ROM drive, a MIDI adapter kit, all kinds of software, lots of books about the software, and a bunch of CDROMs, including Windows 3.1, various sound stuff, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Bookshelf, and Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. The software includes Macromedia's Authorware Star and Action programs, and they're actually pretty nifty for ginning up multimedia presentations.

The instructions for installing the Sound Blaster Pro are complete. The board comes set to IRQ (interrupt request) 7 but tells how to set it for other possibilities, including IRQ 10. Since nothing I know uses IRQ 10, and I might one day want to add something that uses 7, I set mine for 10. Otherwise, I used the default settings. Sound Blaster Pro comes with an installation disk that includes a test of whether or not the board is working: just click, and music plays. No problem, so now it was time to install the CD-ROM drive.

I already had a Corel card and CD-ROM

82 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 122 on Inquiry Card.

Numbers.

TravelMate1" 4000 WinSX™ or WinDX™

• 486 SX/25MHz or 486 DX/25MHz

• 4MB RAM std. (20MB max.)

• 120MB HDD

• 5.6 pounds $2,799/$3,299 SRP*

TravelMate 4000 WinDX2™ •486DX2/50MHz

• 8MB RAM std. (20MB max.)

• 200 MB HDD

• 5.6 pounds $3,899 SRP*

TravelMate 4000 WinSX COLOR

•486SX/25MHz

• 4MB RAM std. (20 MB max.)

• 120 MB HDD

• 6.3 pounds $3,699 SRP*

TravelMate 4000 WinDX2 COLOR

• 486 DX2/40MHz

• 8MB RAM std. (20MB max.)

• 200MB HDD

• 6.3 pounds

$4,499 SRP*

Texas Instruments comes on strong with the widest selection of powerful 486 notebooks at incredible prices. From 25MHz to the world's most powerful 50MHz notebook in a 5.6pound package, there's a TI TravelMate just for you.

Take a look at these

numbers. You get superior 486 performance with an extraordinary three to five hours of battery life. On our color models, you get 256 simultaneous brilliant colors on a large 9.4" display. All these numbers add up to outstanding performance and value.

There's one more tant number. For more information and the dealer nearest you, call 1-800-527-3500.

lmpor

la

MICROSOFT® WINDOWS™

READY-TO-RUN

*

Texas

Instruments

TravelMate, WinSX, WinDX and WinDX2 are trademarks of Texas Instruments, The Ready-ro*Run logo Is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. The Intel Inside logo is a trademark of Intel Corporation. *Manutacturcr's Suggested Retail Trice. Dealer prices may vary. © 1992 Tl 76574

Circle 153 on Inquiry Card.

USER'S COLUMN

drive, and you have seen what I had gone through trying to get it working with W4WG, so I was a bit reluctant to change; but what the heck, it was only a couple of hours' work, and whatever happened I'd get a story for the column, so I yanked the Corel card and started in.

There were two problems: the instructions said, "refer to the instructions that came with your CD-ROM drive." There was another instruction sheet, but that got lost in the chaos. That turned out not to be a problem: it was obvious where the cables connected, and they were keyed so that it was impossible to attach them the wrong way.

The second problem was a bit more serious: there is no mounting hardware with the drive. It does come with four tiny drive screws, but there are no mounting rails, nothing to hold the drive in the drive bay. Some computers come with lots of extra mounting hardware, but my Cheetah 486 didn't. I managed a kludge that permitted me to install the drive, but be warned, if you get Creative's kit, be sure you have hardware to mount an internal drive in your computer.

That done, I ran the CD-ROM installa

tion program. That is, there is a program on the Creative disk entitled INST-CD.EXE, and having lost the instructions, that seemed reasonable. It wouldn't work: the program would get ready to install and then suddenly announce that it couldn't find SBPCD.SYS.

This was odd, because I could see that SBPCD.SYS was on the installation floppy disk. Then I noticed a file called CDDRIVE.BAT, and sure enough, running that did the job. The CD-ROM was installed. I rebooted, and I could read the E drive.

Since Sherlock Holmes comes with the Creative package, that looked like a good test program. So I put in the CD-ROM, logged on to E, got a directory to be sure I was properly reading the CD-ROM, and ran SHERLOCK.EXE. The system trundled for a moment and announced that I had no compatible sound card. Then it dumped me back to DOS.

It seemed very odd that a program bundled with the Sound Blaster Pro card, and running on a CD-ROM drive controlled by a Sound Blaster Pro card, would be unable to find the Sound Blaster Pro card. I tested the card, both with its test program

and with a couple of games, and there was no problem.

Eventually, I wondered if changing the IRQ from 7 to 10 had anything to do with it. I pulled the sound card and moved the jumper; and Lo!, up came the Sherlock Holmes game. Apparently the game designers hard-coded the interrupt, and no one at Creative has tested Sherlock Holmes with a Sound Blaster Pro set to IRQ 10. Sigh. I left mine set to the default IRQ 7 so that I could fool around with the Sherlock Holmes game, but that's not really very satisfactory.

Once I was sure that the CD-ROM was working in DOS, I let Optimize do its thing and then fixed AUTOEXEC.BAT so that MSCDEX.EXE wasn't trying to load high. That gives me 598-KB DOS sessions under Windows; and the CD-ROM works just fine, both on my local machine and shared across the network. It's a good, fast drive, and having the CD-ROM drive mounted internally certainly saves space. My friend Rich Heimlich, who does game testing, says that the Creative CD-ROM and Sound Blaster Pro boards are compatible with more games than any other. If you want to upgrade to multimedia, this

A PORTABLE DISK DRIVE YOU'LL l\IEUBf OUTGROW.

Valitek sets the standard for die next generation of portable disk

i wiih the new Valitek PST-M0128. It's a 3.5" rewritable

magneto-optical system dial delivers unlimited portable disk storage. Simply connect il lo the parallel, serial or SCSI port on anv PC or Mac, and store up to 12!i MB of data on a single interchangeable disk. Like ever)' Valitek, the PST -MO 128 features an industrial -grade steel case that stands up to wear and tear. It's built to last in today's hard-knock portable environments. II you can't afford to lose a single bii of data, get a Valitek - the

new PST2-M0128ora best-sellin

valitek high capacity tape drive.

VALITEK

100 University Drive, Amherst, MA 01002 CALL: 1-800-VALITEK or 413-549-2700

FAX: 413-549-2900

From the worldwide leafier in parallel/serial technology

84 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 160 on Inquiry Card.

New Version 5.0 ofPhar lip's 386IDOS-Extender™

i i

Microsoft® C/C++ users: the wait is over!

Now you can finally build multimegabyte 32-bit DOS applications with your familiar Microsoft tools! Version 5.0 of Phar Lap's ' 386IDOS-Extenderlets you run Microsoft's 32-bit Windows NT C/C++ compiler under DOS. You get all the advantages of Phar Lap's industry-leading DOS extender technology, while using the most popular C/C++ compiler available. Multimegabyte 32-bit DOS development has never been easier.

Award-winning 32> technology.

386IDOS-Extender turns DOS into a 32-bit operating environment with a flat, workstation-like address space. Your programs can access all the memory in the machine — up to 4 gigabytes! — and take advantage of true 32-bit speed and power. No more segmentation or overlay hassles. And in addition to 32-bit Microsoft C/C++, 386IDOS-Extender supports a wide range of 32bit languages, including Fortran, Pascal, Ada, Assembler and other C and C++ compilers. An add-on Run-Time Kit is also available for delivering Extended-DOS applications to customers.

bit

BYTE

CSLWlLl.i,..i.1

LANGUAGE

IJJ.I.W.ilWJ

LANGUAGE

U.M.IIMIVi.'J

Industry-leading compatibility.

386IDOS-Extender is compatible with more than 60 popular libraries and utilities, making it easy to select the best tools on the market for your 32-bit development. Choose from user interface libraries including C-scape, DataWindows/386, WNDX and Vermont Views Plus; graphics libraries including HALO Professional, HOOPS and MetaWlNDOW/PREMIUM; database libraries including AccSys, CodeBase and Raima Data Manager; class libraries including Tools.h++ and Math.h++; and many others. Only 386IDOS-Extender can offer you the universal third-party support you need.

"the highest quality 32-bit DOS extender available"

-Robert Wenig, Autodesk

See how much (aster your 32-bit DOS version could run:

support.

386IDOS-Extender, Version 5.0 gives you the full functionality of j the Microsoft runtime libraries, including graphics. You can still make all your 16-bit Microsoft C/C++ calls — but now with 32-bit power!

New source-level debugger.

386IDOS-Extender, Version 5.0 includes Phar Lap's new 386ISRCBug, a powerful 32-bit source code debugger for protected mode 386IDOS-Extender applications.

2861 DOS-Extenderthe easy way to build multi-megabyte 16-bit DOS applications.

If you'd rather use 16-bit Microsoft C/C++, Borland C++ or Microsoft Fortran, then Phar Lap's award-winning 286IDOS-Extender™ is your solution. With 286IDOS-Extender, your program can break the 640K DOS barrier and access up to 16 megabytes of memory on any 80286 or higher DOS-based PC. You can even use CodeView or Turbo Debugger to debug your protected mode program.

Phar Lap Software, Inc.

60 Aberdeen Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 617-661-1510 FAX 617-876-2972

286IDOS-E)Uender and 3861DOS-Extendsr arc trademarks and Phar Lap is a registered trademark of Phar Lap Software, Ine. Borland and Turbo Debugger are registered trademarks of Borland International. Windows NT is a trademark and CodeView and Microsoft arc registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Oilier product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Circle 128 on Inquiry Card.

BEFORE PROTECTING YOUR SOFTWARE...

WcutSo^o»e

...against piracy and unauthorized use, make sure that your protection system has all the following qualities:

A GOOD HARDWARE KEY

Hardware-based software protection systems are now the standard worldwide. However, not all keys are the same. A good key should have all the following features:

t/ Compatibility and transparency. The key should work without any problem on your , customers' computers. The user should be able to forget the key after connecting it.

}/ Unbreakable electronics. A customized ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) component should be integrated in the key. This prevents reverse engineering and makes cracking virtually impossible.

l/ A unique and inaccessible software developer's code burnt into the ASIC. (This code should not be held in the key's memory, where it can be read and altered.)

V A Read/Write Memory inside the key should be available on demand. The memory should be writable in the field, on any PC, without any special programming equipment.

V Veiy low power consumption, enabling the key to work even under the worst power conditions, on PCs and laptops, with or without a printer.

POWERFUL SOFTWARE

Since it's practically impossible to crack or duplicate a key having all the features mentioned above, a pirate will usually go for the software linking the protected program to the key. Therefore, check that your protection software has all of the following:

}/ A Linkable Protection Module with which calls can be made to the key from any point in the protected program

l/ An "Envelope" installation program. Such programs enhance security while making it possible to protect a software even without its source code.

\/ Sophisticated antidebugging and encryption mechanisms.

HASP®, THE PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE PROTECTION SYSTEM, OFFERS YOU ALL THESE FEATURES AND MORE:

HASP was designed by a team of computer experts, professional cryptologists, and electrical engineers. As a result, HASP keys are supported by what is probably the best software in the market, and the HASP system has worked on every computer it has been tried on. In addition to all the features mentioned above, HASP provides:

V A Full Autl System for protecting dozens of programs using only one key.

l/ A Patterr

Code Securii J

System (PCS) ^

enabling parallel processing of multiple calls

by the Linkable Protection Module.

V A Virus Detection option that can be incorporated in the protected program to check whether it has been infected by a virus or tampered with in any way.

V Several HASP keys can be daisy-chained.

NETHASP, SOFTWARE PROTECTION FOR NETWORKS

\/ Only one NetHASP key is needed to run a protected program from many stations in a network. NetHASP provides full support for protecting DOS and WINDOWS software under network environments, including Novell dedicated 6c non- dedicated servers, Lan Manager, Lantastic, Banyan, DLink, and NET-BIOS jased LANs.

N A TEST CARRIED OUT BY AN INDEPENDENT LAB, HASP WAS THE ONLY KEY WHICH WAS NOT BROKEN*.

OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS

S/ PC: DOS, WINDOWS, OS/2, SCO UNIX,

SCO XENIX, INTERACTIVE UNIX, AIX, AUTOCAD, DOS EXTENDERS

\/ MAC (ADB Port): System 6.0.5 and up

\/ NEC (Serial Port): DOS, WINDOWS

AND THE BOTTOM LINE:

We offer some of the most competitive prices in the market.

Since 1984, HASP has enabled thousands of software producers in more than 40 countries, including several Fortune 500 companies, to protect their software.

To learn more about why so many professionals have chosen HASP, call us lor our low price evaluation package.

o

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SOFTWARE SECURITY INC.

North

200 Broadhollow Rd, Suite #207

America:

Melville, NY 11747, USA

Tel: 800-223 4277

516-424 5100

Fax:516-424 8300

International

ALADDIN

Office:

KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS LTD.

15 Beit Oved St., Tel-Aviv, Israel

P.O.Box:11141 Tel-Aviv 61110,

Tel: 972-3-5375795

Fax: 972-3-5375796

■ Australia Conlab Ply. Ltd., Tel: 3 8985685

■ Belgium Akkermans bvba, Tel: 3 2338826

■ CSFR ATLAS Ltd., Tel+Fax: 2 766085

■ Chile Micrologica S.A., Tel: 562 222 1388

■ Denmark SC Metric a/.s, Tel: 42 804200

■ France Logidata Intl., Tel: 50707375

■ Germany CSS GmbH, Tel: 201 749860

■ Greece Unibrain SA. Tel: 1 6856320

■ Holland Akkermans BV, Tel: 45 241444

■ Italy Fanner Data S.r.L. Tel: 2 33101709

■ Korea Dae-A Engineering, Tel: 2 848 4481

■ New Zealand Training Solutions, Tel: 4 566601-1

■ Poland Systherm Tel: 06] 45065

■ Portugal Futurmatica Lda., Tel: 1 4116269

■ South Africa D Le Roux, Tel: 11 886 4704

■ Spain PC Hardware, Tel: 3 4493193

■ Switzerland Opag AG, Tel: 61 7112245

■ Taiwan Teco Ltd., Tel: 2-555 9676

■ Turkey Mikrobeta Ltd., Tel: 4-4677504 ' CT Magazine, May 1990.

G> Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. 1985-1992

See us at CeBIT '93, Hall 018, Floor LOG, Booth B20

Circle 63 on Inquiry Card.

Circle 143 on Inquiry Card.

USER'S COLUMN

is a good way to do it, and in fact the installation is simpler than describing it has been. Recommended.

Power Japanese

Want to learn Japanese? If so, Power Japanese looks like what you need. You get some flash cards, a dictionary, 15 highdensity 3M-inch disks of software, a soundconverter gizmo to attach to your printer port, a set of headphones, some exercise books, a dictionary, and instructions.

I don't know Japanese, and at my age I'm not likely to learn a new language, so I'm not sure I'm competent to judge the effectiveness of this as a learning tool. It seems to do what you'd want it to: it shows you how to draw and pronounce different Japanese characters, both katakana and hiragana, and has workbooks for you to practice doing those in. It will also show you on-screen other styles of Japanese, including classical Ming. Meanwhile, the program talks to you. Hear the words, and see it written out on-screen.

The speech adapter is small enough that you would have no trouble with it on a portable machine, so instead of watching bad movies and drinking too much on your next flight, you could be learning Japanese.

Learning a new language is more dependent on the determination of the learner than on the instruction method, and I'm not at all sure that if you're serious about learning Japanese, you won't be better off getting human instruction; but if you'd like to try it on your own first, this looks to be the way to do it. With those caveats, recommended.

From Space to Dinosaurs

If you ever wonder what's the point of multimedia, get one of the Knowledge Adventure products. I've previously written about two of their products, Knowledge Adventure and Science Adventure; now they've got two more, Space Adventure and Dinosaur Adventure. Both are wonderful, combining beautiful VGA images, interactive maps and diagrams, and all kinds of other great stuff. I cannot imagine any kid in the world who wouldn't want to spend hours playing with either of these programs. Heck, / like playing with them. You don't need a CD-ROM drive for Dinosaur Adventure. You do need a good bit of hard disk space and a sound board: Sound Blaster Pro works just fine. If you don't have a sound board, these programs alone justify installing one. Knowledge Adventure is a candidate for a big Orchid and a Chaos Manor User's Choice Award, and it gets a highly recommended rating. This is what educational software ought to be.

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The Compleat AI

This is a CD-ROM in ISO-9660 format (meaning it is readable by PCs, Macs, Amigas, Unix systems, and almost anything not coal-powered) with hundreds of AI and related programs. Want source code to a dozen versions of the Eliza program, including one you can put on your BBS to talk to people? An artificial-life program? Expert-system builder? Neural-network builder, including source code to simulate a cockroach brain? It's all here, and more, in FORTRAN, Prolog, Lisp, and even BASIC. There are also hundreds of articles about AI and related matters and tutorials on using many of these programs. It's the most complete collection you're likely to see anywhere.

Steve and Susan Chance Rainwater, the principals of Network Cybernetics, told me about this as they drove me to the airport from a speaking engagement a few months ago; this project is more a labor of love than a profit-making venture. Incidentally, they're OS/2 and Ami Pro enthusiasts. Clearly, you can get CD-ROM systems running with OS/2, even if I've had rather bad luck with it myself.

If you have any interest whatever in AI, natural-language processing, neural networks, artificial life, or related subjects, get this disk, for either yourself or your users group; you won't be disappointed. Recommended.

Trantor MiniSCSI

This product, the T348 MiniSCSI Plus, is darned near perfect. It consists of a cable to connect your parallel port to any SCSI device, such as an external hard drive or CDROM; software to install the MiniSCSI; and a needless cable to connect your printer to the MiniSCSI cable so that you can print when you're not using the parallel port for SCSI. That last cable is needless because any old Centronics printer cable will do; but the FCC requires them to furnish this expensive thing because using your own cable might result in some radio noise detectable 10 feet away. Your tax dollars at work.

Installing the software is absurdly simple. In my case, I wanted to put the T348 MiniSCSI Plus on my Gateway HandBook: this wonderful little portable computer can access its floppy drive only through the parallel port, so it would be an interesting test. It turned out to be simple: I created a directory called FOO, copied the floppy disk to it, replaced the floppy drive with the MiniSCSI cable connected to a Toshiba CD-ROM, logged on to FOO, and did an automatic installation. That's it. In seconds, I was reading the CD-ROM drive.

What else can I say? It works, it's easy to install, and it's another candidate for a Chaos Manor User's Choice Award. Recommended, continued

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 87

USER'S COLUMN

Winding Down

The computer books of the month are both from Sams. First, Gary Entsminger's Secrets of the Visual Basic Masters (Sams, 1992). An understanding of Visual Basic is important to everyone working much with Windows, since more and more Windows programs have hooks to interface with it. This is an excellent intermediate-level book on writing, debugging, and errorproofing Visual Basic programs.

Second, John M. Goodman's Memory Management for All of Us (Sams, 1992). The most complete exposition on memory management I know of is in Quarterdeck's manuals for QEMM and Desqview. Unfortunately, they are great for reference but unreadable for learning. Goodman's book takes a difficult subject and gives you considerable understanding of it. Reading this wouldn't have solved my CD-ROM/W4WG problem, but knowing what's in this book gave me the approach

I needed. If you wonder what the differences between 386Max and QEMM are, this is the book that will tell you, and a lot more.

The book of the month is Graham Fuller's The Democracy Trap: Perils of the Post Cold War World (Dutton, 1991). Fuller is a former diplomat and intelligence officer, and he has some of the clearest views on the subject of foreign policy I've seen since Stefan Possony stopped publishing.

The game of the month is Quantum Quality Productions' Battles of Destiny. Think of this as Empire died and, if not gone to heaven, then at least to heaven's anteroom. The perfect improvement to Empire hasn't come, but this one is a valiant attempt. There are some frustrations in the user interface, but if you want to handle enormous armies and try your hand at air/land battle planning, this will do it. A second game of the month is MicroProse's

Ancient Art of War in the Skies, and while you can play arcade sequences if you like, the fun part to me is strategic.

As is usually the case, I've still got a huge pile of really good stuff here and no space to write about it. I love it. Next month, a pile of new CD-ROMs and more about networking, including alternatives to W4WG. ■

Jerry Pournelle holds a doctorate in psychology and is a science fiction writer who also earns a comfortable living writing about computers present and future. Jeny welcomes readers' comments and opinions. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Jerry Pournelle, do BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. Please put your address on the letter as well as on the envelope. Due to the high volume of letters, Jerry cannot guarantee a personal reply. You can also contact him on BIX as "jerryp."

ITEMS DISCUSSED

Ancient Art of

War in the Skies $59.95

MicroProse Software, Inc.

180LakefrontDr.

Hunt Valley, MD 21030

(800) 879-7529

(410)771-1151

Circle 1153 on Inquiry Card.

Battles of Destiny $59.95

Quantum Quality Productions, Inc.

1046 River Ave.

Flemington, NJ 08822

(908) 788-2799

Circle 1154 on Inquiry Card.

The Compleat AI CD-ROM $129

Network Cybernetics Corp.

4201 Wingren Rd., Suite 202

Irving, TX 75062

(214) 650-2002

fax: (214) 650-1929

Circle 1155 on Inquiry Card.

Dinosaur Adventure $49.95

Space Adventure $99.95

Knowledge Adventure, Inc.

4502 Dyer St.

La Crescenta, CA 91214

(800) 542-4240

(818)542-4200

fax:(818)542-4205

Circle 1156 on Inquiry Card.

Power Japanese $389

BayWare, Inc.

1720 South Amphlett Blvd., Suite 205

San Mateo, CA 94402

(800) 538-8867

(415)312-0980

fax:(415)578-1884

Circle 1157 on Inquiry Card.

QEMM-386 6.0 $99.95

Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc.

150 Pico Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90405

(800) 354-3222

(310)392-9851

fax:(310)314-4217

Circle 1158 on Inquiry Card.

Sound Blaster Multimedia

Upgrade Kit $799.95

Creative Labs, Inc.

1901 McCarthy Blvd.

Milpitas, CA 95035

(800) 998-5227

(408) 428-6600

fax:(408)428-6611

Circle 1159 on Inquiry Card.

T348 MiniSCSI Plus $229

Trantor Systems, Ltd.

5415 Randall Place

Fremont, CA 94538

(800) 872-6867

(510)770-1400

fax:(510)770-9910

Circle 1160 on Inquiry Card.

Ventura Publisher $795

Ventura Software, Inc.

15175 Innovation Dr.

San Diego, CA 92128

(800) 822-8221

(619)673-0172

fax:(619)673-7562

Circle 1161 on Inquiry Card.

Windows for Workgroups $249.95

Windows for Workgroups

Starter Kit $849.95

Word for Windows 2.0 $495

Microsoft Corp.

1 Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

(800) 426-9400

(206) 882-8080

fax: (206) 936-7329

Circle 1162 on Inquiry Card.

WinSleuth Gold 3.04 $169

Dariana, Inc.

5241 Lincoln Ave., Suite B5

Cypress, CA 90630

(800) 892-9950

(714)236-1380

fax: (714) 236-1390

Circle 1163 on Inquiry Card.

88 BYTE • MARCH 1993

SUPERIOR DISPLAYS ARE PART OF OUR HERITAGE.

June 30,1992

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Inherited with a discerning eye and practiced touch, we finely tune every monitor, bringing you displays with a brilliant palette and clear, sharp images - retaining a tradition that reflects our vibrant history and parallels the technology of today.

From the affordable 15" to the 21" big-screen, our FlexScan family features top-of-the line flat-square CRTs with ergonomic enhancements including easyto-use microprocessor-based controls, flicker-free refresh rates and a healthy work environment that meets the Swedish MPR II and TCO low emission standards. We've also added ecological features such as an energy-saving auto-power ON/OFF switch. And all of our monitors optimize performance for Windows users or CAD/CAM, DTP professionals.

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COVER STORY

FEATURE

Smarter

E-Mail

Is Coming

Rebuilding your business processes to take advantage of E-mail promises dramatic productivity gains

ANDY REINHARDT

Forget for a moment the confusing alphabet soup of E-mail acronyms. Look past the gateways, switches, and battles over APIs. Despite these hurdles, it's only a matter of time before E-mail is as pervasive and easy to use as the telephone system.

Once E-mail nirvana arrives, huge changes will occur. Organizations that have already implemented enterprise-wide E-mail find that it flattens the management hierarchy, improves project tracking, and speeds time to market for new products or services. E-mail's greatest benefit, however, goes beyond ad hoc exchange of information among employees: Messaging is the foundation for a new wave of workgroup software packages that will alter traditional work structures and could dramatically boost productivity.

"Mail should not be thought of as an application," says Eugene Lee, director of product planning for mail software vendor Beyond (Cambridge, MA). "It's an enabling technology."

After years of wrangling with complicated client/server technologies such as RPCs (remote-procedure calls), users and developers are discovering that E-mail's store-and-forward, network-independent messaging provides many of the same capabilities for a fraction of the cost and complexity (see the text box "The Messaging Model" on page 92). In effect, messaging enables a type of do-it-yourself distributed computing.

"People tend to think of mail today as messages sent between people, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," says John Rymer, an analyst with the Patricia Seybold Office Computing Group (Boston, MA) and the editor of the Distributed Computing Monitor. E-mail can also be used for communication between people and processes—known as virtual users—or even among processes themselves; in fact, Rymer says, most communication between applications will ultimately use E-mail transports.

Applications that will build on the messaging infrastructure include multimedia mail, fax routing, database access, scheduling, and document sharing (see figure 1). Perhaps the most promising avenue is the broad category known as work flow, which encompasses information routing, task automation, and decision support. "We've spent millions of dollars on E-mail," says Larry Quinlan, the manager of LAN services for the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche (Atlanta, GA), "and you can't get a good return on investment from simple messaging alone." Organizations

90 BYTE • MARCH 1993

PHOTOGRAPHY: ELLE SCHUSTER fc) 5993

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 91

E-MAIL

The Messaging Model

To facilitate interoperability among mail systems, vendors are decoupling the front-end mail client from the back-end mail server. Most packages today, such as cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail, supply both the client and the server in a single box and use their own proprietary message transports.

The exception is Novell (Provo, UT), whose MHS (Message Handling Service) has used a client/server architecture with a published API for more than five years; Novell doesn't market an MHS client, leaving that instead to companies such as Da Vinci Systems (Raleigh, NC) and Beyond (Cambridge, MA).

The implications of this shift are twofold. First, breaking the link between the client and server lets customers use whatever combination of front and back ends they choose. Second, an open interface exposes the mail transport for use by applications other

than a mail client; conventional productivity packages (e.g., word processors and spreadsheets) will be able to talk directly to mail engines, and new types of workgroup applications can be built on top of the mail transport.

It is often cheaper and easier to implement distributed computing with messaging than with client/server RPCs (remote procedure calls). RPCs use live "virtual circuits" between applications and require expensive equipment such as high-speed routers and private Tl phone links for WAN (wide-area network) implementations.

"The bottom line is that people want a simple method of routing information,"says Rick Bohdanowicz, director of messaging for Novell. E-mail is cost-effective, he says, because users can implement their own schemes using off-the-shelf software, modems, and dial-up phone lines.

Store-and-forward is a good mechanism for remote access, because it

places less of a burden on field systems and communications links than does a client/server architecture. LAN managers concerned about network bandwidth also appreciate that using messaging instead of virtual circuits frees up network resources for time-critical tasks.

Messaging can also play a role in connecting desktop systems to host programs, says John Rymer of the Patricia Seybold Office Computing Group (Boston, MA). For example, you could communicate with a system not designed for the distributed world by giving it an interface for messaging.

Compared to the hard-wired design of client/server programs, Rymer says, the more generic messaging interface can prove to be a vital asset in today's climate of corporate mergers and divestitures. "If you're a corporate developer, you need to build applications that can interface easily to new systems," he adds.

BUILDING E-MAIL AWARENESS

User agents

Mail-enabled applications

i >< £

Message store (data)

Work-flow engines (process)

A A A\

, l ,

Directories

Distributed database

This boundary keeps moving up

Distributed-mail backbone

The routed network

Local-area plumbing

Wide-area plumbing

Network infrastructure

Figure 1: The messaging architecture of the future will let mail-enabled applications and messaging agents communicate interchangeably with message stores and work-flow engines. This layered design permits users to use the networks, mail services, and front ends of their choice.

that use E-mail find that it quickly becomes a vital part of their information structure. E-mail is the "de facto mechanism" for moving files at the Social Security Administration (Baltimore, MD), says Jan Hoffman, director of intelligent workstations and LAN engineering. The agency has a network of 15,000 PCs running NetWare and cc:Mail. A fax server routes incoming and outgoing faxes, and staffers use E-mail to update databases. Future projects may include tracking and monitoring letters and the use of digital signatures for approving documents.

Companies such as Beyond, Action Technologies (Alameda, CA), and Reach Software (Sunnyvale, CA) are creating tools to electronically control the flow of data and forms around organizations. These "rules engines" capture existing business processes or stimulate users to pioneer new, more efficient procedures.

The results can be staggering. Most business processes have built up over the years without the advantage of modern technology. By applying both workgroup technology and modem organizational theories, says Walter Ulrich, a director of the consulting firm Arthur D. Little (Cambridge, MA), "businesses can move decision making down to the people who have immediate contact with customers and cut cycle times by up to one-third."

Building on E-Mail

Analysts expect LAN-based E-mail use to grow explosively over the next few years. Market-research firm The Yankee Group (Boston, MA) estimates that the number of LAN E-mail users in the U.S. rose 60 percent last year, from 5.9 million to 9.4 million, and will climb another 60 percent this year to 15.1 million users

92 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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This revolutionary program is now your first line of defense when it comes to recovering your valuable data. Save hundreds — even thousands — of dollars by doing your own data recovery! With RESCUE™ you can perform miracles.* Your data is too valuable not to have RESCUE™ within reach! CALL NOW FOR PRICING!

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Circle 175 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 176).

E-MAIL

E-MAIL GROWTH

Number of users in millions

40

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

Figure 2: The number of E-mail users in the U.S. is expected to climb 60 percent this year over last year's levels; by 1995, the user base could reach 38 million. Accurate worldwide figures for E-mail are not available. (Source: The Yankee Group)

(see figure 2). By 1995, the figure could climb to 38 million. Meanwhile, the number of messages transmitted within Fortune 2000 firms in North America will surge from 6.1 billion in 1993 to 14.3 billion in 1995 (including both private E-mail and public services, such as MCI Mail and EasyLink), says the trade group the Electronic Mail Association (Arlington, VA).

The size of the potential network E-mail market is limited by the penetration of LANs. Only 42 percent of the estimated 47 million personal computers in the U.S. are connected by LANs, says market researcher Dataquest. That figure is projected to grow to 52 percent by 1996.

In the short term, the greatest problem facing enterprise-wide mail is that most of today's mail packages won't talk to one another (see "Mixed Messaging" on page 136). User woes include the inability to link different packages across heterogeneous networks and the thorny problem of how to synchronize distributed directories of network and mail users. For many, the best solutions are gateways from companies such as SoftSwitch (Wayne, PA) and Retix (Santa Monica, CA) that interconnect different mail platforms. In the long term, the emergence of mail standards (i.e., APIs, file formats, transports, and directory services) will ease the need for gateways (see the text box "Standards Coming, But Slowly" on page 96).

Aetna Life and Casualty Insurance (Hartford, CT), for example, has 36,000 employees on five E-mail systems—IBM PROFS, DEC All-in-1, cc:Mail, and Microsoft Mail for DOS and for the Mac—down from nine systems a few years ago. Kevin Ryan, director of E-mail services, says the firm uses a SoftSwitch messaging backbone to connect the different systems internally and X.400 gateways to talk with outside companies, primarily large

policyholders. But managing the system isn't easy. "E-mail directories are still cumbersome, overly complex, and not well understood by users," Ryan says. A company as large as Aetna has a lot of people coming and going. "You've got to propagate [directories] out to all post offices and keep all those changes in sync," he says. It's a labor-intensive process.

Until standards are in place, MIS managers must struggle to patch together disparate systems or force all employees to use the same software. The latter is nearly impossible for many organizations. Workgroups have already settled on different mail packages, and the MIS department must also support public services, such as MCI Mail or CompuServe, and legacy host-based mail packages, such as PROFS or All-in-1.

Integrating different software and services is technically possible. "It's just that some things are difficult or expensive," says consultant Amy Wohl of Wohl Associates (Bala Cynwyd, PA). "The real hurdles are administrative."

E-Mail Applications

The types of applications that can capitalize on the E-mail infrastructure fall into two groups: mail-enabled (or mail-aware) programs (e.g., spreadsheets or word processors that also access mail services) and messaging-centric programs built specifically around E-mail transports and store-and-forward messaging.

A few packages, such as Software Publishing's Professional Write Plus, can already talk directly to mail services through custom interfaces. Now, by virtue of standards, such as Microsoft's MAPI (Messaging API) and the VIM (Vendor-Independent Messaging) interface from a rival group headed by Lotus Development (Cambridge, MA), developers can add mail access to any program. In the near term, the most common mailenabled programs are likely to be versions of shrink-wrapped packages such as WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, Excel, and Freelance Graphics. "It sounds simple," says analyst Mike Ffeylin of market researcher Creative Strategies Research International (Santa Clara, CA), "but [mail-enabled versions of familiar software] are what users want right now."

When Windows applications support mail APIs, for example, you will be able to select Mail from the File menu in the same way you choose Print. A compose-mail dialog box will pop up in the application, along with fields for addressing, priority, and other options. When you send the message, the spreadsheet or word processing file is automatically attached. In Windows and Mac systems (and with some DOS packages), the recipient can then launch the creating application directly from the mail attachment; if the application isn't available, many mail clients provide a means to view the file.

By tapping into messaging transports, mail-enabled programs will also be able to communicate with each other, much as they do now through virtual-circuit mechanisms such as DDE, OLE, and Apple Events. "We're very keen on doing mail-enabled applications," says Deloitte & Touche's Quinlan. The real reward, he says, comes from the ability to move data among applications. For example, Deloitte & Touche provides electronic meeting registration. Built using cc:Mail's import/export facility, the application lets auditors sign up for company seminars via Email. The company also provides automated audit software to its field staff, which uses E-mail to exchange audit workpapers. By hiding the mail capability within the application, Quinlan says, auditors can exchange data without being computer jocks.

Building on the foundations of VIM, cc:Mail, and Notes, Lotus plans to enhance its applications suite with workgroup capabilities, says Irene Greif, director of workgroup technologies. For example, the mail-enabled 1-2-3 for Windows 2.0, expected lo ship early this year, will include technology called Version

94 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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E-MAIL

Standards Coming, But Slowly

An industry executive once quipped that there was no clearer sign of the failure of E-mail than the success of the fax. People needed a fast, standardized way to exchange data and were willing to sacrifice the benefits of editable documents for the one-touch convenience of a fax.

Today the situation has improved, but it will be years before standards are established that make E-mail as easy to use as the phone or the fax. The charge toward standards is being fought on three fronts: mail APIs, transports, and file formats. A fourth category— directory services—is so complex that proprietary solutions may continue to dominate for the rest of this decade.

Easy Access

The fight over mail APIs has garnered the most attention, perhaps out of proportion to its long-term importance. Microsoft touts the Windows-based MAPI (Messaging API), parts of which have already been added to Windows for Workgroups, while Lotus (Cambridge, MA) and others are promoting the crossplatform VIM (Vendor-Independent Messaging) API. Apple offers OCE (Open Collaborative Environment), but it also intends to support VIM. Novell (Provo, UT), IBM, and Borland (Scotts Valley, CA) back VIM, too.

The mail API battle has generated open hostility among the camps, but many observers view it as a red herring. "It doesn't matter what the mail API does," says Eugene Lee of Beyond (Cambridge, MA), "as long as I can run my application on your mail server."

The premise of MAPI is similar to that of the Windows printer architecture: It's an intervening layer that abstracts the behavior of the device on the other side of the interface (see figure A). MAPI specifies a series of 60 operating-system calls that invoke common mail actions such as send, receive, and mailbox management. A DLL performs the client mail services and interfaces to mail engines through what Microsoft calls the SPI (Service Provider Interface). Consequently, any MAPI-compliant Windows application can talk

through the DLL to any SPI-compliant mail engine. Hewlett-Packard, WordPerfect, DEC, SoftSwitch, Novell, Banyan, and AT&T have already committed to MAPI-enabling their mail engines.

Microsoft is shipping a subset of MAPI, known as Simple MAPI, in Windows for Workgroups, but it works only with the Microsoft Mail engine. The complete MAPI subsystem, known as Full MAPI, will operate only in Windows for DOS and Windows NT, and it won't be bundled with any operating system until late this year.

VIM takes a different approach. Instead of a set of routines that ship with the operating system, VIM is a specification for directly accessing mail engines from various client environments. Lotus will offer implementations for Windows and OS/2 clients talking to the cc:Mail engine, but other parties will have to provide VIM hooks for their respective engines or client environments. For example, Apple is expected to support OCE for Mac-only users but enable VIM access from the Mac for users who want to address other mail engines on other platforms.

Lotus promises to provide a subsystem to remap VIM calls to a MAPI back end, thus allowing VIM-compliant applications to talk to MAPI mail engines. Also, Microsoft and VIM supporters joined forces in a group called the XAPIA (X.400 API Association), which is creating a set of multiplatform Common Mail Calls that offer capabilities analogous to Simple MAPI.

But Suzan Fine, the MAPI product manager at Microsoft, argues that when standards are made generic enough to work across platforms, they forfeit richness and specificity. She says that developers writing complex messagingbased applications such as BBSes or work-flow systems will probably choose to work within a single environment, such as Windows with Extended MAPI. This offers them advanced features, such as folder management, while still allowing access from non-Windows systems via XAPIA.

Microsoft's main criticism of VIM, that it is too firmly tied into the cc:Mail

engine, rings hollow as long as MAPI works only with Microsoft Mail. For the balance of 1993, software developers will rewrite their applications to one or both of the mail APIs, and users will eventually be able to invoke mail capabilities from within their programs without giving a thought to what engine lies in the background.

Free E-Mail

The inclusion of Simple MAPI in Windows for Workgroups points to a controversial result of separating mail clients and servers. To an increasing extent, the client will become a standard part of the operating system. Microsoft and Apple are moving in this direction. "What this means is that basic E-mail is free in the long run," says Beyond's Lee. In the future, he says, vendors will have to compete based on advanced features such as Beyond's rules engine, which helps users route E-mail and cope with message overload.

Not everybody agrees that the operating system is the best place for the mail client, however. Novell argues that, as a network function, mail needs to be cross-platform. Analyst Mike Heylin of Creative Strategies Research International (Santa Clara, CA) says that integrating E-mail into the operating system could discourage innovation by third parties. "Personal computing is not a monolithic structure," he says, "and Windows is starting to look more and more monolithic."

Servers and Formats

VIM and MAPI do not address the issue of mail engines talking to one another. The solution is likely to come from international standards, specifically X.400, which defines a universal mail-transport protocol. Until now, X.400 hasn't been widely adopted for PC LAN-based mail systems, because it is complex and vendors were already committed to proprietary transports. The protocol is more widely applied outside the U.S., where there is greater demand for international standards.

People use X.400 mostly for mail backbones. Through a gateway such as

96 BYTE • MARCH 1993

E-MAIL

MAPI VS. VIM

MAPI

VIM

Figure A: Microsoft's MAPI and Lotus's VIM specifications offer top-level APIs that let applications talk to mail back ends. In the Windows-only MAPI, the layer interfaces to mail engines via drivers, while in the cross-platform VIM, the layer is actually part of the engine itself.

the Retix OpenServer 400, mail messages are translated from their native format into X.400 and then back to the same or a different format on the other side. But native X.400 mail servers are growing in popularity; for example, Microsoft is developing an X.400-based mail server for Windows NT.

Not everybody agrees that X.400 is the ultimate solution. Consultant David Ferris calls it the "lowest common denominator" and projects that it will be three to four years before X.400 becomes attractive. In today's market, he says, customers often decide that they are better off using proprietary mail switches from SoftSwitch (Wayne, PA) or DEC (Maynard, MA).

Even if you use X.400 natively or as a backbone, you face yet another problem for which no clear solution is in sight. "If the protocol situation is OK, and you've carefully unified the APIs and mail services, you still have to deal with incompatible file formats," says Nina Lytton, president of the consulting firm Open Systems Advisors (Boston, MA). "This is the big smoking gun."

For example, Lytton says, efforts are under way to standardize Windows and Mac calendar formats in group scheduling programs. But these efforts aren't

cross-platform, nor do they address access to Unix- and host-based calendaring systems. However, some vendors offer point-to-point file conversions, such as between Microsoft Schedule+ and IBM PROFS calendars.

One technology that may ease the file-format problem is Adobe's (Mountain View, CA) Acrobat, a portable document format that renders WYSIWYG documents correctly across platforms. Acrobat will make it possible to distribute complex documents via E-mail to users on an incompatible system. But while it provides accurate document display, its files won't be editable in initial releases of the software. You will still need file converters to collaborate on projects across platforms.

Directory Assistance

Most mail systems use incompatible naming conventions and addressing schemes. Naming inconsistencies mean that sometimes messages crossing gateways get lost and aren't delivered. To make matters worse, many LANs can't share their user directories with the mail systems that ride on top of them, which means that lists of LAN and mail users must be separately maintained and propagated throughout the network.

Help is on the way. NetWare 4.0 will replace the server-based Bindary user directory, which requires manual propagation from one server to another, with NetWare Directory Services, an open, networkwide, self-propagating user directory. For users of earlier versions of NetWare, Novell will also offer NetWare Global Messaging, an NLM (NetWare Loadable Module) implementation of MHS (Message Handling Service) that taps into the Bindary. Banyan will also target pre-NetWare 4.0 customers with a port of its directory services, StreetTalk, to the NetWare environment.

The long-term solution to directory services is another international standard, called X.500, that codifies directory structures and provides a way for directories on linked systems to find and query each other. X.500 is even further from wide-scale implementation than X.400 because it is complex and poses unresolved problems, such as how to limit the extent of a distributed search. Most analysts don't expect X.500 to be widely adopted until the late 1990s. Microsoft plans to use X.500 natively in its Windows NT-based messaging server, but many other mail and network software companies are taking a waitand-see attitude.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 97

E-MAIL

The Vines Advantage

JON UDELL

Vines users view the chaotic mail situation that prevails on most PC networks with Olympian detachment. They have enjoyed seamless global E-mail for eight years, thanks to Banyan's (Westboro, MA) legendary distributed name service, StreetTalk. As a result, Vines' modest 8 percent share of the PC network market includes several of the world's most sophisticated wide-area installations. "We see a lot of Fortune 1000 customers who use Vines as a backbone, with pockets of NetWare at the department level," says Robert Hankin, director of marketing for CCOM Information Systems (Iselin, NJ). CCOM's HelpLine is a mail-enabled help desk application that supports Vines mail, cc:Mail, and Microsoft Mail. When an operator logs a call, HelpLine automatically mails the user a call reference number and then follows up with additional messages as the operator researches the problem. Running on Vines, HelpDesk exploits the fact that a user's StreetTalk ID is both a network address and an E-mail address. That identity eliminates the directory synchronization woes so vexing to administrators of other PC networks. Moreover, Vines' mail system exhibits a simplicity and robustness that so far eludes the Unix mail systems to which it is distantly related. "The mail engine and transports just work, without any fuss, on local- and wide-area networks," says Ted Kull, project manager for systems engineering at the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, NJ).

Has Vines, with its superb mail services, fostered a rich set of mail-enabled applications? Ironically, not yet. In part, that's because Banyan only recently released its Intelligent Messaging mod

ule, which offers message compression, restartable transmission, multithreaded processing, and network management. These features make Vines mail an efficient handler of not only interpersonal message traffic but also the huge file transfer load that companies like Compaq were placing on it. Mostly, though, Vines users, like their Novell counterparts, are tire-kicking Reach Software's Workman, Beyond's BeyondMail, and Lotus's Notes, looking for ways to model organizational paper flow and transform it into mail-enabled software.

Some Vines developers have built custom forms-routing applications using the Vines gateway API, which, unlike the mail client API, can access all users' mailboxes. LANshark Systems (Reynoldsburg, OH), a developer of Vines utilities, has exploited the gateway API to build simple information servers that receive mailed requests for information and mail back files or the results of database queries. Because the data repository (e.g., a Paradox database) is not typically mail-enabled, this kind of application requires homegrown protocols and polling of shared directories. When mail awareness is as common as DDE support, says Scott Sharkey, president of LANshark Systems, you will see several more systems of communicating applications built on a mail substrate.

Sharkey is skeptical that Banyan's promised support for VIM (Vendor Independent Messaging) and MAPI (Messaging API) will smooth the way for Vines developers. "It would be like looking at the world through a periscope," he says. Neither API accommodates the richness of StreetTalk. Users of Vines 5.5, for example, can

attach a wealth of attributes to each item in the StreetTalk database. That means an application that encodes the rule "send a copy to Joe's supervisor" can look up the boss's name at run time. Until the APIs and directory services catch up with Vines, Sharkey plans to continue developing two versions of his software: one that fully exploits Vines and one for the rest of the world.

Sharkey may not have to wait long. The Vines ENS (Enterprise Network Services), which shipped last December, brings StreetTalk and the Vines mail APIs to NetWare 2.x and 3.x. Implemented as a dedicated Vines server, a NetWare VAP (value-added process) or NLM (NetWare loadable module) and a small DOS TSR program, Vines ENS threatens to steal the thunder of Novell's (Provo, UT) forthcoming NetWare 4.0. Automatically synchronizing StreetTalk with the NetWare bindery, ENS gives existing NetWare 2.x and 3.x installations the unified network view that would otherwise require an upgrade to NetWare 4.0.

Some Vines services may even run better on NetWare than on Vines. For example, the optional Intelligent Messaging module can use high-performance NetWare threads for its multithreaded message processing. Moreover, while mail-aware applications will need to be rewritten to exploit 4.0's new API, Sharkey says that his Vines applications run on ENS today as is. It's a smart move on Banyan's part, and one that brightens the future of mail-enabled software on NetWare LANs.

Jon Udell is a BYTE senior technical editor at large. You can contact him on BIX as "judell."

Manager, formerly code-named Chronicle, that facilitates sharing worksheet data.

Version Manager provides a new format for spreadsheet cell ranges that lets users import and export them as objects with attached properties such as version number, author name, and assumptions. For example, a colleague could mail a range object, not to your personal in-box, but to 1-2-3 's in-box, from which the application would fetch it and incorporate it into a worksheet.

For workgroups, Version Manager lets you publish cell ranges into the Lotus Notes database, where they become separate entries. Greif says this will let groups work in parallel on spreadsheet projects while taking advantage of Lotus Notes features—data replication across servers, security, and the ability to sort and view messages by criteria such as author or region. The payoff comes for projects that require consolidating spreadsheets. Greif says, "Instead of waiting for everybody to finish and then doing

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E-MAIL

a massive roll-up, you'll be able to see incremental changes."

The same model could be applied to Ami Pro documents or Freelance Graphics slide shows, but Lotus hasn't committed to delivery dates for workgroup-enabled versions of these packages. "Our goal is to do more than just mail-enable our products," says Greif. "We want to build on the communications infrastructure by using both mail and databases."

Borland (Scotts Valley, CA) is keeping quiet about its E-mail strategy, but it is known to be developing a software architecture that will support an upcoming line of workgroup applications. Called Object Exchange, or OBEX, the architecture is built on BOCA (Borland's Object Component Architecture), which builds on the company's InterBase database engine. Borland will likely use VIM as the interface between applications and mail services. As with other vendors' products, Borland's mail-enabled applications will let users send messages without exiting to a separate mail client. But the company's ultimate ambition is to harness mail as a medium for IAC (Interapplication Communication). The link to InterBase suggests that Borland has set its sights on work flow.

Meetings, Meetings

The leading category of messaging-centric applications is group scheduling and calendaring, which lets you plan meetings and allocate the use of resources such as conference rooms or audiovisual equipment. Microsoft's Schedule-i-, shipped as a part of Windows for Workgroups, may help grow the market, which is already addressed by PowerCore's Network Scheduler, Da Vinci's Coordinator, Futurus's Team, On Technology's ScheduleMaker, and Attachmate's ZipOffice.

While scheduling seems an ideal application for store-andforward messaging, not everyone sees it that way. Campbell Services' (Southfield, MI) OnTime for Networks relies on Banyan (Westboro, MA) Vines RPCs to ensure the real-time response needed to reach quick consensus (see the text box "The Vines Advantage" on page 98).

"Message-based scheduling systems today don't do a good job of handling conflicts," says Anik Ganguly, vice president of product development at Campbell Services. However, OnTime does support a store-and-forward transport, because many Vines users can't afford the full-time WAN (wide-area network) links necessary for a true client/server system. Messaging also serves remote users who dial in to collect and send mail and then read and respond off-line.

Another promising application for messaging is user notification; for example, Texaco (Tulsa, OK) uses E-mail to coordinate employee activities when a tanker pulls into port. A series of synchronized actions must occur among oil terminal workers, ship crew, salespeople, and headquarters; the company uses the mail system to send automatic assignments and updates to employees. The goal is to reduce the potential for costly mistakes and seaport overtime charges of $10,000 per hour, says consultant David Ferris of Ferris Networks (San Francisco, CA). User notification can also advertise job openings, company events, or changes in personnel policy.

Fort Howard (Green Bay, WI) has instituted an application that uses messaging to remotely manage the laptops that its field sales force uses. Rob Williams, a personal computer analyst for the firm, says that by using BeyondMail rules scripts and

O O

o o o o o

purchase-order processing travel expense reports sales-lead routing sales-proposal creation document management field sales-force automation non-real-time database access

DOS batch files, he can upgrade software in the field, change menu screens, and distribute new E-mail directories. Williams broadcasts mail containing codes that trigger BeyondMail rules running on the laptops. The rules uncompress the attached batch file, execute it while piping the screen to a DOS file, and send a message back with the screen-capture file attached. Williams can verify that the update has succeeded, or he can diagnose and fix any failures.

Work Flow

Among the many potential applications for E-mail, the one that has sparked the most interest—and could provide the biggest payoff—is work-flow automation. Datapro Research (Delran, NJ) says that work-flow software will be a $250 million market this year, while related hardware and software sales will amount to $1.6 billion.

Work-flow packages digitally replicate existing business processes that involve routing paper or forms among employees (see figure 3). By using electronic forms riding on E-mail transports, users save paper, boost efficiency, and add intelligence to data distribution. But equally important, according to a Datapro report, organizations look to work flow as a means to reinvent the way they do business and create new structures.

"The whole way we work and manage will change," agrees Tom White, president of Action Technologies. "Work flow lets your work become more decision-related and less paper-related." A frequently cited example of work flow is in processing travel expense reports. In such a system, an employee fills out an electronic expense form that is automatically routed to his or her manager for approval. After that, the form goes directly to accounting, or if the expense level is high enough to require additional approval, it is sent to the manager's boss. The routing of the form follows preprogrammed rules, typically described graphically or with scripts or both.

Other basic work-flow applications include purchase-order and invoice processing, vacation and leave requests, creation of sales proposals, engineering change orders, and editorial production flow. Beyond's Lee says that the company uses its own software for an automated sales-lead routing system. Names are entered into forms and sent to a virtual user acting on behalf of the firm's Paradox database. From the "application mailbox," BeyondMail's rules engine retrieves a message, extracts data values, and imports them into Paradox.

Work flow is a subset of groupware, which also includes shared-information systems such as Lotus Notes (see "Collaborative Computing" on page 112). The difference, says Esther Dyson, editor of the industry newsletter Release 1.0, is that Lotus Notes is a fundamentally passive system that makes no effort to track who gets what information or what they do with it, whereas work-flow systems play an active role in disseminating data to the people who need it. She adds that ^ intelligent routing is based on a combination of rules, events, and time.

Dyson divides the universe of work-flow applications into two categories: scripted work flows (also known as forms-based or E-mailbased routing) and work-flow tools that enforce process integrity. Into the first category she places BeyondMail and Reach Software's Workman; in the latter category, she calls Action "the conceptual leader." Says Dyson, "Action alone understands the relationships that underlie the flow

Work-Flow Applications

100 BYTE -MARCH 1993

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DOS is still the preferred operating system on over 80% of the PCs in Fortune 1,000 companies, according to recent studies.

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Advantages to DOS.

Many Fortune 1,000 companies are using DESQview™ as the best solution for keeping the dependability and familiarity of DOS programs and adding multitasking, windowing productivity. DESQview users give up nothing—since it actually runs MS Windows better should users wish to run Windows programs.

As you may know, DESQview 386 has been around for years, evolving into a highly efficient multitasking, windowing environment that extends the power of DOS, giving you increased productivity while conserving precious memory and disk space. In fact, the vast majority of 386 and 486 PCs need no additional memory or disk space to run DESQview.

DESQview 386 gives you pre-emptive multitasking like OS/2, but with Moth of the disk space and 14th of the memory requirements. It gives you windowing like MS Windows, but with greater speed and efficiency and fewer 'crashes.' And DESQview lets you use a mouse or stick to the keyboard.

You Create the Standards; We Follow.

We've never been confused about our role. We believe software companies exist to make your job easier and your working day more productive. When publishers step out of that mold and begin to tell you what hardware you need and that you should throw out

MJimi.iUJia.iiuiu-m-;

l?ll.l4JliM« COHFIG fiUTOEXEC Adapter

DESQview adds multi-windowing, multitasking productivity to DOS

somebody else's perfectly good software—well, they simply are not operating in your best interest.

Software publishers don't create standards. You do. And whatever standard you choose, we support it.

If you like a program that only runs in MS Windows, like Wordperfect for Windows, DESQview 386 supports your choice. If you prefer a spreadsheet that runs in DOS, Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3, for example, we support that too. In fact, DESQview 386 lets you run your favorite DOS and Windows programs side-by-side.

Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too.

DESQview 386 comes with QEMM-386, the number one memory management utility, and Quarterdeck Manifest, the award-winning memory analysis and monitoring program. Between them, they assure you every last 'K' of memory is put to use! In many cases, QEMM can mean the difference between running the TSRs you want and not having enough memory.

And DESQview is an open doorway to the future, too. Our next step up, DESQview/X, opens your PC to a network full of possibilities, including graphic workstation standards—X Window System software—all while retaining the compatibility of DESQview.

If you're as committed to DOS as we are, and feeling left out by the so-called industry leaders, take heart. There's no reason to leave DOS. If more productivity is what you need, we can provide it.

Quarterdeck helps you get the most out of the hardware and software you own today.

Quarterdeck Office Systems, 150 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 392-9851 Fax (310) 314-4219

Quarterdeck International Ltd., B.I.M. House, Crofton Terrace, Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin, Ireland Tel.(353) (1) 284-1444 Fax: (353) (1) 2844380

* DESQview makes multitasking and windowing available to users of 286-class machines with similar memory efficiencies through QEMM-50/60 for IBM1" PS/@ 50 and 60 users and QRAM for other 286 users.

©1992 Quarterdeck Office Systems. Trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Circle 135 on Inquiry Card.

E-MAIL

of work and provide the framework for completion of tasks, as opposed to stepping through actions."

Dyson identifies three basic architectures for work-flow systems. BeyondMail typifies the first type: user- or client-based. Systems such as Beyond's, she says, are tools for individuals to automate their interactions with other people and applications (see screen 1). While Beyond doesn't use a centralized model, you can create virtual users in the mail system (e.g., Beyond's use of Paradox) that receive messages and act on them according to rules.

Beyond's work-flow capabilities spring from the rules engine it provides for filtering and sorting mail. Company president and CEO Chuck Digate says that BeyondMail offers a bottom-up, ad hoc approach to automation: Using the BeyondRules scripting language and BeyondMail Forms Designer, users set up their own rules for tasks ranging from personal mail management to complex forms routing. The package is available for DOS and Windows clients, and it supports Novell MHS and Banyan Vines mail engines. The company also sells a version of BeyondMail that acts as a front end for Lotus Notes.

BeyondMail lacks graphical tools for diagraming work flow, such as those supported by Reach Software's Workman. But Workman requires a more top-down approach, in which processes are targeted for automation and then work flows are engineered. With BeyondMail, "users get mail first, and then they

can add incremental functions," says Digate.

The second type of work-flow system is object- or agentbased, exemplified by Workman. Forms in Workman carry the intelligence that each client needs to process the form correctly (see screen 2). Workman treats data as objects, letting you view the underlying values through a variety of forms. Each form has active fields that can invoke specific actions, such as calling an external database; the form design decides which fields are active or even visible to each user.

As with user-based systems, agent-based systems usually use E-mail transports. But Hewlett-Packard's NewWave, for example, uses an object repository and proprietary internal circuits to pass agents around the Windows environment. While Workman doesn't use a central database to manage the work flow, information about the status of each form is reported back to a database for tracking and reporting. Workman runs under Windows and supports MHS, NetWare Global Messaging, and Vines mail systems.

The routing engine, which lives on client systems, is programmed through a combination of graphics tools and scripts; objects can flow on paths through the organization—serial, parallel, or looped, depending on actions taken at each step. The status of objects is stored in a Btrieve database (Reach Software plans to support a SQL engine this year as well), and a Query/Select tool lets you define management views of work-flow status.

continued

EXPENSE-REPORT WORK FLOW

Denies

line 1

line 2

a b

c

Bob

Smith

5 3

k

Frank

Smith

Peter

Smith

Sandra

Smith

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Smith

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Notifies Bob

Bob

Issues check

Figure 3: A prototypical workflow is processing check requisitions. In this example, Bob submits a request by filling out an electronic form, which is automatically routed to his manager, Sandra, who can approve or deny the request. If the amount is greater than $1000, Sandra's boss Frank must also add his digital signature. The approved form is forwarded automatically to accounts payables. At several steps along the way, information about the transaction is sent to other software packages, such as a spreadsheet and the finance department's database.

102 BYTE -MARCH 1993

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Built-in serial and parallel I/O allows for testing remote via modem, or simply logging results to a remote terminal, printer, or laptop. You can configure your own test routines and store them in KickStart 2's battery backed-up CMOS RAM for quick future use. On-board switches, LEDs, and digital displays allow complete control over testing in systems lacking video or disk.

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• Full iBCS2 support, including compatibility for XENIX and SCO UNIX applications.

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Trademarks/Owner; Consensys. V4.2IConsensys Corp.; UNIXIUNIX System Laboratories. Inc.; SCOIThe Santa Cruz Operation; XENIXIMicmsoft Corp. Circle 186 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 187).

UNIX Desktop - reubeo

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Suggested List Price for Consensys V4.2 starts at $395 for the Desktop Platform and $995 for the Unlimited User Platform. A complete V4.2 system, including networking and C Development, is priced at $995 for the Desktop version and $1495 for Unlimited Users.

E-MAIL

■.Bute&ameei-:-' [Urgent Requests

Jftfjmrt': I New \±\ [Request Fotm }±| nse* sage in Unbox ;

it |

([Aclion RequeitedJ - "Action" or [Action Requested! - "Assistance" oi (Action Requested] ■ "Decision"J and {[Prionty] = 2)

*

Ih«n

*

reply to message with text "1 received youi message about " & |S»hjnf:H & ". I'M take caie

of it at the iiist opportunity. Thanks";

alert "There's a new Request from " k [From] K " in your Urgent (older";

move message to "Urgent:" folder;

*

7-92 14:4

92H:09 9212:43 921218 4-9212:1

9211:48

9215:00

7-9215:0 7-9214:5

FttiU1l™ntR.w*.»sts' Riifes.

Screen 1: BeyondMail's Urgent Request rule takes advantage of the product's forms capability. If a form is marked urgent, the Urgent Request rule informs the sender that the form was received, alerts the recipient that an urgent request has arrived, and moves the request message to the recipient's urgent folder.

Workman also supports easy connections to other programs, through DDE scripts, calls to SQL databases, and support for DLLs. Mike Spies, vice president of marketing for Reach Software, says, "It's not enough just to move things around; you have to provide a means to process information through integration with other applications."

Spies says that one major difference between Workman and Action's work-flow tools is that Workman is client-based. "Serverbased technology is limited to those who can gain access to the server," he says. Store-and-forward allows easier implementation and administration, relieves bandwidth crunch on LANs, and makes it easier for remote users to use the system.

Inventa (Cupertino, CA), a consulting firm specializing in software development, uses Workman to help implement workflow systems for clients. "Most people aren't thinking 'I'm going to buy a work-flow engine,'" says Ken Santoro, vice president of the firm. "They want to automate purchase orders or sales leads." To make work flow successful, he adds, "you have to build applications that automate processes, not just tasks."

Action represents the third type of work-flow architecture— server-based systems. These systems build around a single logical center, although the database itself can be physically distributed. By actively monitoring the status of tasks throughout a system, Dyson says, a server-based system makes it easier for a central administrator to track work flow (see screen 3). Systems built this way also enjoy benefits from piggybacking on a relational database engine, including the availability of tools for managing transaction processing.

Best known for developing MHS and The Coordinator, Action is concentrating its efforts solely on work-flow software. An implementation of the company's Workflow Management System tools will be sold by Lotus as an add-on for Lotus Notes 3.0. Action's software is available only on an OEM basis.

Action's Workflow Management System includes a workflow designer and an applications builder for connecting work flows into external applications, such as E-mail or databases. The work-flow server stores information about the status of work flows in a relational database, and the reporting tool lets you manage work flows and inspect your performance.

An Action customer and a maker of document-imaging systems

The league's

toughest

expansion

team.

Introducing a full range of rugged slot solutions.

When it comes to PC expansion, Texas Micro offers the best computer systems in the field. We now offer systems that have 5, 10, 14 or 20 ISA or EISA slots. So there's a system for applications with space restrictions, such as embedded control, all the way up to applications that require numerous peripherals and option boards.

These chassis are not only ruggedized for industrial environments, but they have passive backplanes to make option board and CPU upgrades easy. Desktop, tower and rackmount configurations are available. And each is competitively priced.

So call today for price and specification literature. And find out what makes Texas Micro so hard to beat.

Call 1-800-627-8700.

©1993 Texas Micro, Inc. The IiiLl'1 Inside logo is :i registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

Circle 154 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 105

il

,tel

in'

0)

Circle 183 on Inquiry Card.

PROTECT YOUR SOFTWARE

NO BUTTON, NO ACCESS.

Dallas Semiconductor is re-shaping the world of software protection and distribution control with a new family of microchips called Buttons. We put the lid on software piracy by packaging microchips in button-shaped, stainless steel cans. The chips contain missing but critical information to make the software run.

We offer a variety of Authorization Buttons and features so you can select the level of protection and price point that are right for you.

Security Continuum

Button Type

Unique Serial S

Read/Write Memory

Password Protection

Expiration

Timer

Decoy Responses

DS1420ID Button

X

DS1427 Time Button

X

4K bits

X

DS1425 Multi Button

X

2K bits

X

X

Snap In, Snap Out

Authorization Buttons interface to the installed base of 100+ million PC's via the DS1410 Button Holder. They simply snap in and out. The DS1410 accepts two Buttons concurrently.

Toward a Dongleless World

New computers that accept Buttons directly, including

palm and notebooks, are being designed at OEM's today.

Our Dongle Trade-In Program will help in your transition

to this world. With an approved

application, we'll pay you $7.00

for each dongle that you

trade in for an Authorization^

Button and Holder. This offer,

is good until August 31,1993- '

The one-piece price for the

DS1420 is S4.35; volume

discounts apply.

We're Serious About Security

At Dallas Semiconductor, we design and manufacture our own microchips. And we're the only ones in the software protection business who do. Sixty intricate process steps and a 64-bit unique registration number lasered into each chip prevent duplication.

To learn how to button down your software, give us a call.

DALLAS

SEMICONDUCTOR

4401 South Beltwood Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75244-3292 Telephone: 214-450-8170 FAX: 214-450-3715

E-MAIL

File Edit Object Workflow Handlers Windo

Screen 2: Workman adds to forms the intelligence needed to process them correctly. Active fields can invoke specific actions, such as calling an external database. The form editor, shown here, lets the form designer decide which fields are active or even visible to each user.

AdlonWoitflme Analyst - (ORDERMAPj

gptions Wimhiv,

Iklfi

mcmifmM" mm mm

Order Workflow

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Screen 3: Action's Workflow Management System is serverbased, which allows easier tracking of workflow. It includes a work-flow designer and an applications builder for connecting workflows into external applications, such as E-mail or databases.

for PC LANs, LaserData (Tyngsboro, MA) plans to resell Action's tools starting in the second half of this year, and it is also incorporating work-flow technology into a document management system set for release by the third quarter. Rodney Rogers, vice president of engineering for LaserData, says Action's advantage is that the work flow and task status are monitored and controlled by a central database. "Coded into its design is the knowledge of what is to be done," he says. By comparison, client-based products offer less control. "Nothing [in client-based systems] tracks the state of completion of tasks," he says. "This can be built, but it's part of the application, not the underlying work-flow engine."

Another Action customer is Verimation AB, a Swedish maker of PC LAN and host-based E-mail systems and a pioneer in developing intelligent electronic forms and routing systems for

106 BYTE • MARCH 1993

"Recommended."

Jerry Pournelle, Byte, July 1992

-^45 M

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Supra modems are designed for novice and expert communicators alike. Whether you use DOS™, Windows™, or a Macintosh™, we've got a package for you—and our

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All trademarks belong to iheir respective companies. 7101 Supra Drive S.W., Albany. OR 97321 USA ■ 503-967-2410 • Fax: 503-967-2401

E-MAIL

The Time

Has Come...

...to send for the latest copy of the free Consumer Information Catalog.

It lists more than 200 free or low-cost government publications on topics like money, food, jobs, children, cars, health, and federal benefits.

Don't waste another minute, send today for the latest free Catalog and a free sample booklet. Send your name and address to:

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A public service of this publication and the Consumer Information Center of the U.S. General Services Administration

108 BYTE • MARCH 1993

mainframes. Adam Sroczynski, president ofVerimation's U.S. subsidiary, says that his company chose Action because its features met customer demand for process management capabilities. "I don't think you can take BeyondMail very far in terms of reengineering your business," he says. "How can you manage and improve a process that's controlled by the user? You need a more top-down approach."

Sroczynski says that work-flow customers typically have two demands. First, they want a tool that helps to improve processes, find bottlenecks, and reduce cycle times. Second, "they want to remove the definition of routing from the form application itself and put it into a server process so that they can replicate those functions elsewhere." Verimation is shipping an E-mail package called Memo LAN that incorporates Action tools for creating ad hoc work flows; in the third or fourth quarter of this year, new releases will add Action's front-end work-flow design and management tools, as well as the ability to access the Action work-flow server from a mainframe.

In addition to Beyond, Reach Software, and Action, other players in the work-flow software market include HP, Recognition Equipment/Plexus (Dallas, TX) (which supplies the Unixbased technology used in NCR's Processlt work-flow system), and Workhorse (Dublin, Ireland). Keyfile (Nashua, NH) and FileNet (Costa Mesa, CA) market work-flow-oriented document-imageprocessing systems, while JetForm (Ottawa, Ont.), Da Vinci Systems, and Delrina (Toronto, Ont.) offer forms-routing packages. The recently merged PowerCore (Manteno, IL) and Finansa (London, U.K.) plan to deliver a work-flow package in the third quarter, and Microsoft is rumored to be developing a work-flow capability for Windows, code-named Calvin and Hobbes. In the host world, IBM's OfficeVision/VM and DEC's All-In-1 offer mail management and forms-routing capabilities.

Users Lead the Way

At many firms, says consultant Ferris, the people installing E-mail are technical-support staff more focused on making the hardware and software work than on its potential for reducing costs or enabling new applications. Without the involvement of senior information executives, he says, the investment in E-mail infrastructure may not be fully harvested.

Fortunately, says Reach Software's Spies, a growing number of customers are realizing that messaging applications afford an opportunity to reengineer their businesses. "This whole thing is being driven by users who have needs and are looking for solutions," he says. "Instead of having something foisted on them by vendors, this is a rare instance where users are way ahead." Messaging is becoming the foundation of a new information infrastructure, because it's simple and cheap compared to other techniques for IAC and distributed computing. The pending arrival of mail-enabled applications will expose users as never before to E-mail's power as a data distribution medium. The next step is to implement work-flow automation.

Best of all, messaging and work flow build naturally on the most important resource of all—human capital—by giving employees tools to do their jobs better. "You don't even have to explain this stuff to people," says Nick Rudd, the chief information officer for advertising agency Young & Rubicam (New York). "It mirrors the reality of what they deal with every day." ■

Editor's note: Also contributing to this story were BYTE senior news editor Tom Halfhill, senior technical editor Jon Udell, and news editors Dave Andrews and Ed Perratore.

Andy Reinhardt is BYTE's West Coast bureau chief. You can reach him on BIX as "areinhardt."

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Circle 171 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 172).

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112 BYTE • MARCH 1993

ILLUSTRATION: STEVEN LYONS «-, 1993

STATE OF THE ART

COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

Computer-aided teamwork will change your office culture forever

JEFFREY HSU AND TONY LOCKWOOD

Collaborative computing is a catchphrase for a new body of software and hardware that helps people work better together. A collaborative system creates an environment in which people can share information without the constraints of time and space. Network groupware applications link workgroups across a room or across the globe. The software gives the group a common, on-line venue for meetings, and it lets all members labor on the same data simultaneously.

Collaborative applications include calendar management, video teleconferencing, computer teleconferencing, integrated team support, and support for business meetings and group authoring. Messaging and E-mail systems represent the most basic type of groupware.

"I hear of new groupware products every day," says David Coleman, conference chair of Groupware '93, a trade show to be held this August in Palo Alto, California. Coleman expects to list more than 400 products from over 250 companies in a catalog scheduled to be published later this year.

Sales of workgroup software are soaring, according to WorkGroup Technologies (Hampton, NH). Sales for 1992 were $1.3 billion worldwide; this year, projections call for $1.93 billion in worldwide sales.

No Commander Datas

The best that any of these products can do is to put text, data, and graphics together in an integrated groupware package, creating what's known as comprehensive workgroup support. For example, Instant Update from On Technologies (Cambridge, MA) is a product for the Mac that lets you create and manipulate tabular data as well as import graphics into your documents. Some packages, such as GroupSystems from Ventana (Tucson, AZ), provide transparent access to other applications residing on your server.

Although an integrated groupware system allows you to bring supporting applications and information into your collaborative environment, some researchers, such as Robert Johansen from the Institute for the Future and Mark Stefik

from Xerox's PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), hope to extend this support by bringing in artificial team members that can interact with a workgroup. These expert-system and AI technologies provide you with software entities called agents that constantly rummage through information warehouses, seeking the data that you need. These info-houses are part of your collaborative work environment and are continually fed new information from the workgroup and other data streams that you develop. Like parts constantly arriving at a busy factory, data flows nonstop into your info-house. The agents serve as receiving clerks, routing data to you and your workgroup.

"In the short run, it's more likely that, instead of a Commander Data [the android on the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation], you're going to have an information refinery that will be a part of your collaborative work environment," says Johansen. "You would have individual agents, programmed by team members, pulling out that information they want."

Designed to Help

There are three fundamental aspects of collaborative systems: common task, shared environment, and time/space. The first measures the extent to which the members of a

Collaborative Computing

BY JEFFREY HSU AND TONY LOCKWOOD 112

Hitting Warp Speed for LANs

BYMARKA.CLARKSON 123

Better Than Being There

BY TOM YAGER 129

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 113

COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

TYPES OF COLLABORATIVE INTERACTION

Face-to-face

Occurs at the same time and place.

Asynchronous

Occurs at different times but at the same place.

Distributed synchronous

Occurs at the same time but at different places.

Distributed asynchronous

Occurs at different times and at different places.

Workgroup interaction can occur in the following dimensions of time and space: face-to-face, same place at different times, same time at different places, and different times and places.

workgroup can work on the same task. If the system allows many people to work on the same task, it ranks high on the common-task spectrum (e.g., a software design system that lets programmers interact frequently in real time on a module of code).

A strong shared-environment system keeps you informed of what a project's condition is, what your coparticipants are doing, and what atmosphere or setting is supported. An E-mail system that simply sends messages back and forth isn't high on the shared-environment scale. However, an electronic classroom—with its

emulation of traditional classroom settings, including blackboard windows, lists of students, and questions/responses—rates much higher.

Time/space collaborative systems focus on the time and place of the interaction (see the figure). Face-to-face, or synchronous, interaction is at the same time and place. Asynchronous interaction occurs at one place at different times. If the interaction is at the same time but at different places, it's distributed synchronous interaction. And interaction at different places and times is distributed asynchronous interaction.

System Types

E-mail, computer-teleconferencing, realtime-teleconferencing, and video-teleconferencing systems all help to create or to support electronic meetings. Meeting environments are created through text and graphics on computer terminals or via audio and video transmitted from one location to another. Computer-teleconferencing systems (e.g., BIX and CompuServe) represent an extension of the messaging and E-mail system models.

Real-time teleconferencing—such as Team Workstation, a research system designed by Hiroshi Ishii of the Nippon Telegraph & Telephone's Human Interface Laboratories (Kanagawa, Japan)—is an example of distributed synchronous interaction. It allows participants in different locations to interact.

Another approach to real-time teleconferencing places a single-user application in a computer-teleconferencing environment. Information is exchanged among multiple users using a protocol that determines who has the floor at any given time.

Unlike computer teleconferencing, in video teleconferencing, video and audio connections link meeting rooms or networked workgroups. Participants can see and hear other members of the dispersed group (see "Better Than Being There" on page 129).

Electronic whiteboards, or live boards, electronically mimic the whiteboard that you find in many conference rooms. In this working environment, each member of a workgroup has a terminal on which to work and can broadcast results to everyone else's screen.

Xerox PARC developed an advanced electronic whiteboard that uses a projected LCD. Each participant in a meeting gets a stylus that allows him or her to write on the whiteboard from anywhere in the room. Xerox has connected the system to a network and has even used it to connect remote sites (see "The Electronic Whiteboard," July 1992 BYTE, page 166). At this writing, Xerox is in the process of setting up a commercial unit to sell the system.

Notable Technologies (Foster City, CA) recently announced Shared Whiteboard, communications software for Go Corp.'s PenPoint operating system that creates a real-time connection between two pen systems. It uses a phone line to transmit graphics and text between remote locations. A second phone line is needed for voice communications. David Larson, Notable Technologies' vice president of sales and marketing, says the company is working on a version that will allow more than two users to participate. continued

114 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

Instant Update uses arrows to indicate updated documents. In the foreground, you see who made changes and when. (Screen courtesy of On Technology)

Collaborative Writing

Multiuser editors and group-authoring systems are able to bring a workgroup's collective input to bear during the creation and editing of a document. Such collaborative systems can be either real-time or asynchronous.

If the authoring system is real-time, it lets several participants edit a document at the same time by parceling out logical segments of the document to members of the group. The system controls the read/ write access to the various segments (e.g., the Group Writer facility in GroupSystems).

Asynchronous editors, such as Instant Update, store both the original text and the reviewers' comments. This allows a document manager to evaluate all comments before making final changes (see the screen).

Thomas W. Malone, director of the MIT Center for Coordination Science (Cambridge, MA) and developer of the research collaborative systems Information Lense and Oval, sees group-authoring systems evolving beyond document creation/editing systems. Malone envisions workgroups collectively creating knowledge networks that describe real-world objects or ideas. The networks would connect those ideas and objects and use hypertext-like links to represent the relationships and dependencies among the items. "These knowledge networks will be viewable through a variety of displaying and summarizing tools," says Malone. "They will be shareable across global networks and readable, browsable, and searchable" by you and

your computer.

Conversational structuring, used in Coordinator II, an asynchronous groupware application published by Da Vinci Systems (Raleigh, NC), allows the structure of a workgroup's conversations to be developed and used during what is normally an unstructured meeting. You can see at a glance those messages that are most urgent.

Coordinator II comes with seven conversational paradigms (e.g., an informal note, an action proposal, and a what-if scenario) and prompts you to put your message into one of them. But it's fluid: Your responses need not follow the original message's paradigm. For example, you could reply to a what-if message using a foryour-information response.

This approach works well for Woods Wire Products (Carmel, IN), according to Robert L. Bogue, its LAN/wide-area network manager. Woods Wire Products, a manufacturer of electronic components and telephone accessories, uses Coordinator II to keep in touch with its offices

Workgroup Goals and Tasks

• generate ideas

• develop action plans

• refine data, graphics, and text

• make decisions

• negotiate solutions

in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Far East. "The conversation types that Coordinator II comes with are the basic building blocks of business communications," Bogue says. "I have not encountered any deficiencies in the conversation structures provided."

Group Decision Making

GDSSes (group decision support systems) are designed to facilitate face-to-face meetings (see the text box "The Public Reacts to GDSS" on page 118). They provide tools for decision structuring, idea generation, voting, and ranking. GDSS meetings are frequently conducted by a facilitator.

GDSSes have three feature levels, but individual systems can have features in more than one level. Level 1 emphasizes the improvement of communication, idea formation and discussion, and messaging. Tools for Level 1 include messaging, screen viewing, rating/ranking scales, agendas, and voting.

For example, VisionQuest, which was developed by Collaborative Technologies (Austin, TX), provides an agenda structure that a workgroup can use to collaborate on documents and to generate, prioritize, and evaluate ideas. VisionQuest allows comments on ideas to be anonymous, and it manages all communications and document proceedings.

Level 2 systems incorporate the strengths of decision-support modeling and groupdecision techniques to enhance the system. Examples of these techniques include project planning and control/operations research tools such as CPM (critical path method) and PERT; probability and decision-tree software; and statistical features and decision techniques that are designed to solve complex, unstructured problems and to help to coordinate information exchange in asynchronous problem-solving groups.

When equipped with its optional Advanced Tools, GroupSystems V provides a Level 2 environment on desktop computers linked by an Ethernet or token-ring LAN or in a specialized meeting room (see the photo). An outliner lets a group analyze ideas by constructing an eight-level outline. Its Idea Organization facility lets a workgroup build a list of ideas or categories and attach or import unstructured comments to any item on the list. You can rearrange, edit, and consolidate items and comments. Its group matrix feature helps establish relationships between rows and columns in a matrix format. Ventana's TeamGraphics, which runs on Microsoft's Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups, features collaborative design of graphical

116 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

The Public Reacts to GDSS

JAMES D. GANTT AND CATHERINE M. BEISE

When was the last time you enjoyed a meeting and looked forward to your next one? Surprisingly, these sentiments were expressed by the participants in several tests of GDSS (group decision support system) software.

Early in 1992, we tested reactions to GDSS for the U.S. Army. Test-group sizes ranged from six to 20 members. Participants represented military (20 percent), government (23 percent), and civilian (58 percent) organizations. About one-third of the people were members of minorities, and one-fifth were women. Computer literacy levels ranged from none to expert. Participants were connected by a LAN running GroupSystems V software from Ventana (Tucson, AZ). GroupSystems provides anonymous, real-time, textbased interaction for workgroups.

We collected quantitative data and open-ended comments from participants. Participants used a five-point scale to rate their reactions; 5 was the highest score (see the table).

Our posttest interviews indicated that the less computer literate found GDSS meetings more effective than did their high-powered colleagues, perhaps reflecting lower expectations on the part of the former. More participants commented on GDSS's speed and efficiency than on anything else. And an additional benefit cited was the way GDSS forces a structure on meetings.

Participants believed that learning GDSS was a barrier. But many felt that it would be beneficial after frequent use.

Some participants initially feared using a computer, but they overcame this trepidation, perhaps in their desire to

join in the discussion. Others felt interaction was limited by the system's structure. The meeting facilitator's skill affected whether the GDSS system structure was viewed negatively or positively.

One of our more interesting sessions involved members of an academic department with a reputation for raucous meetings. At the end of their test, they were amazed: They had reached a consensus on a touchy curriculum issue with everyone participating but with no one yelling in anger.

In most groups, the participants believed there was a benefit to the level playing field offered by anonymous communication. But this was put to the test by a group of managers. A gentleman in the group began to type his messages in uppercase, perhaps to differentiate himself from others. To his frustration, someone else opted to do the same. We don't know if these actions were deliberate, but one group

member said, "I need to know who made a comment to evaluate it."

Overall, our test results indicate that people react positively to GDSS. Its ability to provide anonymity seemed to increase everyone's participation. More important, groups are more likely to achieve consensus and commit to following through on action plans developed at a GDSS meeting.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors thank Rick Watson and Alan Dennis of the University of Georgia for their contributions.

James D. Gantt is the director of groupware research at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia. Catherine M. Beise is an assistant professor of information systems at West Georgia College and a member of the staff at the Army's research laboratoiy in Atlanta. You can reach them on BIX do "editors."

PUBLIC REACTIONS TO GDSS

A test group of individuals ranging from computer novices to experts reacted favorably to a GDSS trial run by the U.S. Army. Participants rated each category on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most favorable rating.

Willingness to use GDSS tools again 4.4

Task accomplishment 4.3 Even participation 4.2 Satisfaction with process 4.1 Satisfaction with outcome 4.1

Good outcome 3.9

Commitment to results 3.8

diagrams, graphical what-if brainstorming, and a group whiteboard to share text and ideas.

Level 3 systems, which are in the developmental stage, automate group communications patterns. They allow you to select and arrange meeting rules and include such tools as an automated counselor and Robert's Rules of Order.

Lotus Notes

Notes from Lotus Development (Cambridge, MA) is a different type of collaborative system, but its effects are far-reaching. "Lotus legitimized groupware with its introduction of Notes," says Groupware '93's Coleman.

Notes can best be described as a group communications environment that lets you

access and create shared information. It gives your workgroup E-mail, distributed databases, bulletin boards, text editing, document management, and various applications development tools, all integrated into an environment with a graphical, menu-based user interface. "It's the Swiss Army knife of tools," says Tim Deagan, manager of the services tools development

118 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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COLLABORATIVE COMPUTING

Workgroups connect with each other from remote sites via a LAN or meet in special conference rooms, as pictured here. (Photo courtesy ofVentana Corp.)

group at Dell Computer (Austin, TX).

Deagan's group at the time, the R&D department, was among the first Notes takers at Dell, where it flourished. However, Deagan says, other department managers, especially those responsible for cost containment, were hesitant to spend the money (i.e., license fees of $395 per user) for a tool that seemed to many not to have a clear mission.

MIT's Malone also sees this as a problem for Notes. "Precisely because Notes is so general, it is often hard to understand at first what it is useful for," says Malone.

Notes has gained acceptance at Dell, says Deagan, finding uses in such diverse areas as database development, training, and quality control. But it was a long journey: "You have to lure people to Notes," he says. "Its versatility has kept Notes above water, but its versatility smothers it."

Windows for Workgroups

Windows for Workgroups integrates groupware into the network environment. It gives you E-mail; group scheduling; real-lime conference facilities; network-monitoring utilities; and file, printer, and Clipboard sharing (see "Windows for Workgroups," November 1992 BYTE).

The Windows GUI is an important part of Windows for Workgroups. Its ClipBook Clipboard sharing facility lets you cut, paste, and share pages of data, such as when you transfer pages of information directly into someone's Clipboard. The Schedule-H feature helps you plan meetings on-line by merging prospective attendees' schedules, finding a suitable time, and mailing out invitations.

Brian Howden, a technical specialist working for the British Columbia Ministry of Forests (Victoria, BC, Canada), says that his organization is conducting

pilot programs to determine if Windows for Workgroups will solve some of the ministry's connectivity and API problems.

At the ministry, more than 1500 desktop computers run Windows. Dozens of LANs provide shared resources for these and other types of computers, and an IBM mainframe provides ministrywide E-mail. Ensuring connectivity among all workstations and peripherals is a costly and ongoing problem. But Windows for Workgroups supports the Windows Open Services Architecture, so it provides out-of-box standard APIs for applications development. "Anything that provides a standard API is attractive to us," Howden says.

If Howden is apprehensive about anything in Windows for Workgroups, it's that the groupware has its own mail application, which could disturb the ministry's existing E-mail service. Unless the ministry migrates to Microsoft Mail, Windows for Workgroups mail could "entice users to set up noncompatible islands of E-mail within our organization," says Howden (see "Smarter E-Mail Is Coming" on page 90).

Cultural Challenges

Collaborative systems can meet stubborn resistance when they are introduced in a company, because they challenge the organizational culture with a new means of communication. "Groupware moves a company from a very hierarchical structure to one where each individual's input is accepted regardless of sex, race, or office status," says Harold I. Gallagher, CEO of Collaborative Technologies.

Some managers have problems with this because collaborative systems can upset a company's unique environment for getling work done. You must take this into account when planning your collaborative information system. "The collaborative

environment adds a new, on-line culture to your organization," says John Donovan, an analyst with Workgroup Technologies. As manager, your "challenge is to define that culture so that you have a more effective organization."

But the higher you climb in a company's organization, the more you can encounter resistance to collaborative computing, says Bernard DeKoven, a management consultant based in Palo Alto, California. DeKoven argues that the monetary incentive systems of upper management are often disincentives to sharing ideas and data, because personal information is an individual's powerbase. "If you don't acknowledge the incentives for competition that exist in your organization, any effort at creating a collaborative system will be sabotaged" by office politics, says DeKoven.

Groupware and collaborative efforts are most successful at the lower levels of an organization, says DeKoven. Lower-echelon employees are used to workgroup projects, have fewer incentives for competitive behavior, and usually are so disempowered that they prefer to wrap their comments, ideas, and suggestions in anonymity, says DeKoven.

DeKoven has worked with several companies that have successfully integrated collaborative systems into their environments. Mostly, they've been companies that have adopted flat organizational structures, where everyone has access to information, and high-tech companies, where workgroups are the norm. In more traditional businesses, collaborative systems succeed best when they spread above and below from middle management, according to DeKoven.

But "the technology is not going to drive the cultural changes," says DeKoven. "As long as there are incentives for competition and control, people will use groupware only to further their individual goals."

For collaborative systems to be truly successful, you must change the way you operate. According to Groupware '93's Coleman, collaborative systems can provide that incentive to change: "Often people perceive their value to a company as their expertise, and if they share that expertise, they've lost their value. But frequently it turns out to be the other way around—their coworkers find out just how valuable they are to the company." ■

Jeffrey Hsu is a computer consultant and a professor of information systems at Montclair State College in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. You can reach him at JHSU on MCI Mail. Tony Lockwood is a BYTE technical editor. You can contact him on BIX as "lockwood. "

120 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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STATE OF THE ART/CollaborativeComputin;

HITTING

WARP SPEED

FOR LANS

High-speed networks promise the performance that collaborative computing needs—at a price

MARK A. CLARKSON

Brian Lyles, a researcher at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), designs collaborative applications of the future in areas such as scientific visualization, desktop teleconferencing, and advanced document management. The feasibility of these applications depends on the resolution of formidable problems.

LANs provide limited data-carrying capacity (i.e., bandwidth)—10 Mbps on an Ethernet and 4 to 16 Mbps on a token-ring network. But collaborative applications require moving huge data sets that can overwhelm a network's bandwidth. For example, broadcast-quality video, even at 20-to-l compression, requires a 6-Mbps data transfer rate. At that rate, a 10-minute broadcast represents half a gigabyte of data, the equivalent of five sets of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The applications that Lyles envisions involve continuous streams of high-quality audio and video data. "We're not going to settle for one stream of video to the desktop. We have applications that use many streams," says Lyles.

To make matters worse, LANs such as token-ring and Ethernet networks are shared-media networks. They allow only one conversation to take place at a time. And their bandwidth must be shared by all the users on a network.

Shared-media networks work best with short bursts of data (e.g., E-mail messages). In a client-server environment, for example, a number of workstations might share the same server. Because the server can talk to only one workstation at a time, it scarcely matters that the conversation takes place over a shared-media LAN. A network that primarily handles E-mail traffic will do

ILLUSTRATION: STEVE LYONS ©1993

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 123

HITTING WARP SPEED FOR LANS

ONE POSSIBLE CONFIGURATION OF A WAN

Figure 1: LANs connect to each other over a backbone network. In this example, FDDI, a 100-Mbps optical-fiber network, provides the connection. Backbone networks can be connected to each other via a variety of private and public services, including leased lines and satellite links.

just fine at token-ring speeds, but sharedmedia networks are not good at handling continuous data streams, like those created by a video teleconference.

Collaborative computing presupposes more interactive use of networks than just providing a medium for E-mail traffic. Much of the use is workstation-to-workstation (many-to-many) rather than clientserver (many-to-one).

Because you might want to collaborate with someone across town or across the Pacific, your LANs must be connected to each other, and your bandwidth demands grow with every step. To link the slower 10-Mbps LANs, you use the faster 100Mbps backbone networks. And to tie these together into a WAN (wide-area network), you use an even faster network, say something with a 1-Gbps or higher data transfer rate (see figure 1).

Although today's networks are too slow for advanced collaborative applications, a number of network-bandwidth boosters are coming into their own and may provide solutions to the problem. These technologies include FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), and switching hubs.

Video a Problem

"Video is the data type that will force the commercial networking business to come

to grips with the bandwidth issue," says Jim Long, president of Starlight Networks (Mountain View, CA), a maker of video software for Ethernet networks.

Video is a key component of the next generation of collaborative applications, whether for desktop videoconferencing, training, or visualization. Other data (e.g., CAD drawings and true-color scanned images) may gobble up great chunks of network bandwidth, but none so voraciously as video.

"Video is not only huge, but it's con

Advanced High-Speed Networks

The Promise:

• variable bandwidth on demand

• new kinds of workgroup applications

• studio-quality desktop audio and video

The Reality:

• incomplete standards

• three to 10 times more expensive

• possible software incompatibility

tinuous," says Long. Unlike a still image, which is finite and will be on the network for a short time, video just keeps coming. Single frames of broadcast-quality video— with compression—are about 12 KB each, and a new frame is shipped 60 times a second. Meanwhile, other devices sit idle because the network hasn't any bandwidth to spare for them. "Even a low-grade teleconference," says Long, "sends more data over your network in an hour than it has ever seen before." Studio-quality video requires 10-Mbps or faster data streams, which overwhelms a typical LAN.

Token Ring on Steroids

How do you increase your bandwidth? One way is to switch to a faster network, such as FDDI. "FDDI is really a token ring on steroids," says Long. Like token-ring networks, FDDI passes data around a ring, but its bandwidth is 100 Mbps, far faster than a token-ring or Ethernet network. For example, at 100 Mbps, you could ship this article around a network 1000 times a second.

But FDDI has problems. It's a new network with new protocols, and your software may not run on it. FDDI is also 10 times more expensive than an Ethernet network. Pricing for adapter cards starts at around $1000; Ethernet cards begin at about $100.

If FDDI is too expensive, how about

124 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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HITTING WARP SPEED FOR LANS

Rolling the DICE

DICE (Distributed Interactive Collaboration Environment) is a research project under way at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (Champaign, IL). DICE allows researchers—who may be physically far apart—to collaborate on large visualizations, which they can all view and with which they can all interact simultaneously. Several people can steer and control the parameters of the visualization.

The project was conceived as an environment in which to develop applications that exploit gigabit networks. Although the image processing and number crunching in DICE run primarily on supercomputers, the interactive user interface and the graphical output run on workstations.

Sending a continuous stream of highdefinition images can consume more than 500 Mbps of bandwidth for each workstation viewing the simulation. "Nothing has been geared up to support these speeds," says DICE author Jeff Terstriep. "Every step you take, you hit another bottleneck."

As fast as computer speeds have increased, network speeds have grown faster. "All of a sudden, we've got a network that's faster than the VME bus that these workstations are built around," says Terstriep. "Even supercomputers don't necessarily have as much I/O speed as you'd like. It's a challenge."

For a network to support an advanced, interactive, collaborative environment, says Terstriep, it must be fast and exhibit low latency—outgoing data must not sit at your workstation, waiting for an opening in net

work traffic. Without low latency, the value of a fast network diminishes.

One intent of DICE research is to develop methods of efficiently moving large data sets on networks. DICE uses a message-passing system designed to move scientific data sets that range in size from 8 MB to 2 GB (e.g., multidimensional arrays of data) through various pipelines. It uses both highbandwidth and low-latency networks, splitting the message to achieve the highest performance possible.

For example, the handshaking and control information has low latency. It doesn't require the high data transfer rate that a 2-KB by 2-KB by 24-bit image requires. DICE sends the handshake information through an Ethernet or FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) network and the image through a high-performance parallel-interface network. DICE ensures that these multiple networks operate in harmony and that the operation is transparent to the application and to the end user.

"Current high-speed networks have relatively high latency. I think you'll see ATM take over, because it offers very low latency at very high bandwidth," says Terstriep.

But better machine architectures are needed to exploit gigabit networks. The speed at which you can read and write to the RAM on your workstation becomes an issue.

"You find you can't afford to copy data from the user space to the operating system, to the networking card, and out on the wire," says Terstriep. All those copies take time and CPU cycles, and at gigabit speeds, time is precious.

speeding up your existing LAN? Grand Junction Networks (Union City, CA) is developing a product called Fast Ethernet, which is an Ethernet standard that matches FDDI's 100 Mbps. Also, IBM has reportedly pushed Token Ring to 64 Mbps.

The idea behind such pumped-up versions of familiar networks is to preserve your investments in network wiring and software while boosting network capacity to meet increased demands. But these so

called fast LANs are up to three times more expensive per installation, although they are far less expensive than FDDI.

In addition, all these fast networks— including FDDI—have flaws that may prove fatal over time. For example, none guarantee real-time data delivery. When audio and video are shipped as separate data streams, it's important that they arrive at the same time. The question becomes: Will 100 Mbps be enough?

"Some people say 100 Mbps is plenty of bandwidth," says Steve Krause, a technology analyst at SRI (Menlo Park, CA), an independent research institute. "But when Ethernet was introduced, people said, 'Ten megabits! No one will need more than this.'" Krause believes that as applications become more LAN-intensive they will need more than 100 Mbps.

Near-Unlimited Bandwidth

If 100 Mbps is not enough, there is a way to achieve almost unlimited bandwidth: switching. To understand switching, think about making a telephone call. You dial my number. I answer. We talk. In effect, we have a dedicated line linking us. In fact, our telephones are connected through one or more switches—universal connections—and can be similarly connected to any of millions of other telephones across the U.S. Millions of other telephone conversations are going on concurrently with ours. Even though the telephone lines have a low bandwidth, the capacity of this huge switched network—its aggregate bandwidth—is astronomical.

In a shared-media LAN, the aggregate bandwidth is the same as the peak bandwidth of the individual lines. For example, an Ethernet's aggregate and peak bandwidths are both 10 Mbps. Thus, adding nodes to your network increases its load, but not its capacity.

The aggregate bandwidth of a switched network is equal to the peak bandwidth of each line times the number of lines going into the switch divided by two. For example, 100 10-Mbps lines equals 0.5 Gbps (i.e., 100 x 10 Mbps h- 2 = 0.5 Gbps).

"That's why I like switched technology like ATM," says Xerox PARC's Lyles. "Switched networks tend to have an aggregate bandwidth that is much higher than their peak bandwidth." When the ATM standard is finalized, says Lyles, ATM should provide sufficient bandwidth for most collaborative applications.

ATM is isochronous (i.e., real-time) and provides high bandwidth on demand. Because it's a packet-switched network, it divides data into small clusters, called packets; moves them around the network; and reassembles the packets at their destination. ATM lets you mix and match channels of varying bandwidths and data types (e.g., video, data, and voice). You can have 150-Mbps, 600-Mbps, and 2.4-Gbps links on the same network. "ATM allows you to stop asking, 'What video quality can I get over the network?' and start asking, 'What video quality do 1 want?'" says Lyles.

Some companies, such as DEC (Maynard, MA), are developing ATM LANs. But the technology is sophisticated and

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HITTING WARP SPEED FOR LANS

CONVENTIONAL AND SWITCHED ETHERNETS

Server Server Server

30 workstations Server Server Server

Data stream 1

I pi "l I °l I bi i a ibi I Bl Bl Bi i a;

10 workstations

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Figure 2: In a conventional Ethernet network with three file servers shared among 30 workstations, only one conversation can take place at a time. With a three-by-three switch added to the network, you can have three conversations on the network at once.

expensive—about $6000 per connection, says Howard Salwen, president of Proteon (Westborough, MA), a company that makes networking equipment and plans to deliver its first ATM-based products late this year. Given its cost and that the standard has yet to be finalized, ATM will probably not be a major player in the desktop arena for at least five years—pundits are reluctant to guess exactly how long. "ATM is a wonderful technology," says Salwen, "but it isn't soup yet."

Ethernet for Everyone

Switched-hub technology is already being added to Ethernet. It can turn a single Ethernet into an Ethernet for every network user (see figure 2). The upgrade is simple: You replace the old hub in your wiring closet with a new one. Instead of 100 people sharing 10 Mbps, you have 100 people sharing 1 Gbps. You haven't restrung any wires. You are still using the same adapter cards and software as before. And it's still Ethernet.

"This could mean a new life for Ethernet," says Avi Fogel of Lannet (Huntington Beach, CA), a manufacturer of LAN hardware products. "It's no longer a shared medium—it provides each user with bandwidth on demand up to the full capacity of the network."

EtherSwitch from Kalpana (Santa Clara, CA) adds ATM-like packet switching to

existing Ethernet LANs. It is similar to ATM in that it's a packet-switched technology, says Larry Blair, Kalpana's vice president of marketing. EtherSwitch is intended to boost throughput between desktops and servers.

Seeq Technology (Fremont, CA) adds another dimension to switched-hub Ethernet. Its 80C04 LAN-controller chip set provides Ethernet with two-way, or fullduplex, capabilities. Normally, Ethernet networks are one-way—only one node at a time can transmit, and a node cannot receive data while transmitting. By enabling full-duplex, the 80C04 doubles Ethernet's bandwidth to 20 Mbps (i.e., 10 Mbps to send data, and 10 Mbps to receive data).

A switching hub is about an order of magnitude more expensive than standard Ethernet, say $700 versus $70 per connection, but you preserve a significant part of your network investment. The Ethernet switched-hub approach is so powerful, says Starlight Networks' Long, "that many networking companies are abandoning FDDI for the desktop."

Ethernet may become the ubiquitous connection between computers and peripherals. "Ethernet could become the RS-232 of the nineties," says Long.

FDDI Squeezed

"Ninety-five percent of all computer users will do just fine for the next five years

with 10 Mbps," says Long. "Shared servers and backbone networks—that's the arena where the battle for high-speed networks will take place first."

"It's hard to justify investing in a 100Mbps ATM or FDDI for the desktop," says Lannet's Fogel. "But what if you can find a way at well under $1000 per user for each user to have a full, dedicated 10Mbps network available? That's a different story."

For those that need 100 Mbps to run the advanced collaborative applications that Lyles is dreaming up in Palo Alto, what will the LAN of choice be? FDDI? Not according to SRI's Krause. "FDDI is in danger of being squeezed out of the desktop marketplace by faster Ethernets and token rings from below and ATM from above."

Most experts agree that the eventual winner in high-speed networks of all sizes will be ATM. According to Proteon's Salwen, ATM delivers bandwidth on demand; synchronous delivery of voice, video, and data; and the possibility of seamless connection between public and private networks (because it's a global standard). "We can do lots of things with ATM that we haven't been able to do before," says Salwen. ■

Mark A. Clarkson is a freelance science writer living in Wichita, Kansas. You can reach him on BIX c/o "editors. "

128 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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STATE OF THE ART/Collaborative Computing

BETTER THAN BEING THERE

Desktop video teleconferencing could change how you do business

TOM YAGER

Companies labor under primitive notions when it comes to transacting business. Employees commute to and from offices, spend countless wasted hours on airplanes and in hotel rooms, and generally make bad use of time because people insist on doing business face-to-face.

Telephones help, and fax machines and modems help more, but these limited technologies support only one form of communication at a time. Business leaders are reluctant to buy into telecommuting because they understand that true communication hinges on the full range of human contact: expressions, sights, and sounds. Yet bringing people together for meetings is costly, both in time and money.

Big outfits like IBM and AT&T are applying technology to solving this problem. They're using expensive satellite-based video-teleconferencing systems to create "virtual meetings" with people in multiple locations. But those without massive resources are in a bind; even scaled-down video-teleconferencing systems cost tens of thousands of dollars. Perhaps more important, they don't offer a complete solution: You still have to go to the video-teleconferencing center.

Why can't video teleconferencing be something you do from your own desk, just like making a telephone call? That's the objective of many companies working on desktop video-teleconferencing solutions. The technology has a long way to go before it's practical, but today's solutions suggest plenty of reason for hope.

Say What You Will

Today's teleconferencing technology falls into one of three categories: voice or data

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Photo 1: The

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(Photo courtesy of PictureTel)

only; voice and video; and voice, video, and data. Everyone is familiar with the first category; it has been around for years in the form of telephone conference calls— an uncontrolled exchange with notoriously poor quality.

Combining voice and video is advanced technically when compared to an ordinary telephone call. But most commercial video phones support only one video and audio connection (with a maximum of two participants). That's too limited for most business uses.

Once you add the ability to pass binary data with the voice and video, the possibilities are limited only by communications-channel bandwidth, data compression, and applications software (see "Hitting Warp Speed for LANs" on page 123). With the right application, you can start a meeting with a colleague in another office and, without making another call or breaking the conversation, send the colleague a document containing a color chart simply by dragging the document into the appropriate folder icon. In addition to that oneshot use of a data channel, you are able to have a constant binary data stream passing other information, such as the data streaming to and from sensory I/O devices (see the text box "Being Here and There" on page 132).

Video Teleconferencing

• integrates data, voice, and video

• can be used by workgroups

• can reduce business travel expenses

• speeds decision making

• is migrating to the desktop

To enhance your productivity, a teleconferencing solution must at least provide the benefits available in an in-person meeting. You want to be able to distribute a written agenda or a proposal for consideration, scribble on an electronic whiteboard, or even pound on a virtual table to get attention. Without electronic equivalents for the things that happen in a face-toface meeting, teleconferencing comes up short. But more than that, if a computer's going to be involved in the process, you expect it to let you do things better than you can in person.

Both Sides Now

Video teleconferencing is a new spin on an old idea. A dial-up computer service's chat mode is a bottom-rung, mulliparticipant teleconference. Participants talk through keyboards instead of with their voices.

More serious versions of text teleconferencing are in widespread use. For example, the U.S. Army Missile Command at the Redstone military base in Alabama uses GroupSystems, a text-based teleconferencing system from Ventana (Tuscon, AZ). This system links participants in graphically managed meetings. Files can be shared among participants, and the system's group-writing feature lets them mark up and comment on shared documents. Meetings can be for brainstorming, voting, and alternative evaluation, according to Danny Washington, one of the system's implementers. External participants can dial in and participate in meetings.

In general, Washington believes that electronic meetings are adequate replacements for in-person encounters and that they may be better than face-to-face meetings for large numbers of people. Washington's group plans to add video capability to its electronic-meeting system, but the text-based side will be maintained.

Others at Redstone use MediaMax from

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DAVID H. MITCHELL

Tele-presence is like the old-time radio broadcasts in which actors re-created the actions of a distant event, except that with this technology you are a part of the action. With tele-presence, you can be in your office in San Francisco and with your colleagues in London at the same time.

Tele-presence uses virtual-reality technology to simulate objects, people, sounds, and worlds (see photo A). You are hooked to your computer through tactile-sensor-equipped gloves and head-mounted displays (see photo B). Your computer (an Amiga 4000 or a Sun Sparcstation 2 is muscular enough) brings to life events in a distant, virtual world using databases or real-time objects and sounds.

Modem-to-modem links or a packet network convey the distant event's essence to you. High-speed (i.e., 19,200 bps) modems are sufficient for two users. ISDN channels are recommended when large amounts of data must be moved quickly for true tele-presence. "With the proliferation of broadband ISDN, virtual worlds will be able to be shared over the phone lines," says Dave Blackburn, founder of The Virtual Reality Institute (Santa Monica, CA).

The output from the digital databases of real objects and sounds are sent to your head-mounted display, depicting scenes such as the one in photo A. Your senses are immersed in an illusionary, yet sensate, world.

These databases are key: They minimize the amount of information that has to be sent to you through your communications pipeline. "With a tele-presence database, you simulate virtual reality without having to pass horrendous amounts of data back and forth," explains Clint Woeltjen. a virtual-reality

Photos A and B: Photo A (above) is a virtual model of San Francisco. Photo B (right) shows a man wearing tele-presence equipment. (Photo courtesy ofSenseS Corp.)

researcher and developer.

Photo B shows a man wearing a head-mounted display and a tactile-sensor-equipped glove, with which he is reaching out to manipulate a remote object. The roller panels underneath his wheelchair measure direction and velocity, which are used to create a viewpoint in his virtual world. As the man moves, his viewpoint of the world he's seeing changes.

Today, this equipment is as rare as it is expensive. A typical setup like this requires remotely operable hands to manipulate objects, two-way microphones for conversations, and stereoscopic TV cameras so that you can see what's going on. Costs can start at more than $100,000 per user.

In spite of the high costs, tele-presence's proponents are increasingly optimistic. Programs that let you design custom databases of real-world objects are already beginning to show up on the market. For example, the WorldToolKit from Sense8 (Sausalito, CA) gives you a set of C functions that you

use to build interactive, 3-D, real-time graphical simulations. WorldToolKit runs on IBM ATs, Sun Sparcstations, mid Silicon Graphics Indigo computers. It costs $3500.

Tele-presence is "going to be on-line by the end of 1993 in several large corporations," says Mike J. Donahue, president and CEO of Ono-Sendai (San Francisco, CA), a start-up company specializing in virtual-reality products. Industry insiders anticipate that the first generation of mass-market, affordable tele-presence sear will enter the market in 1994.

David H. Mitchell is president of the Diaspar Virtual Reality Network (Laguna Beach, CA), an on-line system devoted to providing an experimental platform for virtual-reality development.

VideoTelecom (Austin, TX) for video meetings. This conferencing system works with DOS-based PCs and ISDN connections to manage multiple-participant video teleconferencing. Tim Bell, a communications officer, finds that MediaMax is able to handle five or six participants simultaneously

before the group's size becomes unmanageable. Participants see color images of each other, accompanied by audio, and they can pass around data through the ISDN link. "The productivity gains are tremendous," says Bell. The video allows them to exchange graphical information

and to see facial expressions.

Redstone conference members have to trek to specially equipped video-teleconferencing rooms. There are no plans to equip every desk with video, but offices big enough for small meetings may be set up for video teleconferencing, says Bell.

132 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 97 on Inquiry Card.

BETTER THAN BEING THERE

Alison Raffalovich, marketing communications manager for VideoTelecom, credits her company with pioneering the type of video teleconferencing that is being adopted by emerging desktop products. The MediaMax system that is in use at Redstone operates over any digital link (telephone and satellite links are preferred) with a bandwidth of 56,000 bps or higher. MediaMax is not a desktop solution—at least not yet. Some VideoTelecom customers wire multiple rooms and cart the gear from one location to another, says Raffalovich.

With each site costing from $35,000 to $80,000 to equip, it's likely to be some time before MediaMax or something of its ilk lands on your desktop. But when video-digitizing and compression/decompression chips become less expensive, standards for passing large amounts of data through networks are solidified, and ISDN becomes more available, VideoTelecom's strategy should map well to a desktop or small-group environment.

To Your Desktop

The goal shared by those with a stake in video teleconferencing's success is to make a video call as simple to place as a telephone call while retaining all the benefits that high-speed digital channels offer. As with most things, there's more than one worthwhile approach.

PictureTel (Danvers, MA) is shunning the low end of the market, preferring instead to sell smaller systems that equal the quality of their conference-room gear (see photo 1). "People need systems that deliver good-quality video in a 5-inch window or a 27-inch boardroom monitor," says Ron Taylor, manager of media relations for PictureTel. The company's least expensive system costs about $20,000 and requires an under-the-desk processor unit, but future plans call for personal computer board-based systems and stand-alone videophones.

PictureTel's goal, according to Taylor, is to ensure complete cross-product compatibility. Video-teleconferencing systems "must have a certain level of quality and performance that makes them more than a toy," says Taylor. PictureTel will eventually compete in the low-end market, but for now it seems content to take the high road.

If Taylor's predictions are correct, PictureTel has plenty to look forward to. He estimates that the worldwide video-teleconferencing market will be worth about $7 billion by 1997, with 30 percent to 40 percent of those dollars invested in desktop systems. Because desktop solutions cost less, the share of the market occupied by

desktop systems will be closer to 80 percent, says Taylor.

In the meantime, Northern Telecom (Research Triangle Park, NC) is exploring the market with its own full-featured, card-based desktop video-teleconferencing system. Best known as a supplier of corporate telephone equipment, Northern Telecom has long enabled companies to meld their data and voice networks. The advent of ISDN (and its counterparts, such as Switched 56) paved the way for Northem Telecom to extend its connection model to a dial-up video-teleconferencing system that it calls Visit.

With all its options, Visit equips a PC or a Mac to manage both video teleconferencing and ordinary voice telephone calls (with voice mail). After connecting with another Visit-equipped computer, Visit produces a resizable window displaying a gray-scale moving video of the person you're calling. You also see your own image, which lets you keep yourself properly framed. Both participants can bring up drawings and documents in a shared work space, and Visit has annotation tools for simultaneous markup and written comments. In addition, two-way file transfers are supported.

Visit dynamically manages the data channel. When nothing else is going on, the video and audio occupy the channel's full bandwidth, delivering 8 to 14 video frames per second, depending on the size of the viewing window and the transmission medium. Once you initiate a file transfer or do something in the shared work space, Visit multiplexes the channel, trimming the video frame rate and giving the freed bandwidth to the nonvideo activity. If you want faster file transfers, you can put your video window on hold— whatever you're not doing makes everything else go faster.

Visit works with a PBX, which solves one of video teleconferencing's diciest problems: how to get connections to multiple desks (see the figure). Rather than investing in ISDN or Switched 56 for every desk in the company, you have to buy only enough technology to support all simultaneous video users. Visit communicates with a PBX to allocate line resources and route them to the appropriate desk. It doesn't require a Northern Telecom PBX, but its capabilities are said to be enhanced by the pairing.

Jeff Benson, Northern Telecom's market development manager, says that Visit offers robustness, low cost, ease of use, and performance. The per-seat cost of $3899 (this does not include the expense of the computer or the hardware for the telephone connection, which adds from

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BETTER THAN BEING THERE

A TYPICAL VIDEO-TELECONFERENCE SETUP

VGA monitor

Video processor card

Caller 1 Video input Video input Caller 2

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Network card

Telephone/ speakerphone

Standard telephone lines

In video teleconferencing, your images are captured by computer-mounted cameras. Video processors digitize and compress images, which are transmitted over a network bidirectional!)'. Audio travels via telephone lines or through your network.

$300 to $1500) seems to bear out at least the low-cost portion of that claim.

Benson is not optimistic that Visit or something like it will run on an ordinary voice-grade telephone line. Although he allows that modem and compression technology might advance far enough to make it possible, "the real answer has more to do with market requirements than technology." Users, he says, expect a video-teleconferencing link to deliver good-quality video and snappy performance for datasharing exercises. Thus, even though they cost more, digital-grade transmission lines will be the favored pipeline for systems like this.

No Longer on Hold

The future of video teleconferencing looks bright. The rush of interest in multimedia is driving the development of custom hardware and software to digitize and compress video signals. And video teleconferencing is helping to drive the proliferation of ISDN in the U.S. Assuming the future will offer accessible digital telephone connections and inexpensive videoprocessing hardware, how far can this technology take us?

Brett Boston, president of Group Solu

tions (Atlanta, GA), a teleconferencing consulting firm, sees the limited implementation of ISDN as a barrier to widespread acceptance of teleconferencing, "but only in the U.S.—Europe is already there." Small private carriers are already building fiber loops through major U.S. cities. In addition, cellular communications will soon gain enough bandwidth for highspeed data transfer and possibly for lowspeed video, he says.

Another impediment to the acceptance of teleconferencing is the lack of conference-capable environments and applications. Of the popular computer operating environments, only the X Window System is inherently able to provide the support for the networked user interface that teleconferencing and groupware require. "More vendors have to put better hooks in their software so stuff works together over a network link," says Boston.

Boston believes that Unix will win out because it already supports most of the cooperative attributes that other environments are struggling to acquire. A Unix application, whether text or graphical, can be run almost effortlessly through any kind of digital data link. It's a short hop from there to the connection of multiple

parties in a shared session.

But the biggest problem has nothing to do with technology. "People are just now learning to use voice and electronic mail," says Boston. "Groupware is damn scary for some because it is, by design, quick and completely democratic." That goes against the cultural philosophy of most managers, who are accustomed to central decision making and waiting for paperwork and travel arrangements.

On the other hand, success is often determined by the speed with which a company can make key decisions. Video teleconferencing has the power to reduce or eliminate paperwork delays and commuting and travel time and offers the potential of reducing operating costs by making an employee's work location irrelevant. "Within seven years," says Boston, "there won't be any companies with 3000-person staffs all in one place." ■

Tom Yager is a multimedia consultant and the author of The Multimedia Production Handbook for the PC, Macintosh and Amiga (Academic Press, forthcoming). You can contact him on BIX as "tyager" or on the Internet at tyager@bytepb.byte .com.

134 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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Back-UPS 450 Tower 386, 486 systems, servers £329" $279

Back-UPS 600 Heavily configured systems, CAD/CAM workstations £*W $399

Back-UPS 900 Multiple systems, longer runtime applications $599

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■ ABSOLUTE™ Protection guarantees repair or replacement of equipment (up to $25,000) if damaged by a surge while protected by a properly installed Back-UPS (See warranty for details).

■ UL, CSA and Novell approved with a 2 year warranty

■ Full-time surge protection and line |g| filtering

I Most models include LAN interface for automatic-shutdown of Novell, LAN Manager, LAN Server, LANtastic, Banyan, SCO Unix, and others

Ask about PowerChute*UPS , monitoring softf ware and Novell compatible UPS monitoring boards

230V models available

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(800)800-4APC,Dpt.A2

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Circle 66 on Inquiry Card.

SOLUTIONS FOCUS

/Multiplatform E-Mail

MIXED

MESSAGING

HOWARD EGLOWSTEIN AND BEN SMITH

Multiplatform w f you want to build a multiplatform

. . . . I internetwork mail system today, you

internetwork mail links have three basic chyoices ^ yym

diverse network Clients I can establish a Unix network and use

.A. standard Unix mail protocols. Second, you can mix and match client modules for each platform with vendor-supplied gateways and third-party mail routers. Or, third, you can set up an integrated mail system designed with multiplatform internetworking requirements in mind. Unix mail is a viable solution, but it's one that doesn't readily lend itself to extensive existing PC or Mac networks. For a look at the state of Unix E-mail, see the text box "The Unix Mail Story" on page 148. (Our cover story, "Smarter E-Mail Is Coming" on page 90, explores how E-mail can automate workflow.)

It's the third category, single-vendor mail systems, that we've focused on in this article. We've reviewed E-mail systems that are part of a family of products that promise a full solution to the complex problem of internetwork E-mail. In a shrinking world, where communicating with dissimilar systems at various sites is an everyday requirement, these systems look particularly attractive.

We've selected five E-mail systems that provide both multiplatform client support and a generous allotment of external gateways. Lotus Development's cc:Mail is a network-based system that relies on a shared-file network connection to share mail among Macs, PCs, and Unix systems. Da Vinci Systems' Da Vinci eMail provides client support for PCs and Macs through Novell's MHS (Message Handling Service). Microsoft Mail comes in two flavors, a Macintosh network version (which connects Macs and PCs through AppleTalk) and a PC network version (which connects similar clients through shared files). We tested the PC network version only. CE Software's QuickMail is an AppleShare-based mail system that supports Mac and PC clients. Finally, WordPerfect Office works through various networks and supports many different workstation platforms. The table presents details of client support and lists other features of each product.

Naturally, all these interconnections and all this rampant interoperability create a testing challenge. Our test setup included a battery of Macs and PC compatibles,

136 BYTE • MARCH 1993

PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD WAHLSTROM & 1993

BYTE

ACTION SUMMARY

WHAT MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL IS

Multiplatform E-mail systems offer support for clients on various operating systems and network platforms and provide extensive gateway links to other E-mail systems.

LIKES

Gateway connections to virtually every mail system; good user interfaces common among platforms.

DISLIKES

Client support is uneven on different platforms, and some client user interfaces are poor. Configuring and connecting mail systems is very complex.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For a wide range of client platforms and for connecting to the most diverse systems, cc:Mail excels. For Mac-specific applications, QuickMail is the best choice.

plus a few Unix workstations, all connected over a mixed Ethernet and LocalTalk network. Cayman Systems' GatorBox CS provided the connection between LocalTalk and Ethernet, and a NetWare 3.11 file server running NetWare NFS and NetWare for Macintosh provided a common shared-file system. For wide-area connections, we relied on three Hayes VSeries Ultra (9600-bps) modems.

Each E-mail system that we tested used these resources in a different way; we discuss the configurations in the individual product descriptions. We also describe what it's like to set up, administer, and use each E-mail package in a mixed-client, mixed E-mail configuration.

There's one piece of the internetwork E-mail puzzle that these systems, for all their flexibility, don't totally address— the issue of multiprotocol mail gateways and mail backbones. We get into that subject, with some hands-on experience with Retix Open Server 400, in the text box "Gateways and Backbones" on page 146.

Gateways are likely to become more important as more companies install Email systems. At the very least, having gateways in place can save you from having to dial into several commercial systems each day to pick up all your mail. And a fax gateway would allow anyone in your department to send and receive faxes from his or her desk.

continued

MARCH 1993

YTE 137

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

FEATURES SUMMARY: MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

Gateway support and user-interface features are the concerns we concentrated on

during our review,

but security and

configuration issues are

also critical. (• = yes; O = no.)

cc:Mail

Da Vinci eMail 2.0

Microsoft Mail

QuickMail 2.5

WordPerfect

for PC Networks 3.0

Office 3.0

Configuration

Workstation environments

Mac, DOS, Windows,

Mac, DOS, Windows,

Mac, DOS,

Mac, DOS Mac, DOS, Windows, SunOS,

Open Look, OS/2

OS/2

Windows

SCO Unix, Interactive Unix, DEC VMS

Requires dedicated mail server

0

O

O

Mac only

• '

Conferencing

•

O

O

AppleTalk clients only

O

On-line conferencing

0

O

O

AppleTalk clients only

Mac networks only

Remote-user access

•

•

•

Mac or terminal

PCs only

Mail-center forwarding

•

•

•

•

•

Message creation

Text editor

•

•

•

•

•

Graphics editor

•

o

O

O

O

Custom forms

Third party

0

o

•

Mac only

Voice mail

Third party

•

0

Mac only

Mac and Windows only

Attachments per message

20

Unlimited

Unlimited

16

100

Message priority levels

3

3

5

5

32

Return receipts

•

•

•

•

•

Message receipt

Audio alert

Mac, DOS, Unix

All clients

All clients

All clients

All clients

Pop-up

Mac, DOS, Unix

All clients

All clients

All clients (icon)

All clients

TSR/INITsize

32 KB (Mac), 17 KB (DOS)

4 KB (DOS)

42 KB (Mac), 12 KB (DOS)

96 KB (Mac), 9 KB (DOS)

7 KB (DOS), 76 KB (Mac)

View attachments

•

Launches application

Text only

O

Launches application

Administration

Read any message

O

O

O

0

O

Delete any message

O

O

•

•

•

Purge old messages

•

o

•

•

O3

Message tracking

o

0

O

•

•

Security

Message encryption

•

0

•

•

•

Administrator can access mail

0

•

0

•

o

External mail can be restricted

0

•

•

0

•

Gateways

MHS

Optional

Native transport

Optional

Third party

Optional

X.400

Third party

Third party

Optional

Third party

Optional

Fax

Optional

Third party

Optional

Third party

Optional

SMTP

Optional

Third party

Optional

Third party

Optional

MCI Mail

Optional

Third party

Optional

Through script

Optional

EasyLink

Third party

Third party

O

O

Optional

AT&T Mail

Optional

Third party

o

Through script

O

CompuServe

O

Third party

0

Through script

O

SprintMail

Optional

Third party

o

Through script

o

DEC All-in-one

Third party

Third party

o

Third party

o

IBM PROFS

Optional

Third party

Optional

Third party

Optional

IBM DISOSS/SNADS

Optional/third party

Third party

Optional

Third party

Optional

Banyan Vines Mail

Third party

Third party

O

Third party

O

VMS Mail

Third party

Third party

0

Third party

O

User-definable

0

O

o

•

O

Others X.25 networks, GE Quick-Comm,

Microsoft Mail for

Microsoft Mail

OfficeVision/VM,

Wang VS, Lotus Notes,

AppleTalk

Verimation Memo

Voice/PBX, Telex

Price

Open Look, $8954

DOS Starter

Microsoft Mail Server

1 user, $199

5 users, $495

Mac, Windows,

(10 users), $499

(10 users), $695

5 users, $399

OS/2, $495'

DOS/Windows Starter

5 users, $395

10 users, $599

DOS, $295"

(10 users), $799

20 users, $1349

50 users, $2499

10 users, $345

5 users, $249

100 users, $5500

100 users, $4699

25 users, $845

30 users, $1299

500 users, $22,500

1-user add-on, $99

100 users, $3295

100 users, $2999

(All clients included

cc:Mail Remote for

1000 users, $19,999

in server price)

Mac or DOS, $295

MacAccess

MCI Mail gateway, $1295

(5 users), $395

cc:Mail Router, $1295

SMTPLink, $2995

Notes:

1 Dedicated server required if more than one post office.

2 There are 27 priority levels for Mac clients.

3 Connection server queues only.

4 Prices are per post office.

138 BYTE • MARCH 1993

SOME FEAR IT. ALL RESPECT IT.

WE BUILD IT.

THE PERFECT PRINTING MACHINE.

QMS has just released a serious predator into the sea of ordinary printers. The QMS® 860 Hammerhead printer is the first to feed on a Canon® LBP®- BX engine to give you true 600x600 dpi output in up to 11x17/A3 format. Its 25MHz RISC processor and optional EtherTalk® NetWare,® or a host of other network support make it sleek, fast, and capable. It has everything you've asked for in a desktop printer— high resolution, PostScript™ Level 1 and 2 compatibility, HP PCL® and HP-GL® emulation, and up to 11x17/A3 output. It's fast, compact, compatible with all major platforms, and so affordable that it's causing a frenzy among the competition. The QMS 860 Hammerhead™ is the perfect printing machine. Get it. Call 800 841-0760 or 205 639-4400 for your nearest QMS dealer.

True 600x600 dpi* 1 Ixl7/A3*$4595*

* Suggested retail price, U.S

QMS, the QMS logo, and Hammerhead are trademarks or registered trademarks ol QMS, Inc. PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Circle 98 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 99).

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

Screen 1: cc:Mail's DOS interface (left) is straightforward after a little practice. After you select a message from your in box, cc:Mail displays the message and presents you with the Action menu. From here you can reply to, delete, or file the message.

cc:Mail

In the BYTE Lab's last review of E-mail systems ("Please, Mister Postman," March 1991), we found a lot to like in cc:Mail 3.15. We judge the latest cc:Mail, now under the auspices of Lotus Development, to be much improved. In addition to the DOS, Mac, and Unix clients, we also tested an alpha version of a client for the OS/2 Workplace Shell (see the text box "E-Mail from the Workplace Shell" on page 142).

The central cc:Mail engine remains unchanged. On either Mac or PC servers, cc:Mail uses a shared file area on your network for mail exchange, providing BBS and user-to-user communication. All network users access the same mail database, and cc:Mail relies on file locks to control the mail system. We tested cc:Mail in a NetWare environment to make Unix connectivity easier, but the system should work just as well with an AppleShare file server.

You buy cc:Mail in a "platform pack," which consists of an administration package, client software for any one platform, and the ability to create one user, the system administrator. To add more users to your mail system, you buy user packs that add another 10, 25, or 100 users. The administrator copies serialized data from the pack disks to expand the system's capabilities.

The administration utilities are much better than they were in the older version, and they're now available for either Mac or PC platforms. Most of the user interface (see screens 1, 2, and 3) is unchanged. The Mac interface has clear, easy-to-follow icons to lead you through creating and reading your mail. The DOS version mimics the Mac's functionality through a menu system. Once you've spent some time with the DOS interface, it's

Screen 2: With cc:Mail for the Mac (left), clearly labeled icons are the norm. The second window shows the buttons used to prepare new messages. Even the user directory uses icons to show you the location of each user. The large mailboxes are local LAN users; the smaller ones are users at another post office. The blue postal drop box is another post office—in this case, an Internet mail gateway.

■ ■WiM

m~wi i "

perfectly usable—it's not a Mac, but not much can compare to a good Mac interface. The Windows client software is brand new. While it has some attributes of the Mac version, there are a few important differences. Lotus's influence shows in the incorporation of Smartlcons in the Windows interface. "Smart" is something of a misnomer, though, because the icons themselves are small and obscure. The Mac interface has fewer icons and a word or two under each icon to describe its function. The Windows SmartIcons are simply clumped together in a single row, with no label, leaving you to guess what they might mean.

The system administrator manages a system directory, which is the complete list of all users and post offices available to system users. Users can be local (they have mailboxes on the LAN), remote (they have no mailboxes but call in using remote software), or remote via a post office (their mailboxes are not on this LAN but on another). The administrator adds users by name and assigns each a mailbox or a remote address.

Perhaps the most powerful feature of cc:Mail is its wide variety of external gateway support and the ease with which your local users can send external mail. The cc:Mail gateways are typically programs that run on dedicated PCs on your network. Wnen you address mail to a gateway, the gateway machine picks it up, readdresses it, and sends it out via modem, network, or whatever mechanism is appropriate.

Subiactl Re Tharfc, fw II* manual P.i0<«j|fla.rn JjTj D BcCCK* J2.1JSZ Z2BPI*

Screen 3: The Windows user interface (above) has many features in common with the Mac screen, but it suffers from extensive reliance on obscure icons.

For example, cc:Mail's SMTPLink gateway provides transparent two-way access to the worldwide Internet mail system. In the cc:Mail directory, the gateway appears as the post office "SMTPLink." Suppose that your site and ours are both equipped with cc:Mail and an SMTP gateway but don't have a direct cc:Mail connection. If you wanted to send mail to us at BYTE, you'd simply select the SMTP post office and, when prompted, enter the address as letters@bytepb.byte.com. The SMTP gateway sees the message, retrieves it from the network, and forwards it to the local mail relay (you need an existing Internet mail link to use the gateway). The Internet brings the mail to our link, bytepb.

The bytepb link sees the message and forwards it to our SMTP gateway via TCP/ IP. Our gateway sees the incoming message, recognizes the addressee as a cc:Mail user, and places the message in our cc:Mail mailbox. A similar mechanism provides for dial-up cc:Mail-to-cc:Mail post office communication, communication between

140 BYTE • MARCH 1993

A chain is as strong as its weakest link.

Picture your Hardlock™ key as a bike lock, and the accompanying software routines used to implement the copy protection as the chain. You can own the best lock that money can buy, but that lock is useless if the chain is weak.

Introducing HL-Crypt, a major breakthrough in copy protection. HL-Crypt is not just a shell or simple conditional response checker. Using our proprietary Patcher Technology, HL-Crypt encrypts and binds the application to your Hardlock™ device. HL-Crypt features many protection modules that secure the application against piracy, reverse engineering, and debugging, to name a few.

Picture HL-Crypt as an ironclad chain. The only ironclad chain in the industry today. For more information, call

1-800-562-2543

L-Crypt

The Fortified Protection Linker

for Hardlock

I

SERVING THE oOFIWANE INDUSTRY ZINC!

270 Lsiiiijpion ■Drive

Buffed o Grc

W9

Phone 70

SiT 708/308-0313

For International information circle 86, For Domestic information circle 87 on Inquiry Card.

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

E-Mail from the Workplace Shell

JON UDELL

*

Testing cc:Mail in the C BYTE Lab gave us ?*? the opportunity to explore an alpha version of cc:Mail's OS/2 2.0 client (see screen A). We ran the client on an IBM PS/2 Model 90 running OS/2 2.0, which was connected to our NetWare host via the NetWare requester for OS/2 and an SMC (Standard Microsystems Corp.) EtherCard Plus Elite/A Ethernet adapter. We found that cc:Mail for the OS/2 Workplace Shell (the client's official name) lives up to its lengthy title—it is one of the first applications we've seen that truly exploits the WPS (Workplace Shell).

Because the cc:Mail folder is a standard WPS folder, you can use the normal Control-Shift-drag procedure to "shadow" the objects it contains (i.e., an in box, public and private mailing lists, a folder list, and a message template) to the desktop for quick access. But just dragging these objects to the desktop, without the Control-Shift modifier, achieves the same result, because objects in the cc:Mail folder exhibit shadowing as their default drag behavior. This is just one example of the useful customization available through the WPS API. If you check the cc:Mail folder's "work area" option (another standard feature of WPS folders), the shell will retain the state of your cc:Mail objects and restore them— opening and placing windows as needed—when you reopen the folder. As with the Windows cc:Mail client,

o

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Jon Udell

ft To: Jon Udell

To: Jon Udell

To: Jon Udell a To: Jon Udell Jo To: Jon Udell U To: Jon Udoll

1Z-1fl-!l2 12-11-92

12-11-9?

12-11-92 12-11-92 12-11-92 12-11-92

!!i;ii!;"

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LiCliiauctinp. scllnda jitColwell, Susan .^Conners, Hike ^Cole. Ray ■A Oavies. Klrlij isDIenl, Stan j.[njmfjnds, Jell

ledman. Rich

Screen A: cc:Mail provides excellent WPS integration including "mail-enabling" of the desktop.

each of the cc:Mail folder's child windows presents a row of Smartlcons that make nearly every function locally available. However, right-clickable context menus localize control even further. In Windows you create a new folder by way of the MDI (Multiple Document Interface) parent's File/Create Folder menu option. Under OS/2, the folder list floats free of a containing MDI parent; you create a new folder by right-clicking and choosing Create Another. You can also reorder any of the list-style displays (messages, folders, addresses) by clicking at the top of the column that you want to be the primary key.

Drag-and-drop behaviors abound in the OS/2 cc:Mail client. To add a user to a private mailing list, you drag an entry from the address book and drop it onto the list. To move a message from

the in box to a folder, or between folders, you drag and drop. This internal dragand-drop capability resembles that of the cc:Mail Windows client. But the OS/2 client goes further: There are various drag-anddrop operations that extend past the boundaries of the cc:Mail folder and the objects it owns. To mail someone a file, you can drag a file icon from a folder and drop it on a message template. (The Windows version can in principle accept drops from File Manager, but currently it does not.) Or you can drag individual messages to the desktop or to other WPS folders, where they can freely intermingle with data objects that represent ordinary files.

You can also drag a cc:Mail message template from the Templates folder. The resulting customizable object acts as a new kind of private mailing list that can contain boilerplate text and attachments and can accept dropped files. Moreover, cc:Mail makes the entire WPS mail-aware: Every file object's context menu offers a "cc:Mail It!" option that invokes a message template containing that file as an attachment. It's a pleasure to see the WPS's rich programming model exploited to such good effect.

Jon Udell is a BYTE senior technical editor at large. You can reach him on BIX as "judell" or on the Internet at judell@bytepb.byte.com.

cc:Mail and MCI Mail, or communication between cc:Mail and a long list of supported systems.

When you travel away from the office, you'll want a copy of cc:Mail Remote for either DOS or the Mac. It has essentially the same interface as the local version, but it allows you only to read new messages.

You can't access the BBSes or stay online while you write your replies. When you make a connection, Remote snags your new messages and sends out any you've written; you read your mail offline and post your reply to your portable's hard drive.

Sending a reply to a new cc:Mail mes

sage requires two connections: one to receive the message and one to send back the reply. Although this might be the most cost-effective way to handle remote mail, it would be handy if cc:Mail allowed you to stay on-line and respond. That way, you could avoid having to establish two connections, continued

142 BYTE • MARCH 1993

How to provide dial-in, dial-out access for every user on your LAN

CO/Session™ ACS modem sharing software The only communication software a LAN needs.

Data exchange from one location to another is a vital part of daily business operation. Until now, you had to buy thousands of dollars worth of modems, phone lines and software to provide the necessary communication access to LAN users. Not anymore! CO/Session ACS lets all network users share from one to twenty modems on your LAN with full communication capabilities —all for as little as $350.

Remotely dial into any PC on the LAN through shared modems

CO/Session ACS' easy-to-use selection menu lists all available PCs on the LAN. Simply dial in with CO/Session remote control software and select the network PC you want to control — even PCs without attached modems. You can run that PC as if you were sitting at its keyboard — to access the company database, transfer files, or check E-mail. CO/Session is PC Magazine Editors' Choice, so you'll be assured the fastest, most reliable remote access for both DOS and Windows.

Use shared modems to dial out from your network PC

Use CO/Session ACS to connect to bulletin boards, online services or other PCs. Or, use any communication software that supports Interrupt 14 including PROCOMM™ and Crosstalk]

The Best Value

Unlike other solutions, there's no need to dedicate a PC for sharing modems. Requiring fewer modems, phone lines and software, CO/Session ACS handles all your network communication needs and will save you thousands of dollars!

For more information on CO/Session ACS call toll free:

800-322-9440

TRITON TECHNOLOGIES, INC

200 Middlesex Turnpike, Iselin, NJ 08830 908-855-9440/Fax: 908-855-9608

CO/Session is a registered trademark of Triton Technologies Inc. Other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Circle 157 on Inquiry Card.

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

Da Vinci eMAII -I UN S

File Edit Message Folder Options Help

irVStlESskSI

dling Lists

Create message

3 aaeo ;. I - ^

Screens 4 and 5: Da Vinci eMail provides an excellent Windows user interface (left). It includes tools for composing messages, selecting addresses, and other common functions. Da Vinci MacAccess (below) provides Mac clients with access to MHS-based Da Vinci eMail.

Da Vinci eMail 2.0

Da Vinci eMail relies on NetWare MHS as its mail carrier, so it's inherently a PC-centric mail package (see screen 4). However, Da Vinci provides support for Macintosh clients through Da Vinci MacAccess (see screen 5), a Mac MHS client.

Relying on a specific network configuration limits the applicability of the system, but it also greatly simplifies its installation and maintenance. Exploiting MHS also gives you the advantage of not requiring a dedicated mail server. Of course, as with all the DOS E-mail systems, you will need separate computers for each gateway.

Da Vinci eMail's Windows user interface is very good. It includes all the standard tools for composing messages, selecting addresses, searching the mailbox

» File Edit MiliI

■ ■ ■ - (T)

or folders for messages, and building personal mailing lists. You can include enclosures with your messages; Da Vinci gives you a long list of predefined scripts for launching applications associated with enclosures. If your Windows system can record voice messages, you can easily attach voice components (i.e., .WAV files) to your E-mail messages. Da Vinci for Win

dows can also send strings and Clipboard contents as E-mail messages through DDE. There are two E-mail DDE request commands: one that finds the current user name, and one that brings up the address list.

The Windows client also includes predefined forms (e.g., While You Were Out slips). These forms make an excellent addition to standard mail. Unfortunately, there are two critical drawbacks: First, you can share forms only among Windows clients (DOS and Mac clients see only the text), and second, you can't define your own forms.

When you send a message, you can request a return receipt (Da Vinci calls this "Certified Mail"). This forces the recipient's E-mail post office to send you a message when the addressee reads the message or deletes it without reading it.

Under DOS or Windows, Da Vinci eMail notifies you of incoming messages through a separate application that periodically checks your mailbox for new mail. Da Vinci MacAccess clients get notification only when they make connection.

Da Vinci eMail has long excelled in ease of use for both users and administrators. Mail gateway support is outstanding; MHS-based, Da Vinci eMail offers easy access to other mail systems through a long list of third-party MHS gateways.

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Screens 6 and 7: Microsoft Mail provides a good measure of user control over outgoing mail. When you mail from one post office to another, the gateway will notify you if your mail isn't delivered in a timely fashion. Both DOS (above) and Mac (right) mail clients are simple and easy to use. The Windows client provides similar functions.

When we last looked at Microsoft Mail (March 1991), there was only a Mac network version. The Mac version uses a dedicated Macintosh on your AppleShare network to store all the mail. To use a PC client, you have to in

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stall an AppleTalk board in the PC.

The Mac version (Microsoft Mail for Macintosh Networks) is still out there, but this time we reviewed the PC Network version. The primary difference between the two is that in the PC Network version the shared files reside on a file server, not a dedicated machine. The user interface and gateway issues are essentially the same.

Version 3.0 has an improved interface (see screens 6 and 7). The main window gives you clearly labeled icons for the functions you will use most often. We will not go into elaborate detail, as the interface items are mostly self-explanatory. What we found most useful is the rich variety of administration tools. Of the five E-mail systems in this review. Microsoft Mail gives the

33 '

144 BYTE • MARCH 1993

WEIGH THE OPTIONS

tyXE U-1496E

"** V.32b/42b/FAX ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

ORQ voice

The features you want in a High Speed-14.4Kbps Modem/Fax.

At nearly half the Price!

ZyXEL's U-1496E offers all the standard features available in a 14.4Kbps- V.32bis+V.42bis modem/fax with DTE speeds up to 57.6Kbps. But you'll also find features you'd expect in only the "top-of-the-line" modems. So why pay more for the features you want, when you can get the best value from ZyXEL for less?

Caller ID/Distinctive Ring

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MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

Gateways and Backbones

When all your E-mail communication is local, life is simple. You can easily build a robust and secure mail system with any of the packages we've reviewed here. But this simple case is also a trivial one—it's not until your E-mail system can reach out and talk to the rest of the world that you can take full advantage of it.

Reaching out to other sites and other organizations often involves communicating between different E-mail systems, for which you need gateways. All the E-mail systems that we reviewed for this article have gateways to other E-mail systems, at least as options. Besides these, there are also third

party gateways: For example, Computer Mail Services (Southfield, MI) markets M-Bridge (an SMTP-toMCI Mail gateway) and S-Bridge (an MHS [Message Handling Service]-toSMTP gateway).

The two most common gateways are to SMTP, the Unix/Internet E-mail protocol, and to X.400, the CCITT-standard E-mail protocol (see "X.400: Standardizing E-Mail" in the December 1990 BYTE). SMTP is important because it is the protocol of the Internet— some 10 million to 15 million mail users. X.400 is important because it is the behemoth of E-mail addressing protocols and a common superset between disparate mail systems. SMTP and

X.400 are the protocols that come closest to establishing a common "language" for E-mail systems.

The basic role of an E-mail gateway is to translate address headers between two different mail systems, leaving messages intact. If you have five different E-mail systems and no common denominator among them, you need 10 different gateways, one for each pair. If one of the E-mail systems changes, you must modify four of the 10 gateways. From the perspective of software installation and maintenance alone, this is obviously a nightmare.

An E-mail backbone can help to alleviate this problem. A backbone is a single-protocol connection among dif

SAMPLE GATEWAY TOPOLOGY

Unix workstation

Unix workstation

I —■—

Da Vinci client

WordPerfect Mail client

WordPerfect Mail client

WordPerfect Mail client

WordPerfect Office mail server

cc:Mail client I

cc:Mail client

cc:Mail server

cc:Mail client I

SCO Unix system running

MMDF Mail handler and

the SMTP-X.400 gateway

MHS server

also running the MHS

X.400 gateway

WordPerfect Connection

Server running WordPerfect

Office X.400 gateway for

Retix Open Server

cc:Mail-X.400 gateway computer

Retix Open Server

on its own

DOS/Windows

computer

BYTE's network topology, which we used for testing Retix Open Server 400.

146 BYTE 'MARCH 1993

Circle T46 on Inquiry Card.

ferent systems. Each system has a gateway to the common backbone protocol. An X.400 mail server, such as Retix's Open Server 400 (see below), serves this puipose well. X.400 mail servers also have an advantage in being well suited for X.25 wide-area links.

Of course, there are other mail-routing systems, based on proprietary backbone protocols. The most famous of these is a mail-switch system from Soft-Switch (Wayne, PA) that runs on IBM mainframes and the Data General Aviion.

Even though a backbone system may simplify the overall administration of multiprotocol E-mail networks, it is never a trivial task to set one up. Email networks of this complexity are much more complicated than a single homogeneous LAN-based system. If it is at all possible, getting everyone to use the same protocol will probably result in the easiest design, both for installation and maintenance.

Running Retix Open Server 400

To better understand the complexities and requirements of installing a mail backbone, we evaluated Retix's Open Server 400 with gateways to WordPerfect Office, cc:Mail, SMTP, and MHS. We weren't able to get our installation fully operational in the week or so we spent on the project; the major hurdle was understanding X.400 requirements and nomenclature.

Relix requires a "hub-and-spoke" network topology. The Retix server system communicates via X.400 links with each gateway (see the figure). In addition to serving as the local hub, the Retix server is responsible for internetwork mail connections. You need a Retix server system at each non-X.400 site.

We installed Retix Open Server, a software-only product, on an Advanced Logic Research Powerpro running DOS. This was far more machine than was needed for the task.

The MHS gateway ran on the same machine as the MHS server. We installed the cc:Mail gateway on a ded

icated low-end PC. The SMTP gateway to X.400 (a Retix product) ran on an SCO Unix system also tied to the Internet. The WordPerfect Office X.400 gateway for Retix Open Server (a product from WordPerfect) required a high-end dedicated PC. However, you can run other WordPerfect gateways on this system.

Installing the Retix server and gateways was easy, at least within the context of configuring the X.400 system. The entire configuration process was very difficult. If you are inexperienced with X.400, count on spending several days studying the concepts and grappling with acronyms before getting under way.

Retix simplifies the task with excellent help screens for every field of every form in its Windows-based configuration utilities. But the help windows are not enough to teach the concepts; Retix's manuals fill this role. In fact, despite the complexity of X.400, a novice network or mail administrator can expect to grasp all the crucial concepts from Retix's manuals alone.

Each Retix gateway performs the same function: mapping the addresses of its mail system to X.400. For users, the entire universe of mail connected to the Retix server appears to fit within the addressing scheme of the host Email system, and users can connect to local and remote mail systems using familiar methods.

The user benefit of not having to deal with an address of unknown syntax is nothing to be sniffed at, particularly with X.400 addresses, usually something like G=ben;S=smith; P=byle;A=telemail;C=us. Contrast that with the comparable Internet-domain mail address ben@bytepb.byte.com, which can even be shortened to ben@byte.com.

But the most obvious benefit is for the network mail administrator. With Open Server, you can connect farflung sites together through any of a multitude of commercial or private transport services. Open Server also simplifies a heterogeneous set of mail systems.

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MARCH 1993 'BYTE 147

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

The Unix Mail Story

You may have noticed that the Email systems we reviewed for this Solutions Focus are either PC- or Mac-based systems. Where then, you might ask, are the Unix E-mail systems? The answer is: where they have always been—bundled with the operating system.

There are commercial third-party Email systems for Unix, but the most common type of Unix E-mail product is merely an enhanced E-mail user agent, the front-end mail component used for sending and reading mail. The underlying routing and transport parts of the system remain untouched. Even the most elaborate Unix user agents (e.g., Next Computer's E-mail, Asterix's Email, Z-Code Software's Z-Mail, and Alfalfa Software's Poste) use standard SMTP transports.

E-mail is such an integral part of the Unix world that well-established standards are more easily accepted. This isn't to say that routing and transport components can't be improved on or enhanced. The most commonly distributed routing component for Unix, Sendmail, is an obnoxious kludge. To understand and respect Sendmail, you have to appreciate that significant pails of Unix have grown through accretion of academic endeavors rather than purposeful commercial design.

Sendmail was developed as an experimental project that was distributed and accepted because it fulfilled a need. Understanding and modifying Sendmail's addressing and routing rules is more akin to playing Adventure than to building a structured rule table.

On the other hand, MMDF (the router distributed with SCO Unix) is a very flexible and well-organized system that offers better security and organization than Sendmail. What

MMDF lacks is the simplicity of adding connections that Sendmail (and its little brother, Smail) offers. With MMDF, you have to edit and rebuild tables every time you add a new connection. With Sendmail and Smail, you just add the new sites to standard tables.

It's only when you add a new land of connection to Sendmail that you end up getting lost in its twisty little passages, all alike. And it's with this aspect of E-mail—communication in a heterogeneous E-mail world—that Unix mail systems have the most difficulty.

Unix E-Mail Transport

The most common transport mechanism is a temporary asynchronous communication link established through UUCP. This mechanism is the most consistent with the "store-and-forward" model of E-mail. Messages bounce from machine to machine as systems establish connections. The second most common transport mechanism is via an IP network connection using SMTP.

The use of UUCP and SMTP for Email is governed by RFC 822, a message-format specification. RFC 822 indicates that the message header and body can consist only of 7-bit ASCII characters. But next to PC-based Email systems that allow binary enclosures, Unix mail systems that adhere to RFC 822 seem dated. Users want to send sound and video clips, as well as spreadsheet, word processor, and desktop publishing files. To stay within RFC 822 guidelines, any binary files must first be converted to a 7-bit printable character equivalent. Once a message is received, it must be converted back (traditionally by the programs uuencode and uudecode). Most Email user agents that provide for binary enclosures automate this process.

The other Unix approach is not to send the binary file at all, but just a file that notes where the binary file is located and appropriate methods for retrieving it from the sender's computer. This is the approach that is taken by MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), an emerging standard for attaching enclosures.

One great advantage to MIME is that no files are sent until the recipient explicitly requests them. Since these files can be very large, there is a substantial saving of resources when the attachment isn't retrieved. The other advantages are that existing routing and transport mechanisms need not be changed. Only the user agents have to deal with the details. Older user-agent programs can still be used: If you receive a MIME message with a non-MIME-enhanced user agent, you can retrieve the attachment manually by using the human-readable instructions that are part of the MIME message body.

Internet and OSI

If the Internet can make up for its only real E-mail weakness (binary attachments) with MIME, does it need the complexity of X.400 messaging? This is a hotly debated question. After all, the Internet is the great mother of all electronic-message backbones.

But it is the success and growth of the Internet that makes it look to OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) standards. The Internet addressing scheme is too limited; the Internet is running out of addresses. As long as users are protected from the complexity of X.400 addressing, there is no reason not to implement X.400 gateways on all Internet systems. With X.400 addressing and MIME, Unix E-mail will be as flexible as the rest of the E-mail world.

system administrator the most control over user access.

As an administrator, you assign rights to users as you create them. Some users in your organization may not need to create mail, only receive it, or vice versa. Or you may decide to restrict Urgent mail priority to senior management or to keep some

staff from sending mail externally. No other package we reviewed gives you this level of control.

Also new in this version is an automatic directory update feature. On a set schedule, Microsoft Mail can automatically exchange user directories with other post offices. This can come in handy if you're

working with people who are on the move (e.g., senior engineers who might spend a few weeks at each of your R&D centers). You don't have to burden your mail administrator with making all the address changes. In cc:Mail, the only other package with this feature, it comes as an extra-cost option. continued

148 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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Screens 8 and 9: QuickMail for the Mac (left) and for DOS (below) use a similar command structure. The Mac version provides labeled icon push buttons, while the DOS version uses a characterbased interface. The DOS functions appear in roughly the same place on the screen. Both versions can share forms that you create with the Mac-based forms editor.

QuickMail 2.5

if E-mail can be called fun, CE Software's QuickMail (see screens 8 and 9), a Macbased mail system, neatly fits the description. Macintosh clients use AppleTalk protocols to communicate directly with the dedicated Mac mail server. The mail server stores messages; it's also where you install gateway software and physical connections to other networks.

If you need PC clients, you can add them to the AppleTalk network with a LocalTalk card or create a separate post office (a "mail center") to handle the PC side of the network. With mail centers, DOS clients access a shared file area on a server that's accessible to the Mac mail server (in our test environment, a NetWare server running NetWare for Macintosh). The DOS mail center acts as a gateway between the shared file area and the Macbased mail server. You end up with two separate mail systems, which means that your messages may be delayed crossing platforms.

More important, the two mail centers maintain their own separate user lists. If you set up Bill as a user on the Mac mail center and Ted as a user on the DOS mail center, Bill can't read his mail from a DOS client and Ted can't read his from a Mac.

By running the Mac clients over AppleTalk, QuickMail can take advantage of the direct user-to-user link and provide real-time conferencing. From your Mac, you can get a list of other active Mac QuickMail users on your LAN. Select from the list, and you're in a QuickConference, where everything you type appears immediately on the other users' screens. It's not a replacement for a face-toface meeting, but it's better than

waiting for an E-mail reply, and it sure beats walking across the building to find somebody. Unfortunately, (file-based) PC clients are reduced to second-class citizenship, as QuickConferences work only on Macs.

For remote access, QM Remote gives Mac users the same mailbox access they enjoy from the LAN. You can read any message and reply to it while still on-line. CE Software doesn't offer a DOS version of its remote package but goes one better by providing character terminal access. If you dial into the server via generic communications software, you get a simplified ASCII interface. Any remote user with an ID and a password can send and receive mail without special software.

As with Microsoft Mail, QuickMail's gateways give you good control over external mail. The mail server can display a list of messages in the send queue and give you the choice of canceling any message or returning it to the sender. We also liked QuickMail's catchall gateway, QMScript, which allows you to define a script to parse your way through any mail system with an ASCII interface.

We have used QM-Script as a gateway to handle BIX mail, and we also spent a few days trying to get it to handle our Opus BBS system. The prompts from an Opus BBS are pretty typical

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I

Title _

users, as well as users of other mainframe and minicomputer mail systems like IBM's PROFS. Connecting to public mail networks like CompuServe and MCI Mail is just as easy.

OpenServer 400 uses the power of | ComPany X.400 to link virtually every e-mail application your company may be using— whether it's Lotus/cc:Mail, Da Vinci eMail, Microsoft Mail, NetWare MHS, Oracle*Mail, WordPerfect Office, or one of the many other popular mail programs. Users can send text, graphics, and virtually any type of binary file with maximum ease and reliability.

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CORPORATE OFFICE: Retix, 2401 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90404 USA Telephone: (310) 828-3400 Fax: (310) 828-2255 INTERNATIONAL OFFICES: Australia: 61 3 629 2595, France: 33 1 30 70 60 60, Germany: 49 6196 50 50-0, Italy: 39 2 487 08505, UK: 44 483 300 600 Retix is a registered trademark and The OPENNetworking Company and OpenServer 400 are trademarks of Retix. ALL-IN-1 and VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. Copyright 1992 Relix.

MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

for BBS systems, and it seemed simple enough to set up QM-Script to handle the menu system. Alas, it turned out to be trickier than we thought. A number of the user prompts look similar from menu to menu, and the QM-Script string-matching utilities had some difficulty distinguish

ing between some of the prompts.

Also, QM-Script doesn't offer any sort of debugger for testing out a new script. You can put comments in the script that get written to a log, but we would have liked an interactive debugging mode. We never were able to get the QM-Script

to-Opus BBS gateway completely ironed out. Still, QM-Script offers a flexible gateway alternative that is not matched in other mail packages. QuickMail and QM-Script represent a good solution to any application that requires linking proprietary messaging systems.

1 WPMail - LANLABiBfNJS

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Create Mail List

Screens 10 and 11:

WordPerfect Mail, the E-mail component of WordPerfect Office, runs on a host of systems. The Windows (left) and Mac (below) clients are shown. With WordPerfect Office, Mac clients enjoy many capabilities that don't extend to other platforms.

I itaji Maine Given Name ] .Department

WordPerfect Office 3.0

WordPerfect Mail is the base component of WordPerfect Office, an allaround groupware package for Mac LANs, PC LANs, VAX (VMS) systems, Sun-4 and Sun Sparcstations, and SCO Unix systems. The WordPerfect Office mail host runs on all these platforms, and WordPerfect Office includes gateways connecting each of them. WordPerfect also offers gateways to Unix- (SMTP) and VMS-based E-mail.

On the PC network side, you administer E-mail through a complex collection of menu-controlled forms and DOS scripts; WordPerfect Mail is difficult to install and configure. The only saving grace is WordPerfect's excellent technical-support crew, who can walk you through all the nuances of this system.

In contrast, WordPerfect Office is easy to install and configure on Mac networks. The interface to the administration tools is very similar to that of AppleShare Admin, right down to the icons. But building the Mac-to-PC LAN mail gateway is a complex, difficult process, again mainly because of the problems with the PC LAN configuration.

Surprisingly, WordPerfect Mail for Windows (see screen 10) has the prettiest user interface of any client on any E-mail system we looked at. You can forget about all the unfathomable function-key combinations and convoluted procedures of the WordPerfect word processor. The Windows client has the eas

iest and most flexible window widgets and gadgets: resizable, movable, tear-off report labels for reports and lists; drag-anddrop selection lists; and hypertext-based, context-sensitive help windows. This interface could well be the flagship for future WordPerfect products on Windows.

You can send and receive attachments as well as messages. The mail reader can launch an application for each attachment based on file extension, and you can add to and modify the list of associations. There is a mail-list manager and message archiving, as well as folders for holding messages.

WordPerfect Mail for Windows supports DDE for Interapplication Communication. However, WordPerfect Mail's documentation of DDE limits the discussion to integration with the WordPerfect word processor.

WordPerfect Office is not balanced between platforms; in addition to a nice client interface of its own, the Macintosh version has significant features that the other versions lack (see screen 11). It includes a forms

generator, broadcast capability, and the ability to carry on multiway real-time conversations with other Mac clients. You must observe one caution when using the broadcast feature: The mail notifier locks up any operations on the receiving Mac until it has been cleared.

The varying capability of each client is unfortunate. It's understandable that the chat mode doesn't exist on some networks, but it would be nice if forms generation were supported at least on both the Mac and Windows.

The DOS version of WordPerfect Mail and Office is the same old maddening WordPerfect world of inconsistent and incomprehensible menus. This interface fronts the Unix version, too, with the additional aggravation of a nonstandard terminal-naming scheme and weird screen controls.

One very nice feature of all the clients (even the DOS and Unix versions) is status tracking for outgoing mail. You can see if messages have been received, read, or deleted. What WordPerfect Mail lacks most significantly is a mechanism for automatic mail handling (e.g., an automatic reply when you are on vacation).

First-Class Mail

Choosing one of these systems over the others requires a bit of study. If your organization is already using an E-mail system, that should form the foundation for your choice. Gateways from one system to another aren't always available, and installing universal backbones and multiprotocol mail routers is a very complex task.

If you're not using an E-mail system now, look around and see if you could benefit from store and forward. Even small workgroups can gain productivity through the off-hours and remote communication that E-mail offers.

Despite their multiplatform flair, most of these systems are better on some platforms than others. If you can live with a Maccentric mail server, choose QuickMail. It doesn't offer a lot for DOS users, and its

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MULTIPLATFORM E-MAIL

reliance on the mail server as a gateway is limiting. Still, on-line conferencing is a great feature, and QuickMail's remote access and QM-Script are far better than any similar features we've seen. If mixed-client platforms and internet

working are truly crucial components, choose between Microsoft Mail and cc:Mail. Our choice is cc:Mail. It supports all the major platforms, offers gateways to just about everything, and garners support from dozens of third parties. ■

Howard Eglowstein and Ben Smith are testing editors for the BYTE Lab. You can contact Howard on BIX as "heglowstein" and on the Internet at howard@hyteph .byte.com. Ben is the author of UNIX Step

by-Step (Howard W. Sams, 1990) and UNIX E-Mail and Usenet News (Howard W. Sams, forthcoming). You can contact him on BIX as "bensmith"and on the Internet at ben@bytepb.byte.com.

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COMPANY INFORMATION

cc:Mail, Inc.

(division of Lotus Development

Corp.)

(cc:Mail)

2141 Landings Dr.

Mountain View, CA 94043

(415)961-8800

fax:(415)961-8400

Circle 1273 on Inquiry Card.

CE Software, Inc.

(QuickMail 2.5)

1801 Industrial Cir.

West Des Moines, IA 50265

(800) 523-7638

(515)224-1995

fax:(515)224-4534

Circle 1271 on Inquiry Card.

Da Vinci Systems Corp.

(Da Vinci eMail 2.0) 4200 Six Forks Rd. Raleigh, NC 27609

(800) 328-4624 (919)881-4320 fax:(919)787-3550

Circle 1272 on Inquiry Card.

Microsoft Corp.

(Microsoft Mail for PC Networks

3.0)

1 Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

(206) 882-8080

fax: (206) 936-7329

Circle 1274 on Inquiry Card.

Novell, Inc.

(NetWare MHS 1.5)

122 East 1700 South

Provo, UT 84606

(801)429-7000

Circle 1275 on Inquiry Card.

Retix Corp.

(Retix Open Server 400)

2401 Colorado Ave.

Santa Monica, CA 90404

(310)828-3400

fax:(310)828-2255

Circle 1276 on Inquiry Card.

WordPerfect Corp.

(WordPerfect Office 3.0) 1555 North Technology Way Orem, UT 84057 (800)451-5151

(801) 225-5000 fax:(801)222-5077

Circle 1277 on Inquiry Card.

154 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 158 on Inquiry Card.

Mathematics

The Complete Solution For technical Computing

□ Algebra and Calculus

Integrate[x/(a + Expfx]), x]

x Log[l + —] PolyLogU,

2 a a

Simplify[D[%, x]]

3 Numbers

250]

N[sqrt[Pi]

1.712453850905516 145182797549456 789852911284591 738544665416226 236152865724422 787068462037698 173028950826228 300174639015351 1852340186

1 Graphics

HSymbolic Programming

log[x_ y_] :■ log[x] + log|

log[a b cA2 d]

<MP)= 2

log[a] + log[b] + log[c ]

"Pf-

log[x_ * n_] := n log[x]

log[a b cA2 f]

log[a] + log[b] * 2 log[c] + log[f]

itld

Densityplot [sin [Re [Gamma [s+I y] ] ] , [x, 3, 7|, [y, 0, 5|,

plotPoints->200, Mesh->False]

When it was released in 1988, the New York Times wrote that Mathematica "fundamentally alters the mechanics of mathematics." Four and a half years later, with several hundred thousand scientists, engineers, students, financial analysts, medical researchers, and others using the system, Mathematica is firmly established as the standard environment for technical computing.

Starting Out

When you first get started, you can use Mathematica just like a calculator. But it is a calculator that lets you do calculations as large as you want, and that can handle the full range of mathematical functions, matrices, algebraic manipulation, and calculus as well as creating publication-quality 2D and 3D graphics.

log[d]

Flexible Programming

The easy-to-use language that is built into Mathematica requires no learning

Technical Information:

Numerical computation with unlimited precision integer, real, and complex numbers. Exact symbolic computation Wide range of mathematical functions, including hypergeometric special functions, number theory functions, statistics. Numerical and symbolic matrix operations. Numerical and symbolic equation solving, root finding, integration, differential equations, optimization. 2D and 3D color graphics, animation, and sound generation. Graphics language for representation of arbitrary structures. Output in standard PostScript. Data importing and exporting. External program linkages. Full built-in symbolic programming language, with procedural, functional, and rule-based capabilities. Notebook front end with hierarchical documents, style sheets, importing and exporting of graphics, sound, animations, and typesetting. Network operation supported. Journal, newsletters, more than 30 books on Mathematica available. Add-on packages; free MathSource electronic resource. Versions: Microsoft Windows • Macintosh • MS-DOS • NEC PC • SPARC • DEC RISC, VAX • HP • IBM RISC • NeXT • SGI • Convex • and others. Student versions available. Now shipping Version 2.1.

for simple calculations, but has the power to let you create even the most sophisticated programs. And with the Notebook concept pioneered by Mathematica, you can create interactive documents that mix text, graphics, animations, and sounds with live formulas and programs.

A Range of Applications

Whether you design airplanes, solve quantum field theories, analyze medical experiments, or just want to do your algebra homework, Mathematica provides a unique environment for solving your problems.

And you can run your same Mathematica programs without change on everything from Macintosh and PCs (with or without Windows) to Unix workstations and supercomputers.

To get the latest information call:

1-800-441-MATH

Extension 400

Wolfram Research

Wolfram Research, Inc.

100 Trade Center Drive, Champaign, IL 61820-7237, USA +1 -217-398-0700; fax: +1 -217-398-0747; email: info@wri.com

Wolfram Research Ltd.

Evenlode Court, Main Road, Long Hanborough, Oxon 0X8 2LA, UK 444-(0)993-883400; fax: +44-{0)993-883800; email: info-euro@wri.com

Representatives in over 30 countries; contact main office.

'e1992 Wolfram Research. Inc. Mathematics is a

trademark of Wolfram Research. Inc. Mathematica is not associated with Mathmiiatica Inc., Mathematics. Policy Research, Inc., 01 MaihTech, Inc. All other product names mentioned are trademarks af their producers.

For Macintosh information circle 166, For IBM/Compatible information circle 167, For UNIX information circle 168 on Inquiry Card.

^ REVIEWS

HARDWARE

A New Resolution for Desktop Lasers

G. ARMOUR VAN HORN

Although the 300-dot-per-inch laser printers of the last several years were a dramatic improvement over the dot-matrix and daisy-wheel printers that preceded them, the increasing sophistication of graphics used in business have made them seem slow and coarse. To solve these problems, new 600-dpi laser printers have come to market with better resolutions than typical laser printers, but with price tags that keep them within the range of general office budgets. In this roundup, I look at five such printers. All of them offer true 600-dpi resolution, multiple interfaces, multiple PDLs (page-description languages), and high base memory configurations at prices ranging from about $2200 to $4600 (see the table on page 158).

Three of these units—the Dataproducts LZR-965, the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4M, and the QMS 860 Print System—are good choices for small workgroups using both Macintosh and DOS/Windows systems, because they offer three active ports ready to respond to users over parallel, serial, or AppleTalk connections. The QMS 860 accepts simultaneous print jobs from its three ports. At 10 pages per minute, the Lexmark LaserPrinter 4029 lOAand 10P printers offer the fastest engine-speed ratings in the test group.

A Graphic Difference

None of these printers was designed specifically to serve the needs of graphic artists, although most artists will be delighted with the results. These printers won't threaten imagesetters for reproduction work that includes photographs, but documents comprising text, line art, and screen captures can be published economically with speed and minimal loss of quality.

The geometry of the 600-dpi grid al

lows for both a finer halftone dot when printing photographs and more gray levels. Most 300-dpi printers offer a choice of 53or 60-Iine-per-inch halftones, with more gray levels and belter appearance coming from the lower value. These values were replaced by 71 and 85 lines with these higher-resolution units, and the 71-line screen offers a less-visible dot structure and greater tonal range than 300-dpi printers using a 53-line screen. The higher screen value still sacrifices too much tonal range for photographic images, but the less-apparent dots would be useful for illustrations with multiple gray values or graduated tints of small range. Graduated or radial fills that extend over large areas still need the extra gray tones that come with the larger dot size.

A 600-dpi engine creating 71-line halftones should be able to produce 72 gray tones; 53-line screens from a 300-dpi printer have 33 possible tones. Imagesetters operating at 2540 dpi can create all 256 possible PostScript grays with screens of over 200 lines per inch.

The Performance Penalty

The BYTE Lab ran a complete suite of compatibility and performance tests that consisted of a custom version of the Genoa Technologies suite (see the graph on page 160). The results are indexed on the 300dpi LaserWriter IINTX, so longer bars indicate better performance. Because these printers stock more processing power to deal with higher-resolution output, the performance penalty for better quality is minimal.

In other tests, I strung all the printers on a LocalTalk network attached to my Mac SE/30 and a 386-based PC running Farallon Computing's PhoneNet Talk PC. I sent documents to each printer from a

typical range of applications: Word, FreeHand, and PageMaker on the Mac; and Word for Windows, Excel, CorelDraw, and FoxPro on the PC.

There were copious minor problems with device driver files, but each manufacturer said it was working to eliminate them. At press time, Adobe had published a new standard for PPD (printer page description) files to support PostScript Level 2, which Hewlett-Packard had dutifully followed but most software doesn't properly support yet. Adobe had not yet released its Level 2 drivers, and three of these printers support Level 2. The QMS 860 has three selectable options for PostScript support. Printing with Level 2 selected almost doubled the time to print a tabloid page, but color images would not print with Level 1 selected. The promised speed advantages of Level 2 presumably will require the final drivers. In most cases, either the manufacturer or I came up with a reasonable workaround.

All PostScript Level 2 printers will present some of these problems for the next

156 BYTE • MARCH 1993

PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL AVIS © 1993

BITE

ACTION SUMMARY

several months, possibly years, until complete support for Level 2 becomes commonplace. One Level 2 feature, cached forms, will allow blank forms to be downloaded to the printer. The computer will then send the specific data for an invoice or purchase order along with a request for a specific form, drastically cutting down on the network traffic. Until all Level 2 features are widely supported, printer drivers and PPD files will probably need to be updated frequently.

The HP LaserJet 4M and the QMS 860 both use new Canon P270 engines rated at 8 ppm; the Dataproducts LZR-965 uses a Sharp engine rated at 9 ppm; and the Lexmark 10A and 10P are built on Lexmark's own 10-ppm engine. That said, these ratings are generally irrelevant. They come into play only on the very simplest of pages, or when printing multiple copies of a single page. In daily use, the speed of a laser printer depends on the performance of the CPU on the printer's controller.

By the same token, I am mostly ignoring life-expectancy ratings for toner and other

consumables. The actual rate depends on your images, and the estimates from the manufacturers are not strictly comparable.

Dataproducts LZR-965

Based on Dataproducts' history in the large-computer market, I expected more of an industrial feel to the LZR-965. In reality, this was the smallest and lightest printer of the group. With the paper tray at the bottom of the unit, the only protrusions during normal operation are the cables, of which there can be several.

WHAT 600-DPI LASER PRINTERS ARE

Laser printers with true 600-dpi resolution supported in the enqine, not via software algorithms.

LIKES

Print quality is clearly superior to that of 300-dpi printers, but prices are in the same range as lower-resolution printers.

DISLIKES

These printers can't match imagesetters for reproduction work that includes photographs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Choose the LaserJet 4M for image quality and ensured support for third-party add-ons, consumables, and drivers.

The rear panel on the LZR-965 is very clean, with connectors for an external SCSI drive, an RS-232 serial port, Centronics, and LocalTalk, all of which are active until a print job is sent to one of the ports. The printer ships with 8 MB of memory, expandable to 16 MB, and it contains the Weitek 8200 RISC chip. Running at only 7.5 MHz, the chip was specifically designed for printers, so the LZR-965 performs acceptably even when printing complex graphics. Although I did not test this printer with an external disk drive, my experience is that even a small drive attached to a printer—when loaded with the most commonly used fonts—can dramatically speed printing.

The LZR-965 is built around a Sharp engine, the only model in this review to use multiple consumable cartridges. The documentation has clear diagrams for setup, and a 20-minute VHS cassette covers first-time setup, including installing the photoreceptor drum, developer unit, toner tray, toner collector, and fuser roll cleaner. The first four of those parts are combined in the other printers tested, as they have been in all Apple LaserWriters and HP LaserJets. The individual components should reduce the operating cost of the printer, as the drum has a life expectancy of 50,000 pages; the other printers call for replacement or exchange of the toner cartridge when the toner runs out, typically

after 3000 to 5000 pages.

continued

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 157

DESKTOP LASERS

600-DPI PERFORMANCE

All the printers reviewed include true 600- by 600-dpi resolution suppoi the most commonly used fonts, can dramatically speed printing.

Dataproducts HP HP LZR-965 LaserJet 4 LaserJet 4M

ted in hardware

Lexmark 402910A

. A SCSI drive,

Lexmark 4029 1 OP

when loaded with

QMS 860 Print System

Price

$2995

$2199

$2999

$2799

$2499

$4595

RAM (min./max.; MB)

8/16

2/34

6/22

5/9

5/9

12/32

CPU

Weitek 8200 at 7.5 MHz

Intel 960 at 20 MHz

Intel 960 at 20 MHz

Motorola 68020 at 16.7 MHz

Motorola 68020 at 16.7 MHz

Intel 960 at 25 MHz

SCSI drive support

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

Interfaces

LocalTalk,

RS-232,

Centronics,

SCSI drive

RS-232/422, Centronics

LocalTalk, RS-232/422, Centronics

LocalTalk

RS-232, LocalTalk, Centronics RS-232, Centronics, SCSI drive

Emulations

PostScript Level 2, HPPCL4

HPPCL5+1

PostScript Level 2, HPPCL5+'

PostScript

PostScript,

PCL5,

IBM PPDS,

PCL4,

HPGL standard

HPGL/2 optional

PostScript Level 1

and Level 2, HPPCL4, HPGL

Page sizes ('Standard)

Letter*, legal, executive, statement

1 Vsttor* lew C4|

A4, executive

A4, executive

Letter*, legal, A5

Letter*, legal, A5

HNHik' i tt * WBHSk

legal, tabloid*,

A3, A4, A5,

A6, B5, B6, executive

Fonts

35

452

80

39

39

39

Paper

16-to 21-pound bond, 250 sheets3

16-to 36-pound bond, 350 sheets

16-to 36-pound bond, 350 sheets

200 sheets

200 sheets

16- to 36-pound bond, 350 sheets

1 PCL 5 enhanced with TrueType rasterizer.

- 35 Intellifont faces, 10 TrueType.

From cassette; 16- to 31 -pound stock from manual feed slot.

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4M

The newest member of the LaserJet family was the first to arrive, and it set my expectations for the other printers. It also earned a Best Printer honor in the 1992 Best of Comdex/Fall awards sponsored by BYTE and the Interface Group (see "A New LaserJet, a New Standard," December 1992 BYTE). I received the 4M printer, which includes LocalTalk and PostScript built-in, but the table also lists information on the standard LaserJet 4.

The printer opens so that you can easily install the toner cartridge without having to contend with any glaring or obtrusive labels or release buttons. A small lever extends from the paper tray to the front, indicating the level of paper remaining in the tray. The design was so clear, so obvi

ous, that the first page of 600-dpi text rolled out of the printer 7 minutes after I opened the box, and I never referred to the documentation. (When you need detailed information for configuring options, setting up the printer for DOS applications, or maintenance, the manuals are clear.)

The I/O ports—including LocalTalk, Centronics, and RS-232—are clearly labeled and accessible, and all are active. The LocalTalk interface is installed in the MIO (modular I/O) port and can be replaced by interfaces for Ethernet, Token Ring, TCP/IP, and EtherTalk from HP, and third parties are sure to support other specialized network options.

HP's Resolution Enhancement Technology, first introduced on the LaserJet III, is even more dramatic when applied to a true 600-dpi image. The edge quality of text from this printer is the sharpest I've seen. Unfortunately, this only applies to line art and has no impact on the quality of halftones.

Font support is very strong: the standard model comes loaded with 35 Intellifont (HP) and 10 TrueType typefaces; in addition to these 45, the 4M includes the standard 35 PostScript typefaces. An industry-standard cartridge slot adds support for the substantial library of font cartridges developed for past LaserJets.

Lexmark LaserPrinter 4029 10A and 10P

IBM's Lexmark unit was the first of this group to market; Lexmark should have waited until an industrial designer could be brought into the process. Attention to the way printers are used would have warranted substantial redesign. This unit is just not attractive—especially when compared to the others. Three contrasting colors were used in such a way as to emphasize every lump and protuberance. The printer's ivory body is about the same size as the LZR-965's, but the elements that protrude from the shell cause it to take up more space than the LaserJet 4M.

Inattention to the design process didn't stop with the appearance. This is the only printer in the test that required the manual

158 BYTE • MARCH 1993

■ ...

An ARCHIVFCompany

"Does Maynard8 really otter the MaynStream9 4 GB DAT tape system at a 2 GB price?"

"Yes."

"And MaynStream systems come with software that supports DOS, Microsoft* Windows, OS/2; and NetWare NLM*?"

"Yes!'

"I know I can depend on toll-free support and 48 hour repair/replacement1 for any MaynStream system."

Enough said.

For product literature, including your free Networking Disaster Prevention Information Kit, call 1800 755-0535.

For specific sales or product assistance, call 1 800 845-3125.

Maynard m

^F MICROSOFT

WINDOWS. COMRflBLE

Novell

Professional Developer

Maynard, a division of Archive Corporation • Marketing Communications * 36 Skyline Drive • Lake Mary, FL 32746 • FAX (407) 263-3638 ■ (407) 263-3500 (USA) • 44-494-473-434 (UK) Maynard and MaynStream are registered trademarks oi Archive Corporation. 'All other products herein mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective corporations.

'Domestic U.S. Only.

Circle 104 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 105).

DESKTOP LASERS

600-DPI PERFORMANCE

Dataproducts LZR-965

HP LaserJet 4M

Lexmark 4029

QMS 860

| Spreadsheets I Drawing Word processing

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5 Index

2.0

2.5

3.0

0.6 0.9 Index

The First-Page Index tests how fast a printer can produce short memos and letters. The Application Index tests common jobs from popular spreadsheets, drawing and design packages, and word processors. Tests are indexed on the LaserWriter IINTX, which has an index of 1 for each test; longer bars indicate better performance.

for basic use. The Lexmark printers share one unusual feature: The toner cartridge is shipped installed. After lifting the printer from the carton, you open the printer

and withdraw a laminated foam pad that prevents vibration from damaging the toner cartridge or the contacts with the printer. This almost compensated for the need to

attach various feed and delivery guides.

The LocalTalk interface plugs into the Centronics connector, receives power from a separate connector, and is lashed to the

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DESKTOP USERS

back of the printer housing like freight onboard an oil tanker. The 10A version, intended for Mac users, supports only LocalTalk; the 10P, intended for DOS/Windows users, supports only Centronics and RS232. While the 10P supports PCL (Printer Control Language) 4 and HPGL (HewlettPackard Graphics Language), neither of these is available on the 10A. Mac users aren't likely to miss PCL, but CAD and sign-making applications can make good use of HPGL in a laser printer prior to running full-size plots.

Printing from the Mac required more attention than with the other units, even though this printer is driven by a 16.7MHz Motorola 68020 that has been in use in laser printers for several years. Rather than use the LaserWriter driver to allow printer options to be chosen when printing, a DA (desk accessory) is used to configure the printer. Using this slow CPU could have been justified if easy backward compatibility had been the goal, but there seems to be none.

During my evaluation cycle, Lexmark dropped the lOA's price by $1200, putting it a little below the LZR-965 and the LaserJet 4M. The slow printing speeds, awk

ward use, and lack of multiple PDLs in the Mac configuration suggest that this printer should be priced with personal laser printers instead of with these workgroup printers.

QMS 860 Print System

The QMS 860 is priced at $4595, 50 percent above the other printers in this review and over twice the price when in the test configuration. However, it offers immediate value: This printer can satisfy some formidable printing needs.

The new Canon LBP-BX engine supports tabloid (11- by 17-inch) paper at 4 ppm, and letter size output at 8 ppm. The base memory configuration is 12 MB, with

expansion to 32 MB possible. My testing was done with 28 MB installed, although the formal benchmarks were run with the base configuration.

All four printers included warnings not to lift the printer out of the carton without help. At 50 pounds for the QMS 860, it would be wise to obey the warning. Although I did need the manual to install the additional RAM and paper tray, I was able to print without it.

As with the other printers, the primary paper tray slides into the bottom of the printer from the front. The test unit came with the 500-page letter-size tray, which installs below the printer in a special feed module. These options attach without tools and are only difficult to install if you insist on doing it alone. After installing the second tray, I ignored the upper and lower feed cassette choice in the printer driver, and the printer correctly determined the proper tray automatically.

Along with the large-format printing, this unit stands apart on the basis of its operating system, QMS Crown. Based on the Intel 960 RISC processor running at 25 MHz, QMS Crown can accept simultaneous printing jobs from the three

Introducing the Image Xpert 1000. Windows1'* output that looks like a million at a price that looks like a typo.

XLI's new desktop printer just pushed the PC publishing revolution into overdrive. For less than the price of most new generation 600 dpi printers, the Image Xpert 1000 delivers 1200 dpi for text and graphics, plus an incredible 2400 dpi equivalent with 256 gray levels for halftones, all on a single page. Type prints crisp and clean; photos „

show amazing detail. That means businessX and professional users at all levels can now produce high resolution plain paper masters and proofs without outside services, / saving time and money.

The Image Xpert 1000 is the first laser ~ printer to incorporate XLI's acclaimed LaserPix 5 0, the image controller board with patented SUPER LGA™ technology that has taken the world of Windows desktop imaging by storm. Circle 218 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 219).

Before you spend a dime upgrading your output, call us for the whole story on how the competitively-priced Image Xpert 1000 can produce high resolution documents for your application. 1-800-433-8040

CORPORATION

SUPERIGA is a trademark of XL1 Corporation. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

XLI Corp., 800 West Cummings Park, Suite 6650, Woburn, MA 01801.

HOW DO YOU GET A JOB WITHOUT EXPERIENCE? AND HOW DO YOU GET EXPERIENCE WITHOUTAJOB?

Most young people have one answer to this problem. They avoid it until they're out of college. But they could be getting solid work experience while they're still in college. With your company's help. And ours.

We're Co-op Education. A nationwide program that helps college students get real jobs for real pay, while they're getting an education.

But we can't do it without you. Those real jobs have to come from real companies. Like yours.

For more information on how you can participate in this valuable program, write Co-op Education, Box 775E, Boston, MA 02115.

Not only will you be giving students a chance to earn money and pick up the most valuable kind of knowledge, you'll be giving yourselves a chance to pick up the most valuable kind of employee.

Co-op Education.

You earn a future when you earn a degree.

ell A Public Service ofThis Publication ©1987 National Commission for Cooperative Education

DESKTOP LASERS

standard interfaces. Adding a network interface board does not require removing or disabling any of the three standard ports. Utilities are included that allow the installed memory to be configured as buffers for each port, font caches, or, with application support for PostScript Level 2, logo and form storage. If one or more SCSI hard drives are installed for font storage, the controller can be programmed to use space on the hard drive as additional print spooling.

This system features an intermediate page-description format that is more compact than the bit maps that printers ultimately generate. Information received as PostScript, PCL, or HPGL from the computers is inteipreted and converted to this display-list format and queued for printing, increasing the speed at which jobs can be accepted and enhancing the capacity of the printer's installed RAM. Once the print job has been converted to the QMS display-list format, the generation of the bit maps can then take place at the printer's rated engine speed. This will allow multiple-copy printing of collated sets without the time penalty other printers suffer, as the computer normally sends the complete sequence of pages several times when collated output is required.

The QMS 860 includes the basic 35 PostScript fonts, plus the Helvetica Condensed family.

The Remaining Field

One printer that was intended to be part of this comparison is the NewGen Turbo 660 PS, which uses the AMD 29000 processor and the same engine and case as the QMS 860. NewGen was unable to solve my concerns about print quality in time for this review and withdrew the printer from the market until final debugging was accomplished. I expect that it will have printing characteristics very similar to the QMS 860, without the multitasking interface system, and should be available for a price roughly midway between the tabloid 860 and the letter-size printers I reviewed here. I recommend taking a good look at this printer when it is released.

True 600-dpi printers are also expected soon from such vendors as Calcomp, Xante, and LaserMaster.

Final Resolutions

I can't recommend the Lexmark printers. These models simply aren't competitive with other available models at the same or similar price levels.

The LZR-965 is fast, sharp, and compact. It supports hard disk storage to facilitate rapid printing as your type collection

162 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Wuw Stowing M k Dgfilfij1 Ixto Ton]

See us at CeBIT Hall 6, Booth B63

NewGen's B Series

11" x 17" Paper Format

Automatic Paper Sensing

Resolution Up To 1200 dpi +IET

When it conies to productivity nothing works harder than the B. That's because NewGen's B Series was designed to deliver the value and quality that experienced PostScript® users demand.

The affordable B Series wide format laser printers offer you powerful Ethernet capability, innovative paper handling, and the sharp graphics and high resolution that have made NewGen famous.

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i in

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17580 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Telephone 714-641-8600 • Fax 714-641-2800

© 1992, NewGen Systems Corporation. All trademarks and registered trademarks are of their respective companies.

Circle 118 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 119).

DESKTOP LASERS

No Wild, No Wildlife

The California desert tortoise is losing ground. Its young are being crushed by motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Sheep and cattle grazing are diminishing an already scant supply of food while mining and road building are destroying the tortoise's natural habitat.

The fact is that the tortoise population has declined as much as 90% over the last fifty years. This drop is a true biological indicator of how severely the desert ecosystem is at risk.

The Sierra Club works to save wildlife by saving the wilderness. We have a history of victories. And, we believe with your help, the three-million-year-old desert tortoise can win back its native turf.

For information on how you can help:

Sierra Club

Dept. DT

730 Polk Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

(415) 776-2211

grows beyond the 35 fonts in ROM, and you'll be able to store forms on a hard drive when that component of PostScript Level 2 is implemented.

If you need to print tabloid pages, the QMS 860 offers print speed barely slower than the LZR-965 and the LaserJet 4M. It also offers the greatest flexibility in memory, interfaces, emulations, and paper handling.

Overall, my vote goes to the LaserJet 4M. It is flexible and offers the best image quality of the group. It also will be supported by a host of third parties offering supplies and enhancements in addition to HP's offerings, and very few software vendors will omit drivers and other support for this model. ■

G. Armour Van Horn is a writer and graphics consultant based in Freeland, Washington. He can be reached on BIX as "vanhorn."

COMPANY INFORMATION

Dataproducts Corp.

(LZR-965)

6219 De Soto Ave.

P.O. Box 746

Woodland Hills, CA 91365

(818)887-8000

fax:(818)887-4789

Circle 1229 on Inquiry Card.

Hewlett-Packard Co.

(LaserJet 4 and LaserJet 4M)

Direct Marketing Organization

P.O. Box 58059

MS511L-SJ

Santa Clara, CA 95051

(800) 752-0900

fax: (208) 344-4809

Circle 1230 on Inquiry Card.

Lexmark International, Inc.

(LaserPrinter 4029 10A and 10P)

740 New Circle Rd. NW

Lexington, KY 40511

(800) 358-5835

(606) 232-2000

fax: (606) 232-2380

Circle 1231 on Inquiry Card.

QMS, Inc.

(860 Print System)

1 Magnum Pass

Mobile, AL 36618

(800) 631-2692

(205) 639-4400

fax:(205)633-0013

Circle 1232 on Inquiry Card.

164 BYTE- MARCH 1993

Train for a High-Paying Career as a Computer Service Technician

NEW!

486sx/25 MHz

computer, 80 meg

hard drive!

Only NRI, the leader in hands-on training for 78 years, could give you training this complete, experience this practical. You actually build a powerful 486sx/25 MHz computer system — including an 80 meg hard disk drive —all the while gaining the hands-on skills you need to service today's sophisticated computers with confidence!

Over 220,000 jobs! That*s what the Department of Labor forecasts for computer service technicians by the year 2005, a 38% increase over today's level. For you, that means tremendous opportunity if you have the training and the skills to get into this high-paying, top-growth Geld.

Now you can cash in on this opportunity — full-time, part-time, or in a computer service business of your own — once you've mastered electronics and computers the NRI way.

NEW! Get inside a 486sx/25 MHz computer system... and experience all the power and speed of today's computer technology!

Now NRI includes a powerful new 486sx/25 MHz mini-tower computer system as the centerpiece of your course to give you hands-on training with state-ofthe-art computer technology. You build this 1 meg RAM, 32-bit CPU computer from the keyboard up, plus you now go on to install an 8( meg IDE hard disk drive to complete your total computer system. But that's not all!

You also learn to diagnose and repair IBM-compatible computers with the remarkable diagnostic hardware and software included in your NRI training. See the other side for more details about this exciting NRI training breakthrough.

Understanding you get only through experience

You need no previous background in electronics to succeed with NRI. You start with the basics, rapidly building on the fundamentals of electronics to master advanced microcomputer concepts.

Best of all, you learn by doing — performing hands-on experiments with your NRI Discovery Lab and digital multimeter, then actually building and testing the powerful 486sx/25 MHz computer system you train with and keep.

Your incomparable hands-on training includes all this:

NRI's Discovery Lab you use to design and modify circuits, diagnose and repair faults • Hand-held digital multimeter with "talk-you-through" instructions on audio cassette • Digital logic probe that lets you visually examine computer circuits • A state-of-the-art 486sx/25 MHz computer, featuring a 32bit 80486sx CPU, "intelligent" keyboard, and 1.2 megabyte, high-density 5-1/4" floppy drive • 80 meg IDE hard disk drive you install internally • 64K ROM, 1 meg RAM • MS-DOS, QBasic, and Microsoft Works software • Ultra-X diagnostic package including R.AC.E.R. plug-in card and QuickTech menudriven software for fast, professional troubleshooting • Reference manuals, programming guidelines, and schematics.

Learn at home in your spare time, backed by your personal NRI instructor

With NRI, you learn at your own convenience in your own home. No classroom pressures, no night school, no need to quit your present job until you're ready to make your move. And all throughout your training you've got the full support of your personal NRI instructor

and the entire NRI technical staff. See other side for highlights

Get all the facts from NRI's Of NRI hands-on

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^>

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Microcomputer Servicing

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Address

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Accredited Member, National Home Study Council

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Get In-Demand Computer Servicing Skills With NRI "Hands-On" Training

You set up and perform electronics experiments and demonstrations using your NRI Discovery Lab. You even interface the lab with your 486sx computer to "see'" keyboardgenerated data.

After you build this digital logic probe, you explore the operation of your computer's 101-key, detached "intelligent" keyboard and its dedicated microprocessor.

You install the 1.2 meg, 5-1/4" floppy disk drive, learning disk drive operation and adjustment. Later, you dramatically improve your computer's data storage capacity by installing a powerful 80 meg IDE hard drive.

You learn to quickly diagnose and service virtually any computer problem with the extraordinary R.A.C.E.R. plug-in diagnostic card and QuickTech diagnostic software,-,^ included in your course.

NEW! 486sx/25MHz computer, 80 meg 4 hard drive! 5

NRI training is so complete, hands-on mastery is "built-in"

No other training — in school, on the job, anywhere — prepares you so thoroughly for today's money-making opportunities in computer service. And only NRI builds meaningful training around the kind of powerful computer system you'll be called on to service and repair in the real world.

As you assemble your 486sx/25 MHz mini-tower computer system — complete with monitor, floppy drive, hard drive, operating and applications software — you'll perform hands-on demonstrations and experiments that bring theory to life, giving you a total mastery of computer operation. But NRI doesn't stop there.

Now! Includes diagnostic hardware and software for quick, accurate troubleshooting

Your NRI training now includes a remarkable diagnostic package that allows you to quickly locate and correct defects in IBM-compatible computers.

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You'll use the Ultra-X RAC.E.R. diagnostic card to identify individual defective RAM chips, locate interfacing problems, and pinpoint defective support chips. Experts call the RAC.E.R. card the easiest to use, most powerful tool for PC troubleshooting available today!

With your QuickTech diagnostic software package, also from Ultra-X, you'll go on to test the system RAM and such peripheral adapters as parallel printer ports, serial commmunications ports, video adapters, and floppy and hard disk drives.

This ingenious diagnostic package is just one more way NRI's real-world, hands-on training gives you both the knowledge and the professional tools to succeed as today's indemand computer service technician.

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IF MAILED

IN THE

UNITED STATES

POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE

nf Schools

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Send the postage-paid card today for NRI's big free catalog that gives all the facts about NRI computer training. See for yourself how NRI hands-on training can help you cash in on the growing opportunities for skilled computer service technicians.

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Card 101

REVIEWS

APPLICATION

How to Deal with Taxing Questions

KATHLEEN LARIVIERE AND STAN MIASTKOWSKI

TaxCut STRA0112

File Edit yiew Forms Tax Tools Window

The approach of April 15 is looked upon with much fear and loathing in the U.S., as yearly income tax returns are due to the IRS. If you're a typical taxpayer—an hourly or salaried worker with perhaps a house and a few investments—taxpreparation software can help in a big way. These programs guide you through the procedure of calculating your taxes and filling out IRS forms, help you make sure you get what refund is due you, and keep you from filing an incomplete form.

We looked at four families of tax-preparation programs for DOS, Windows, and the Macintosh: Meca Software's Andrew Tobias' TaxCut for DOS, TaxCut for Windows, and TaxCut for the Macintosh; Parsons Technology's Personal Tax Edge and Personal Tax Edge for Windows; Intex Solutions' Tax Solver (for Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, and Symphony); and ChipSoft's TurboTax for DOS, TurboTax for Windows, and MacInTax. Prices range from $49 to $80.

At their heart, all these tax-preparation programs are actually spreadsheets using complex links to interrelate numbers and calculations from various IRS forms, schedules, and worksheets. These interrelationships are a big advantage of tax software. You don't need a calculator; most numerical calculations are done for you, and most packages have a pop-up calculator. The programs automatically enter calculated numbers in the correct locations on the related forms, schedules, and worksheets. This capability alone is almost worth the price of admission.

Because there are so many individual items that go into the preparation of a tax return, taxpayers can easily miss common deductions that reduce the tax they owe. To maximize the return, the best of today's tax-preparation programs use a step-bystep interview technique—much like what would happen if you sat down with an experienced tax preparer. This on-line interview approach isn't perfect, but it goes a long way toward making the preparation of your taxes less headache-provoking.

After using one of these packages, you end up with a completed tax return. Instead of filling out printed IRS forms, these programs use printer graphics (laser or dot-matrix) to create a finished package that the IRS will accept in lieu of its own

Screen 1: Andrew Tobias' TaxCut, available for DOS, Windows (shown here), and the Mac, features an easy-to-use interview process, although you can't see the forms as you answer questions.

Help |

fei^t^m

FILING JOINT RETURN: Do you inlend to file a Hjj return with your spouse? [Almost always; answer 'Yes," here.)

Your Response:

Yes

No

JOINT RETURN

TAX TIP: If you ate married and living together, you almost always come out ahead by tiling jointly [and answering "yes," here). For example, the total tax on two taxable incomes [after deductions) of $20,000 each, filed separately, is always larger than the tax on one $40,000 income filed Jointly.

But you should consider filing separately [and answering "no'T If:

• You and your spouse lived apart during the last 6 months of 1902 [you may be entitled to file as

Return to fax l:opM \

lack Up

Next Explanation

Help

forms. With a complex return, the package can run to many pages.

Because the IRS will not release all the necessary tax forms until around the first of the year (after this article went to press), we used the prerelease version of each package. All the companies offer early versions that taxpayers can use for planning and then ship final versions to customers during lanuary.

We tested the packages as if we were three hypothetical taxpayers: two had relatively simple returns, and one was slightly more complex (with self-employment income). All the scenarios involved several gotchas—common yet often-missed income and deductions that can make a substantial bottom-line difference on tax liability.

Filing Electronically

The best tax-preparation packages also offer you the option of filing your return electronically, sending it via modem (or by mailing a disk), but not directly to the IRS. Because of security considerations and other requirements, the IRS does not encourage individual taxpayers to become "direct transmitters." Instead, you send your return to an IRS-authorized service bureau, which then transmits it to the IRS. (Technically, it is possible to become authorized to file returns directly, but it requires a special 4800-bps modem and a testing process. It's simply not worth the trouble for an individual taxpayer.)

Electronic filing costs extra (costs vary by package, usually $10 to $20), and these packages allow electronic filing only if you have a refund coming to you. The bottom line is, you'll get your refund weeks

earlier. If you owe money, you'll have to find a professional who handles balancedue returns electronically, or simply mail your return in the usual manner.

Andrew Tobias' TaxCut

Meca Software's TaxCut carries the moniker of well-known financial planner and

BYTE

ACTION SUMMARY

■ WHAT TAX SOFTWARE DOES

It guides you through the task of preparing income tax returns.

■ LIKES

Interview techniques (usually) help you avoid mistakes that can cost you money; programs perform automatic calculations; links with forms put numbers in the right places.

■ DISLIKES

All programs require some tax knowledge, but thafs a function of the complex U.S. Tax Code. Some low-cost packages don't give enough help or explanation.

■ RECOMMENDATIONS

TurboTax and MacInTax are the best designed and most comprehensive. TaxCut and Personal Tax Edge are also fine, especially in their ability to import a wide range of data.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 165

DEALING WITH TAXING QUESTIONS

Personal Tax Edge (BETA) - [Untitled]

File Edit fteturn guide View Tools Window Help

Screen 2: Parsons Technology's Personal Tax Edge has a useful too/bar and allows you to see forms as you answer questions. It's available in both DOS and Windows (shown here) versions.

author Andrew Tobias, who's involved in the design of the program. TaxCut is actually one of the oldest of the personal taxpreparation programs, and it's now available in versions for DOS, Windows, and the Mac.

Internally, all three versions are virtually identical, with, of course, slight differences in the look and feel for each platform. Not surprisingly, the graphics-oriented interfaces for Windows and the Mac result in tax forms that look like the real thing on-screen. But the text and details are identical across the three versions.

Of the packages we looked at, TaxCut has by far the most informative interview process (see screen 1). Its friendly tone and positive approach almost make preparing your taxes a pleasure—almost. As you go through the interview process, TaxCut keeps you informed of what it's doing and why. For example, it tells you what form it's filling in and shows the calculations, points you to further information (e.g., advantages of filing a joint return), and gives you progress reports on how much of the return you've filled out. TaxCut also allows you to jump easily between the form and the interview. Particularly handy is a mini-worksheet that appears between the lines of the form you're working on, giving handy tips and information on what's been calculated and where the numbers came from. In a complex tax return, this can be useful indeed.

TaxCut's interview process isn't perfect. One of our test returns included a scholarship, but the interview never asked about it. If you go directly to the 1040 line 7, where this information would be entered, the program essentially ignores that scholarship income exists; TurboTax, on the other hand, asks specifically about it. TaxCut's failure to flag scholarship income resulted in a miscalculation that (in our test) would have cost the taxpayer an

additional $150 of unnecessary tax liability. (It can be fixed, but only if you know how.)

Not surprisingly, TaxCut is tightly integrated with Managing Your Money. If you've used that package to keep track of your finances throughout the year, TaxCut will import the files, do the calculations, and place the right numbers in the right places. Except for very complex situations, it makes tax preparation almost automatic. TaxCut also imports files from Quicken, Microsoft Money, CheckFree, TurboTax, and the TXF (Tax Exchange Format) used by popular accounting programs.

TaxCut's on-line help is very useful, but it fell down on describing inventory and accounting methods used by small businesses, providing a simplistic (and incomplete) explanation. And the definition of handling bad debt was misleading.

TaxCut features almost every possible form, schedule, and worksheet you'll ever need—about 95. But it balked at filling in page 2 of Form 2210, which covers cal

culating the penalty for underpaying estimated tax. This is not an unusual form for self-employed individuals, but TaxCut refused to calculate it, with a message saying it's "too complex." Other packages handle it with no problems.

You can electronically file your finished TaxCut tax return, with or without a modem. (If you don't have a modem, you can send a disk to the service bureau.) Either way, it costs $19.95.

Personal Tax Edge

Personal Tax Edge from Parsons Technology is available for both DOS and Windows. Because of its newness, we focused our testing on the Windows version (see screen 2). The interface is clean, and the forms and instructions are easy to read, even on a standard 640- by 480-pixel VGA screen.

PTE has a unique approach to the interview process compared to the other packages we reviewed. Other packages do not show you the forms until you're done with the interview; PTE shows you the actual forms and source documents as they're being filled out. This is a handy way of keeping track of your progress.

On the negative side, PTE's interview isn't as comprehensive as the others. In some cases, PTE assumes that you have enough tax knowledge to know where to go. For example, while filling out Schedule C (business profit and loss), line 10, the program leads you directly to the related Form 4562 (depreciation), but it gives you no help on how to fill out the form correctly.

PTE ties in most directly with Parson's MoneyCounts financial package, and it will also handle data from Quicken, Managing Your Money, Microsoft Money, and ASCII text. The program has about 70 forms, schedules, and worksheets. You

Screen 3: Tax

Solver from Intex Solutions has a selection of 147 linked forms, schedules, and worksheets available for Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony, as well as Microsoft Excel (shown here).

7M1JTOI

File £dit Formula Format fiata Options Macro Window help

laiigiHi^ii^s iai^fBT/iAraiMswapiTOiwi

1040_E3.XL5

1040_E4XLS

10.40_ESC.XLS

1040_F.XLS

1040_F2.XLS

1Q40_F3.XLS

1040_F4.XLS

104Q_RXLS

I04Q_SE.XLS

1G4Q_SES.XLS

1040_YR.XLS

$1040A.XLS

1040AJ XLS

1040A_2.XLS

1040A_3.XLS

104QDI.AG.XLS

1040ES.XLS

1040EZ.XLS

1040INST.XLS

1Q4QWKSTXLS

1G-10X.XLS

111SXLS

SOPEN ME.XLM

Schedule E (Form 1040) - Su^-iemenhil Income and Loss (3)

Schedule E (Form 1040) - Supplemental Income and Loss (4)

Schedule EIC (Form 1040) - Earned Income Credit

Schedule F (Form 1040) - Prolrl or Loss From Farming (!)

Schedule F (Form 1040) • Prolil or Loss From Farming (2)

Schedule F (Form 1040) - Profit or Loss From Farming (3)

Schedule F (Form 1040) • Prolrl or Loss From Fanning (4)

Schedule R (Form 1040) - Credit tor the Elderly or 1he Disabled

Schedule SE (Form 1040) - Self-Employment Tax

Schedule SE (Form 1040) - Spouse -Self-Employment Tax

Comparison (Form 1040) - Prior Year Comparison

Form 1040A - U S Individual Income Tax Return

Schedule 1 (Form 1040A) - Interest and Dividend income for Form 1040A Fliers

Schedule 2 (Form 1040A) - Child and Dependent Cwe Expenses for Form 1040A Filers

Schedule 3 (Form 1040A) - Credit tor the Elderly or the Disabled for Form 1040A Filers

Diagnostic (Form 1040)

Form 1 G40ES - Estimated Tax tor individuals

Form 1040EZ - Income Tax Return tor Single Filers Wrth No Dependents

Form 1040 IRS Instructions

Worksheets (Form 1040)

Form 1040X - Amended U. S. Individual Income Tax Return

Form 1116 - Foreign Tax Credit

ijteody

166 BYTE • MARCH 1993

There's Sound...

"vroom, vroom"

And There's SoundMan™.

SoundMan" 16. Get Real.

SoundManl6 delivers sound so real, 85% of the time people can't tell the difference from live sound. That's because it's packed with the absolute latest in sound board technology: up to 16-bit/44KHz record/playback, Yamaha OPL-3 stereo synthesis 20-voice chip, 100% Sound m-^ — Blaster'" and Ad Lib8 compatibility, and more. SoundMan brings you the highest W<Z2> |P - quality sound available, for all your games and applications, in Windows'" ** • * and DOS. From Logitech, the peripherals leader. At your dealer, or call LUI/iTluH

1-800-231-7717. TM/® Trademarks belong to their respective owners. The SeDSeWare™ Company

Circle 100 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 101).

DEALING WITH TAXING QUESTIONS

TurboTa

mmm

BH

File Edit Options Window Help

1 E,sys,=p | |>| 1? I I *| ;

Interview Statement B |Div. 1): Dividend Income

Topic: [income |*|

Sub Topic |Dividends jij

1 Stop [

Piease enter the amounts of ordinary dividends, capital gains distributions, end nontaxable distributions shown on your Form 1099-DIV from .

Ordinary Dividends 1

13

-1

Capita! Gain Dist. [

Nontaxable Dist. |

Payer Name <*>

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Screen 4:

ChipSoft's TurboTax is the most comprehensive tax-p repa ration package. It's available in DOS and Windows (shown here) versions. MacInTax is its equivalent for the Mac.

can also file forms electronically through PTE for only $10.

Tax Solver

This package, also designed for the experienced tax preparer, is an unusual animal. It's the only package we looked at that doesn't stand alone. Different versions of Tax Solver are available for Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 (DOS or Windows), and Lotus Symphony.

To use Tax Solver, you need to know how to use the related spreadsheet packages, and the more you know about them, the better. Tax Solver also has the largest selection of forms: 147 (see screen 3). Essentially, Tax Solver is a collection of linked spreadsheets that take up about 4 MB of disk space.

Tax Solver is recommended for the experienced number cruncher who is also comfortable with taxes. It doesn't have an interview form, and it doesn't import from other tax or financial programs (unless they export to spreadsheet formats). And there are no help screens for any of the schedules.

The advantage of Tax Solver is that you can use the advanced what-if capabilities of the underlying spreadsheet. The other packages reviewed here have worksheets for looking at alternative tax scenarios, but they don't have the extensive conjectural capabilities of Excel or 1-2-3.

TurboTax and MacInTax

ChipSoft's TurboTax is available for DOS and Windows (see screen 4); MacInTax is for the Mac. Both programs offer an extensive and helpful interview process, although they tend to assume some knowledge of tax law. For example, they rightly ask if you have any "nominee interest," but they don't explain what that is.

TurboTax and MacInTax also offer the most comprehensive final review of your

tax return of any of the packages reviewed here. They are chock-full of hints and suggestions, including steps you can take to reduce your tax liability during the next year. Both offer electronic filing (via modem or disk) for $19.95.

TurboTax and MacInTax neglect to give you a running update on your tax liability until you're done with the entire interview, unless you specifically switch to the forms. And they import data only from Quicken and TXF formats.

Despite minor shortcomings, TurboTax and MacInTax stand out among the packages here in their ability to handle virtually any tax situation. The packages effortlessly and correctly calculate even the most complicated of tax returns. They offer extensive help and hints on advanced tax matters and even point you to IRS publications for further reading.

ChipSoft is the only company here that also sells versions of its programs specifically designed for professional tax preparers. In fact, if you prepare your return with TurboTax and bring it to professional preparers who use the pro packages, they can import your return and check or complete it for you.

Taxing Choices

For taxpayers who want to spend the least amount of time dealing with Uncle Sam (and aren't interested in becoming tax experts), any of the packages offering interviews are logical choices. TaxCut's interview process is thorough, but it has some limitations for complex returns. And while TurboTax's interview has its drawbacks, it's most effective and accurate for all types of returns. Interview-type programs are most effective when used with the financial management packages whose data they can import. That can eliminate the dreaded Shoebox Syndrome as you sift through piles of receipts as the tax deadline nears.

While the DOS versions of these programs are just as functional, we recommend that PC users buy the Windows versions: They put on-screen what looks like an actual IRS form, which is definitely helpful. And surprisingly, we found that the Windows versions were just as fast as their DOS counterparts.

A dose of reality: Because of the complexity of the U.S. Tax Code, the more complex your tax situation, the less cutand-dried the "answers" are. Like law, taxes require interpretation and opinions, dependent on "facts and circumstances," as the IRS likes to say. Given any complex situation, all these packages could deliver slightly different bottom lines based on the interview. Programs like we've reviewed here are designed for the vast majority of taxpayers and are no substitute for a one-on-one interview with a real tax professional. ■

Kathleen LaRiviere has over 14 years' experience as a tax professional; she owns and operates a tax practice in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Stan Miastkowski is a BYTE consulting editor and a freelance writer specializing in computer technology. Both can be reached on BIX c/o "stanm " or via MCI Mail at 530-9979.

ITEMS DISCUSSED

Andrew Tobias' TaxCut for DOS, TaxCut for Windows, TaxCut for

the Macintosh $50

Meca Software, Inc.

(203) 256-5000

fax: (203) 255-6300

Circle 1225 on Inquiry Card.

Personal Tax Edge, Personal Tax Edge for

Windows $49

Parsons Technology

(319)395-9626

fax:(319)393-1002

Circle 1226 on Inquiry Card.

Tax Solver for Excel,

Tax Solver for 1-2-3, Tax Solver

for Symphony $79.95

Intex Solutions, Inc.

(617)449-6222

Circle 1227 on Inquiry Card.

TurboTax for DOS, TurboTax for

Windows, MacInTax $79.95

ChipSoft, Inc.

(619)453-4446

Circle 1228 on Inquiry Card.

168 BYTE -MARCH 1993

REVIEWS

SYSTEM

Compaq Stakes Out

Both Ends of the Server Spectrum

BARRY NANCE

When it comes to the network server market, one size most definitely does not fit all. One shop may require nonstop operation, another excellent I/O performance for a large LAN, and a third high-speed processing for a database server. And some companies just need reasonable performance at a reasonable price.

Compaq has addressed both ends of the server spectrum with two recent server introductions. The Systempro/XL (see the photo) is a high-end, dual-processor system with fault-tolerant and management features; Compaq's new ProSignia is a new low-end, single-processor server.

I tested both servers for speed in two environments. In my lab, I alternated between Ethernet and Token Ring to connect up to eight workstations. For a largerscale test, I used a battery of 50 PCs on 16-Mbps Token Ring to give the XL and ProSignia servers more of a workout. I used the BYTE LAN Benchmarks (for NetWare and Unix) to measure performance on NetWare 3.11 from Compaq and SCO Unix 3.2.4. Figure 1 shows results for varying workstation levels on a Token Rina network.

In the following sections, I'll discuss performance and reliability aspects of the XL. You'll find details on the ProSignia in the text box "You're Not Going to Pay a Lot for This Server," page 172.

Inside the XL

The XL is based on Compaq's new TriFlex system architecture, which Compaq designed to be upwardly compatible with Intel's entire family of fast CPUs. A natural extension to Flex/MP, TriFlex separates system operations among the 64-bit processor bus, the 128-bit memory bus, and the 32-bit EISA bus. The TriFlex DataFlow Manager coordinates the work of EISA adapters and the CPU, providing a 267-MBps path to and from main memory. (For comparison, the IBM Model 295 operates at 200 MBps.)

DataFlow Manager is Compaq's solution to a performance problem that sometimes plagues bus-master adapters. Ironically, as a bus-master adapter uses more memory bandwidth, it reduces the CPU's ability to access main memory during instruction fetch cycles. According to Compaq, the DataFlow Manager lets proces

1 il'J 1 J ACTION SUMMARY 1

■ PRICE

■ WHAT THE SYSTEMPRO/XL AND

PROSIGNIA ARE

Systempro/XL (with SCSI, four

The XL is a new high-end server

550-MB hard drives, dual

with fault-tolerant features. The

486/50s, 16 MB of RAM, Token

ProSignia is a fast, low-cost server.

Ring), $22,014

ProSignia (with SCSI, one 550

■ LIKES

MB hard drive, one 486DX2/66,

Fault tolerance and excellent

16 MB of RAM, Token Ring),

capacity on the XL; low cost but

$6097

good performance on the ProSignia.

■ FOR MORE INFORMATION

■ DISLIKES

Compaq Computer Corp.

No hot-swap capability for the XL;

P.O. Box 692000

multiprocessing practical only on

Houston, TX 77269

Unix networks.

(800)345-1518

(713) 370-0670

■ RECOMMENDATIONS

fax:(713)374-1740

Both servers fit their niches well.

Circle 1223 on Inquiry Card.

The Systempro/XL features dual processors and advanced system architecture for high performance.

sors and EISA bus-masters access main memory simultaneously more than 70 percent of the time.

The XL can accept an optional second processor board. The two CPUs in my review unit were 50-MHz 486s, but Compaq says that the XL's 64-bit processor architecture will readily accommodate Intel's future high-speed CPUs—Pentium and beyond. The XL's processor boards also add 256 KB of two-way set-associative, write-back cache.

NetWare can take advantage of the large CPU cache, but it can't make use of the second CPU. Novell says it's still in the design stages of multiprocessor support for NetWare and that SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) support may appear in a subsequent release of NetWare 4.0 late in 1993. Until then, you'll find the dual-processor architecture most useful in an application or database server running SCO Unix with MPX (multiprocessor extension) or Banyan Vines SMP.

The XL comes bundled with a new Compaq network interface card. The NetFlex dual-physical-layer-protocol adapter

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 169

COMPAQ SERVERS

BYTE NETWORK BENCHMARKS

NETWARE

Sequential I/O

UNIX

Sequential I/O

4 8 12

24 Nodes

48 " 4 8 12 24 48 4 8 12

Nodes

ProSignia | Systempro/XL Systempro/XL (2 NICs)

24

Nodes

Figure 1: NetWare benchmark results show that both servers are fast but that the Systempro/XL has considerably higher capacity than the ProSignia. The XL shows no degradation at all with two NICs installed. It ran in a dualprocessor configuration on the Unix tests, but because I/O is such a significant component of the BYTE Unix Network Benchmarks, the XL doesn 't show much benefit.

Figure 2: The

Systempro/XL shows a linear increase in processing power when adding an additional CPU running Dhrystones under MPX.~

MP PERFORMANCE

30,000

Dhrystones

25,000

2 CPUs

—

20,000

15,000

- 10,000

5000

0

I 1 CPU 1

Systempro/XL

170 BYTE • MARCH 1993

-rte saw wa/sonne people still cfccafcMbtioHS*

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COMPAQ SERVERS

You're Not Going to Pay a Lot for This Server

Compaq's ProSignia is a midrange EISA server, a little smaller than your average Systempro. With a 66-MHz 486DX2 CPU, 16 MB of RAM, a 550-MB hard drive, a network card, and the usual peripherals, the ProSignia costs $6097.

You can choose either a 33-MHz 486 or the clockdoubled 66-MHz 486DX2, boosted by a 256-KB cache. The large CPU socket will support a CPU chip upgrade to a 32 bit Pentium (P24T) chip. You can in

stall up to 128 MB of RAM in the ProSignia. It doesn't have the Systempro XL's TriFlex architecture, but it still held its own on the benchmarks at low usage levels.

The ProSignia server also doesn't have ECC (error-correction code) or other fault-tolerant features of the Systempro/ XL, although you can optionally add an IDA-2 (Intelligent Drive Array). However, the standard ProSignia does include Rapid Recovery Services and

Compaq's Insight. Standard features of the ProSignia include a 32-bit SCSI2 controller designed especially for NetWare, built-in server monitoring and recovery, and the 32-bit NetFlex EISA network adapter capable of either Ethernet or Token Ring.

The ProSignia is a fast file server, almost as fast as the XL when equipped with the 66-MHz 486DX2 processor. For networks where fault tolerance and killer capacity aren't critical, the ProSignia is a good investment. It would be an unusual setup, but you could even use DOS 5.x and either LANtastic or Windows for Workgroups 3.1 to turn an XL into a server on a peer LAN.

is based on Texas Instruments' Super Eagle controller. The bus-mastering 32-bit EISA NetFlex provides an RJ-45 port for UTP (unshielded twisted-pair) connection to either Token Ring or Ethernet, an AUI (attachment unit interface) port for thick Ethernet, and a nine-pin port for STP (shielded twisted-pair) Type 1 Token Ring.

I tested the XL with its fast SCSI-2 array controller. This controller gave excellent performance and of course will work with the fault-tolerant features of NetWare, such as mirroring and controller duplexing. To get full fault tolerance, however, you need an optional $2499 IDA-2 (Intelligent Drive Array) controller. The IDA-2 controller supports RAID levels 0 (mirroring), 4 (data-guarding with parity drive), and 5 (data-guarding with distributed parity).

For faster, easier maintenance, disk drives snap into the XL chassis. However, you can't hot-swap; you have to power down the XL to replace internal drives (or any other failed system module).

In addition to fault tolerance at the drive controller level, the XL also includes fault-tolerant memory features. The XL supports up to 512 MB of ECC (error-correction code) RAM. The XL also incorporates memory tracking, which catches ECC RAM faults.

Software for Servers

Compaq offers NetWare 3.11 as an option for both the XL and ProSignia. Compaq supplies the disks; you choose your own configuration options and preferences as

you install NetWare. Compaq provides all the necessary drivers, as well as a set of NLMs (NetWare loadable modules) for diagnostic purposes.

The diagnostic NLMs turn the XL into an SNMP agent. You can use Insight Manager, a Windows-based utility for overthe-network management of Compaq PC servers, to collect information from the SNMP agent NLMs.

Rapid Recovery Services, a built-in management feature, monitors for hardware failures and network-operating-system crashes, including specific NetWare ABEND conditions. The diagnostics reside on a separate disk partition.

Measuring the XL's Speed

A faster CPU in a server generally means capacity for more users rather than faster response times for fewer users. A single workstation's response times depend mostly on the speed of the server's I/O subsystems: the hard drives, controller, disk cache, and network adapters.

Figure 1 graphs server throughput for four, eight, 12, 24, and 48 workstations under NetWare 3.11. With one NIC, the XL's server performance degraded somewhat between 24 and 48 workstations. When I added a second NetFlex, the XL performed spectacularly. At up to 48 very heavy, simultaneous users, the XL shows no saturation with two NICs.

The lower row of graphs shows results for Unix at the same usage levels. I didn't run the Unix tests with multiple NICs, but

I would expect to see no saturation at these levels (as with NetWare). Although the XL used both processors on this test, the I/O-heavy benchmarks didn't show much advantage. However, if you designate the XL as an application or database server, you should see the benefit of the extra processor as MPX distributes client/server tasks across the CPUs.

I ran Dhrystone tests to more fully test the XL's MP features (see figure 2). The graph shows that performance simply doubles with two processors; you wouldn't see that kind of linear performance gain on an MP system that wasn't symmetric.

More Capacity, Brighter Future

The XL isn't much faster than fast lowend servers like the ProSignia, but it offers much higher capacity for large networks. It's also worth considering as a high-performance application server.

A two-CPU XL is overkill right now for NetWare servers. Further down the road, however, MP NetWare and the XL's support for 64-bit Intel processors should make the Systempro/XL an excellent longterm solution. ■

Barry Nance, a programmer for the past 20 years and a BYTE contributing editor, is the author of Using OS/2 2.0 (Que, 1992), Network Programming in C (Que, 1990), and Introduction to Networking (Que, 1992). He is the editor for the IBM Exchange on BIX, where you can reach him as "barryn."

172 BYTE • MARCH 1993

REVIEWS

SYSTEM

Two PowerBooks Great and Small

TOM THOMPSON

Apple's latest round of PowerBook introductions splits the product line into two distinct branches—the high-end, self-contained machines (the PowerBook 160 and 180) and the lightweight, dockable Duo family.

Most of the specifications for these notebooks can be found in my First Impression "New Macs for the Desktop and Road," December 1992 BYTE. Since then, I've had a chance to really live with a PowerBook 180 and a PowerBook Duo 230 for a few weeks, and I've had time to test their performance mettle with the latest revision of BYTE's Macintosh benchmarks.

What They've Got

The PowerBook 180 shares its 6.8-pound, clamshell design with previous PowerBooks. Like the older 145, it has a built-in 1.44-MB SuperDrive floppy drive and includes the usual entourage of I/O ports for ADB (Apple Desktop Bus), serial, sound I/O, and SCSI. Where the 180 breaks from the pack is in performance; its 33-MHz 68030, combined with a 33-MHz 68882 FPU, makes it the fastest portable Mac on the market. The 180 also has a new 10inch, backlit, 640- by 400-pixel, activematrix LCD panel that supports 16 gray levels. Finally, the 180 directly supports external video (8-bit color monitors of up to 16 inches) through a display port and a bundled adapter cable (see photo 1).

The PowerBook 180 is a trim machine, but it's a behemoth next to the PowerBook Duo 230. The latter is a svelte slab that weighs only 4.2 pounds, measures somewhat smaller than a notebook page (10.8 by 8.5 inches), and clears only 1.4 inches. The clamshell Duo 230 opens to reveal a 9inch, backlit screen—a 640- by 400-pixel, supertwist LCD panel that supports 16 gray levels. But to pack that much computer into such a small frame means making compromises.

The system has neither an FPU nor a SuperDrive. The only I/O ports are a miniDIN-8 LocalTalk/serial connector and an RJ-11 connector for an internal modem. To access floppy disks while on the road, you'll need an optional Mac Duo Floppy Adapter ($135) and Floppy Drive ($199).

However, the Duo 230 is really designed to park inside a Duo Dock docking sta

Photo 1: The PowerBook 180, shown here with an external color monitor, bundles more performance than a Mac Ilci into a 9.3- by 11.25- by 2.25-inch package.

tion, which provides the balance of the features you'd expect in a desktop Mac (see photo 2). A 152-pin docking connector at the back of the Duo 230 acts as a Processor Direct Slot and conveys processor and I/O signals into the Duo Dock. The Duo Dock routes these signals to two NuBus slots, an army of I/O ports (ADB, sound I/O, two serial, SCSI), a SuperDrive floppy drive, an FPU socket, and an optional internal hard drive. The Duo Dock provides 8-bit color output for 12- to 16inch monitors (16-bit color with additional video RAM).

A motorized mechanism in the Duo Dock pulls the Duo 230 into the dock when you insert it and ejects it when you press an eject button (almost exactly like a videocassette). This arrangement makes

Photo 2: The Duo Dock turns the svelte PowerBook Duo 230 into an uncompromising desktop Mac.

for a reliable electrical connection, and it also provides safeguards that prevent you from accidentally clobbering files. For example, you can't insert the Duo 230 into the dock while it's in sleep mode: The Duo Dock ejects the computer, and a dialog box appears on the notebook's screen advising you to shut down the Duo 230. When

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 173

TWO POWERBOOKS GREAT AND SMALL

you press the eject button, the Duo Dock issues a Shut Down command to the Duo 230, which closes all running applications and prompts you to save any open files before ejecting the computer.

The Duo/Duo Dock combination gives you a powerful computer that you can leave parked on a desk, equipped with a keyboard, a mouse, and an external color monitor, and with access to the office network. But at a moment's notice, you can punch the eject button, grab the Duo 230 out of the Duo Dock, and carry it away on a company mission, secure that all your work is in your hands.

Checking Out the Books

I looked at a PowerBook 180 equipped with 4 MB of RAM, a 120-MB hard drive, and an Apple 2400-bps fax modem. The PowerBook Duo 230 was equipped with 12 MB of RAM and a 120-MB hard drive. It packs more processing power, storage, and memory than the Mac Uci I use at the office.

My first job was to install System 7.1, included with each machine. Along with the usual pack of six high-density System software disks, you also get an Install Me First disk that contains a System file, the Installer application, and a System Enabler file. This System Enabler file contains hardware-specific code and resources required to run System 7.1 on each machine.

You boot the PowerBook with Install Me First; the Installer copies the System

Enabler file to the computer's hard drive, and then the installation process runs as usual. The important thing to note here is not to toss the System Enabler file into the Trash: Your PowerBook 180 or Duo 230 won't start without it, and you'll be forced to copy the file off the bootable Disk Tools floppy disk.

The PowerBook 180 supports a SCSI disk mode, in which it acts as a SCSI disk when connected to a desktop Mac with a System Adapter cable. This cable has an extra pin and a female 50-pin SCSI connector; it fits between a standard SCSI cable and the PowerBook. The extra pin signals the PowerBook to operate as a slave SCSI device. I used the System Adapter to copy all my applications and utilities from my Uci to the PowerBook 180. The Duo 230 also supports this SCSI function through an optional MiniDock that provides a SCSI connection. Since the Duo 230 lacks built-in SCSI, I parked it in the Duo Dock and copied the files from the Uci via the network.

The Duo Dock works superbly. It recharges the Duo 230's battery while the notebook is docked—a nice touch. However, there are some mechanical difficulties in working with the Duo Dock. First, the SuperDrive is mounted on the right side of the chassis, and I didn't like having to reach around to insert floppy disks. Second, adding NuBus boards is a chore: You have to remove the cover, loosen some screws, and then flip over a panel covered

If.'JI a ACTION SUMMARY I

■ RECOMMENDATIONS

■ WHAT THE POWERBOOK 180 AND

POWERBOOK DUO 230 ARE

For those who need a self

Both are 33-MHz, 68030-based

contained Mac with a sharp

portable Macs. The PowerBook

display, the PowerBook 180 is

180 is a high-end stand-alone

ideal. For those who won't

portable; the PowerBook Duo

compromise on weight and size,

230 is small and light and mates

yet need desktop power, the

with a docking station.

PowerBook Duo 230 is excellent.

■ LIKES

■ PRICE (AS TESTED)

Both are fast and powerful. They

PowerBook 180, $4788

have display support for 1 6 gray

PowerBook Duo 230, $3439

levels.

Mac Duo Dock, $1079

■ DISLIKES

■ FOR MORE INFORMATION

The PowerBook 180's high price;

Apple Computer, Inc.

the PowerBook Duo 230's lack of

20525 Mariani Ave.

an FPU and a floppy drive.

Cupertino, CA 95014

(800) 776-2333

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fax:(408)974-6412

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with electronics to add the boards.

One additional note of caution regarding the Duo Floppy Adapter: Once you get used to the idiot-proof protection mechanisms of the Duo Dock, it's hard to go back to less-tolerant hardware. Plugging in the Duo Floppy Adapter while the Duo 230 is awake causes it to lose power—and any active files.

Software Compatibility Problems

Normally you expect minor software-compatibility problems with any new Mac, but with these PowerBooks the problems are compounded by changes brought on by System 7.1. Specifically, fonts are now located in a Fonts folder rather than in the System file. This makes managing your fonts easier, but it freaks out any software that makes assumptions about font location. Therefore, you'll need to update some applications.

Fifth Generation Systems electronically distributes an update that patches Suitcase 2.1.1 to work with System 7.1. Adobe Type Manager 2.0.3 crashes, because it expects to find its outline fonts in the Extensions folder. Adam Stein's ATM Fixer is an on-line patch that fixes this problem. ATM 3.0 and a beta version of SuperATM (3.5bl3) worked just fine.

There were some other software snags. Adobe Photoshop 2.0.1 works, displaying images adequately in 16 grays, but the Mac Desktop palette shifts into a blackand-white mode when you exit the application. Connectix's PowerBook Utilities (CPU) requires version 1.0j to work with the new PowerBooks' gray-scale screens and new hardware. However, there's an interaction between CPU and Suitcase that hangs the PowerBook when you open the CPU Control Panel. Connectix has traced the problem to a bug in the Resource Manager and suggests rebooting with Extensions disabled when you change settings.

Despite these glitches, most software worked fine on both machines, including Adobe Illustrator 3.2 and Adobe Dimensions 1.0, ZTerm 0.9, NOW Utilities Super Boomerang 4.0.1 and WYSIWYG Menus 4.0.1, plus Claris Resolve and Mac Write II. Shiva's NetModem and NetSerial software also worked when hooked to a LAN.

Portable Performers

The BYTE CPU benchmarks show that both the PowerBook 180 and the Duo 230 are about 20 percent faster than a 25-MHz Mac Uci for some operations (see the figure). The Duo 230 didn't do as well on the floating-point tests because it lacks an FPU, but you can install one in the Duo Dock. These notebooks provide full midrange processing power that will satisfy

174 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Tmm

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TWO POWERBOOKS GREAT AND SMALL

BYTE MACINTOSH BENCHMARKS

Power Book 180

PowerBook Duo 230

Mac llci

Mac llfx

Mac Classic II

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

Index Index Index index

PowerBook 180 PowerBook Duo 230

Mac llci

Mac llfx

Mac Classic II

i worse Battery Life Better ►

PowerBook 180 PowerBook 230

^m

PowerBook 145 PowerBook 170

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10.000

Index

BENCHMARK SUMMARY

0 30 60 90 120 150 Minutes

PowerBook 180

PowerBook Duo 230

Mac llci

Mac llfx

Low-level performance

CPU index 2.60

FPU index 10.68

Disk index 1.47

Video index 2.00

2.70 2.22 1.38 2.14

2.18 2.66 1.04 2.17

3.36 4.10 1.51 2.68

Application performance

Word processing index 2.76

DTP index 1.81

Database index 2.50

Development index 2.19

Graphics applications index 2.63

Scientific index 4.46

Spreadsheet index 5.54

Overall application index 21.91

2.90 1.86 2.59 2.27 2.63 2.67 3.02 17.93

2.99 1.80 2.67 2.06 2.63 4.33 5.98 22.47

4.39 2.44 3.46 2.83 3.63 6.81 8.52 32.08

Mac Classic II

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 7.00

Dhrystone

5555

6250

5555

10,000

2000

All machines were tested using System 7.1. Except for the Dhrystone and battery-life tests, all results are indexed, and higher numbers indicate better performance. For each indexed test, a Mac Classic 11 = 1. Comprehensive test results and detailed configurations are available for all machines on request.

The 33-MHz PowerBook 180 and PowerBook Duo 230 are about 20 percent faster than a 25-MHz Mac llci in some operations.

the needs of all but the most demanding users.

Both computers' screens were bright and clear, but I especially enjoyed the crystal sharpness of the 180's active-matrix display. As for the Duo, there are a lot of little features to like: the LED in the Caps Lock key, the easy-to-reach Power On button (it's by the keyboard rather than in the rear), and its going into sleep mode when you close the lid. However, its smaller, recessed trackball takes some getting used to.

The trackball got mixed reviews among other BYTE editors.

Which computer should you choose? That depends on what you need on the road, and your working style. I have to admit my bias toward the complete, self-contained system represented by the PowerBook 180, and I can't praise the display enough.

There's a lot to like about the Duo 230's smaller size and lighter weight. Nevertheless, its lack of a floppy drive scares me.

While the Duo Floppy Adapter and external SuperDrive are a good solution, it requires keeping track of too many little parts on the road. If the Duo 230 had a built-in floppy drive, I'd like it a lot better. As it is, I'll stick with the PowerBook 180. ■

Tom Thompson is a BYTE senior technical editor at large with a B.S.E.E. from Memphis State University. You can contact him on BIX as "tomjthompson " or on the Internet at tomt@bytepb.byte.com.

176 BYTE • MARCH 1993

REVIEWS

APPLICATION

Visual Basic for Windows Gets a Face-Lift

TOM YAGER

Until the arrival of Microsoft's Visual Basic for Windows, programmers had to spend hours learning complex development tools just to work in Windows. Visual Basic simplified working in Windows and gave the rewards of custom programming to even occasional programmers. However, its limited feature set was deficient for some, particularly when a large application needed to be created. At those times, many programmers were forced to write portions of their programs in C or another language.

The latest release, version 2.0, removes many but not all of the original version's limitations. Improved performance and new capabilities make custom Windows programming easier than ever. However, Visual Basic still lacks some pieces that I consider important, including a nativecode compiler.

Greater Magnitude

I tested Visual Basic for Windows 2.0 on three machines: a Toshiba T2000SX laptop (a 16-MHz 386SX), an ALR Flyer 32LCT with a 66-MHz 486DX2, and a Uniq file server with a 50-MHz 486. I spread the testing around to get a feel for the new Visual Basic's performance. However, I did most of my test work on the laptop because I wanted to see how Visual Basic's changes played on a system with minimal display resolution and color depth, limited CPU speed, and relatively limited memory (5 MB). If Visual Basic 2.0 could make it there, it could make it anywhere.

The first thing that struck me about Visual Basic 2.0 was its magnitude. I installed the Professional Edition, which occupied about 22 MB of disk space and took close to an hour to load on the T2000SX. The installation lets you selectively leave out parts of the package and does a fine job of comparing and displaying required and available disk space.

The appearance of Visual Basic 2.0 has changed noticeably (see the screen). Most obvious is Microsoft's ubiquitous toolbar. The toolbar is where the old properties combo box pair used to be; Visual Basic 1.0 users might find the change a little confusing at first. Properties are now managed through a floating window.

1 wasn't sure I'd like the new setup until I loaded a project I created in the old

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Visual Basic 2.0 sports a new tool bar and floating window, where you can see multiple

properties at once and change properties for multiple selected controls.

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Visual Basic. The new properties window has a spreadsheet-like feel to it, with one column each for names and values. The type and name of the selected control are always visible at the top, and a single interface gives you access to all the properties of all the controls in your application. Double-clicking on a cell in the properties window cycles that property's value — true becomes false, numerics get incremented, and so on. When you select multiple controls, the values column in the properties window goes blank and the properties list is trimmed to only those shared by all the selected controls.

Reduced Tedium

Veterans of Visual Basic 1.0 will recognize the properties window as a blessing because it puts an end to the familiar and tedious "select control—change property— select control..." cycle. Also, Visual Basic 1.0 allowed changes to only one property at a time through the toolbar. Multiple controls can now be selected by dragging a marquee around them, and properties shared by those controls can be changed with a single action.

I recommend that you get used to the new properties window's approach (a twocolumn grid topped by a combo box) because it appears elsewhere in the new Visual Basic, including the environment and project options dialog boxes. The only drawback of the properties window is that it takes up more screen space than the old method. On my laptop's display, I had to keep popping the properties window up and down because there wasn't room for it to be on-screen constantly. All my non

portable systems have at least 1024- by 768-pixel screens, and I leave the window permanently popped up. Even when you're not actively changing properties, the window holds a lot of useful information.

Once I loaded code into Visual Basic 2.0,1 found it easier to find my way around this version than previous releases. A dialog box pops up with a key press and lets you zip to any procedure in your application by name. The syntactic color coding in the edit windows is an aid, particularly for large projects or big edit windows. Although there's multilevel undo and redo, the undo stack is strictly last-in, first-out. There's undo/redo in the forms builder as well, but that's only one level deep.

Overall, the new Visual Basic environment is at least as comfortable as the old one. The properties window is a big improvement if you can afford to leave it onscreen most of the time.

Some Performance Improvement

Microsoft says it improved performance through faster application starts, smaller .EXE files, and faster access to those attributes of objects called properties. In addition, version 2.0 lifts the barriers on array sizes, so you can use all available memory in your system. (Arrays also can now be resized without discarding their contents.) Other arbitrary limits have been raised, including the number of procedures in a program and the number of controls (i.e., interface elements) per form.

My testing turned up mostly positive results, but there were a few questionable areas. The size of my test projects didn't benefit from the claimed reduction in .EXE

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 177

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VISUAL BASIC FOR WINDOWS

file size. The faster loading and displaying of a program's initial form did show itself: All the applications I ported from the old Visual Basic to the new one had their load delay time cut almost in half.

The lifting of data size limitations seems more dramatic than it actually is; many kinds of data still suffer from limits imposed by segmentation. Individual strings are still limited to 64 KB each, and the manual paints a confusing picture of how segment limits affect other data types.

Among the other enhancements for version 2.0 is the program's support for the MDI (Multiple Document Interface) to provide access to the MDI services and events that the previous version wouldn't let you near. Standard now is 256-color support, as are access to DOS file I/O functions and the hWnd property of every windowed control (primarily for use with Windows API routines). Also, you can independently set the Z-order (i.e., stacking order) of each control and form.

The language itself has some significant changes as well. There is a new data type, called variant, that you can use practically anywhere a typed variable will serve. Controls can now have default values—data returned when the control name is referenced alone in a program. A single form can exist in multiple instances as well (particularly useful with MDI applications), and variable type declarations and global definitions can exist anywhere in the program. Programs, forms, and projects can all be stored in ASCII representation, making room for the use of code management tools and code generators.

Finally, buyers of the Professional Edition will find an assortment of custom controls similar to those included in Visual Basic 1.0's Professional Toolkit. New to this release are Windows 3.1 support (the help compiler and on-line API reference), MAPI (Messaging API) support for Email links, ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) support for database access, a communications control for serial communications including file transfer, and a host of other features. Two parts of Visual Basic 1.0's Professional Toolkit have been moved to 2.0's Standard Edition: the spreadsheet-like grid control and the OLE client control.

Missing Pieces

For all the changes Microsoft made, it still didn't address some of the areas I consider important and missing in Visual Basic. To name a few, there still isn't a nativecode compiler, and there's no option to produce single .EXE files (Visual Basic .EXEs require separate DLLs at run time, sometimes several). The program also

lacks integration of an ISAM (indexed sequential-access method) or other database engine into the Professional Edition (Visual Basic for DOS has this, and the Windows version will communicate with optional, external databases through ODBC). Even with those areas in mind, Microsoft has taken giant strides toward making Visual Basic palatable to programmers. The need to run off to C or some other language to get the work done has been diminished somewhat. While I'm not packing up my compilers just yet, I am a fan of the new Visual Basic for the same reason that I like the old: It's still the quickest, most painless way to create professional-looking Windows applications. ■

Tom Yager is a former BYTE technical editor and consultant for multimedia and Unix applications. He can be reached on BIX as "tyager" and on the Internet at tyager@bytepb.byte.com.

BYTE

ACTION SUMMARY

WHAT VISUAL BASIC 2.0 IS

A new release of Microsoft's programming system for Windows applications.

LIKES

Floating properties window; huge arrays; faster application loading and display.

DISLIKES

Still lacks some features that professional developers expect; runs best at screen resolutions of 800 by 600 pixels or better.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The best choice for the development of nonperformance-critical Windows applications.

PRICE

Standard Edition: $199 (upgrade from version 1.0, $79); Professional Edition: $495 (upgrade from version 1.0, $99)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Corp.

1 Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

(206) 882-8080

fax: (206) 936-7329

Circle 1131 on Inquiry Card.

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REVIEWS

APPLICATION

Imagining the World

RAYMOND GA COTE

Computers are the ultimate what-if machines. Beyond the what-if solutions offered by spreadsheets extends a realm of real-world problems. Extend+ Manufacturing 2.0 from Imagine That is a professional-quality computer simulation tool for the Macintosh that allows you to explore real-world problems.

Simulations cross many disciplines, such as business, finance, process, science, engineering, and manufacturing. Extend provides a set of well-stocked component libraries to address problems in these widely diverging areas. Basic library elements include discrete and continuous events, animation, and plotting.

The plotting library provides various on-screen output devices for graphing the simulation results. The electronics library provides various digital and electronic components, but Extend is not suitable for simulating complicated circuit designs. Instead, items such as an A/D converter and voltage sources could be integrated into a process-control simulation. The $300 Manufacturing Library extension provides just about everything you need to lay out a complete manufacturing facility—including assembly stations, stock rooms, conveyor belts, palletizing stations, and automatic guided vehicles that follow a prescribed path from station to station.

Flexible Design

With almost any type of graphical development tool, your display rapidly devolves into a mass of unreadable lines and boxes: the ultimate spaghetti code. Hierarchical blocks are the solution to this problem. Screen 1 shows my first effort to design a simulation where a single queue of bank customers waits to be serviced by multiple tellers. Although this simulation works well, it does not efficiently communicate the process. Too many details get in the way. Screen 2 shows a hierarchical solution to the same problem. All the gritty details have been hidden within the custom-built blocks. Once I had built the original model and understood how to compose a teller queue, the second diagram was simpler to complete.

If the standard building blocks are not sufficient, you can extend the simulation environment with new blocks. The simplest way is by using ModL, a C-like pro

Screen 1:

A banking simulation model without hierarchical blocks. Although technically correct, the details of the model get in the way of the process. Even if you are familiar with all the Extend icons, the number of interconnections is confusing.

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Screen 2: This model works the same as the model shown in screen 1. All the details have been hidden in hierarchical blocks. Although operation of the two models is identical, this version is much simpler to explain and modify.

gramming language built into Extend. The language library includes support for file I/O, statistics, financial calculations, and matrix manipulation. ModL also provides you with a link to the outside world by way of a generic driver interface, XCMD support, and Apple events. These three features provide the gateways to communicate with any other application or drivers installed on your Macintosh. Sample applications include using Apple events to access an external spreadsheet for calculations and another block for communicating with an IEEE-488 test interface.

The Learning Curve

Extend is fairly easy to learn. I was able to build and run several original simulations within an hour of installing the software. My original flat-model simulation took

slightly over an hour to construct. Once the application was up and running, it took only about half an hour to break it into the more understandable hierarchical blocks and rebuild the system.

At this point, I could put my model through its paces and determine if it actually did what I expected it to do. I wandered down to the local bank with a stopwatch and notepad to capture some real live banking action. Armed with my small real-world sample, I returned to put the model through its paces. Although several parameters required final tweaking, it performed as expected.

Now I could really begin to work. What happens if I reduce the number of available tellers by half? Can they handle an extralarge lunchtime crowd? What happens if the average transaction time increases?

continued

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 181

IMAGINING THE WORLD

BYTE

ACTION SUMMARY

WHAT EXTEND+MANUFACTURING 2.0 IS

A computer simulation design tool for the Macintosh.

LIKES

Graphics presentation; extensibility; hierarchical designs.

DISLIKES

Small-scale tutorials.

RECOMMENDATIONS

An effective simulation tool.

PRICE

Extend 2.0, $695;

with Manufacturing module, $990

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Imagine That, Inc.

(408) 365-0305

fax:(408)629-1251

Circle 1132 on Inquiry Card.

While using my model and comparing it to the real world, I found several deficiencies. Most important was the inability to add a new teller temporarily during peak traffic times. It took me about 45 minutes to redesign the model to trigger the opening of one or two more teller stations based on the number of people waiting in line and limited by the total number of tellers available. Finally, I had a simulation that met my needs and correctly approximated the real world.

Although it sounds tedious, each of the redesigns went quickly because I could cut and paste large sections of previous designs into a new model. Also, the reusable hierarchical components could be modified and used in each new design. This allowed me to leverage my previous experience in constructing new models.

My final simulation is fairly complicated, but it models a simple process. These models still only scratch the surface of Extend's capabilities. Experienced Extend users are simulating complex and innovative environments. For example, Je Oh of Pitney Bowes Strategic Information uses Extend's discrete simulation abilities to demonstrate the flow of mail through a

large mail-processing line. An example of a large continuous-process simulation was provided by Michael Locasio of Gentek, who uses Extend to simulate alternative energy systems that include ice ponds for cooling and cogeneration plants for generating electricity. Both Je and Locasio cite the ease with which simulations can be built and the ability to use hierarchical design to hide the complexity of a simulation during presentations.

Extend 2.0 is a suitable tool for simulation professionals as well as novices. Although it is a complex product for solving complex problems, its consistent user interface requires a relatively short learning period. If you have a process over which you need to gain control, and particularly if you want to present the process to others, then Extend 2.0 is the tool of choice. ■

Raymond GA Cote is a software development engineer for Appropriate Solutions, Inc., specializing in cross-platform applications development. He also edits the Robot Explorer newsletter. You can contact him on BIX as "rgacote" or on the Internet at rgacote@bytepb.byte.com.

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182 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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REVIEWER'S NOTEBOOK

It Worked Fine a Minute Ago

RICK GREHAN

Thoughts about things Macintosh have dominated the BYTE Lab in recent weeks, thanks to a host of new products coming from Apple (see "Two PowerBooks Great and Small" on page 173), the updating of our Mac benchmarks, and last month's accelerator roundup. As we tested these dozens of new products and fashioned tests that could accommodate the range of CPUs, we constantly ran into hardware and software incompatibilities. Compatibility is a hard job for Motorola's CPU designers, who build the 68000 family of processors used in the Macintosh. Engineers seek backward compatibility so that new chips can run existing software. At the same time, they must add new, performance-enhancing features to the CPU line to keep pace with users' expectations and those of Apple's systems engineers.

To protect existing software, Apple indicates throughout its gargantuan Inside Macintosh documentation the importance of accessing the Mac system's internals via the operating system. It boils down to this: If your program wants to tweak the machine's hardware or operating-system software, it must do so by using documented operating-system calls.

The DOS World

Let's draw a parallel with the MS-DOS world. On PC-class machines, BIOS routines allow a program to read and write individual pixels on the screen. Most MSDOS applications that perform substantial graphics operations simply ignore the BIOS and instead read and write video memory directly. This direct access lets software programmers optimize graphics code for speed.

In the IBM PC world, processors such as the 80x86 series let code and data exist side-by-side in the same memory region. Granted, the processor does distinguish between code and data segments via the CS and DS registers, but it's easy for a program to sidestep this distinction with segment-override instructions. And although the 386 and 486 allow protectedmode programs to set specified segments as being "execute only" (and therefore code segments), an "unprotected" MSDOS program can more or less freely mix code and data.

Who is to blame when incompatibilities grind your Mac to a stop? Blame those who deserve it: applications builders who failed to follow Apple's guidelines.

This isn't the case on Macs incorporating 68020s, 68030s, and 68040s. When the 68020 appeared, Motorola had taken a step in the direction of separating code and data. The trend continued with the 68030 and 68040. Although code and data come into the processor from a single 32-bitwide data bus, the internals of the CPU see code and data as flowing from separate sources. This occurs thanks to separate onchip instruction and data caches that feed the processor's heart.

Separation of code and data increases the parallelism inside the processor. For example, in a 68040, if upcoming instructions can be fetched from the instruction cache, they move directly from the cache to the execution unit and free the data cache for simultaneous transfers of data values to and from memory. This parallelism improves performance.

However, this also causes one of the most frequent Macintosh compatibility problems you'll encounter. Some applications practice "self-modification"; they write instruction codes into memory as though they were writing data to memory (this can happen if a program builds a jump table). The idea is that the program will execute that code in the future.

Unfortunately, this has the danger of placing the contents of memory out of synchronization with the instruction cache. The result is that the program "thinks" it's executing the proper instruction, but it isn't. In the best case, you'll get a bomb box; usually, the Mac just freezes.

We in the Lab recall when the Mac II

and its 68020 first appeared. Applications failed so often that we had to write an Fkey to disable the processor's cache. Most accelerators come with similar, though more sophisticated, software.

Who Done It?

So who's to blame when your Mac grinds to a stop? Let's put the blame on those who deserve it. Admittedly, programmers working on the Mac before the appearance of the 68020,68030, and 68040 probably had performance as their top priority and therefore put future compatibility in the backseat. Many programmers might reasonably argue that while they were writing 68000 code, they had no idea what the 68020 would look like, so how could they prepare for it? But in the great majority of cases, Mac applications that run on earlygeneration Macs but break on later-generation models do so because the applications builders failed to follow Apple's guidelines.

Dan Monahan of Radius, the company that markets the Radius Rocket accelerator, says the company's software engineers spent an excessive amount of time trying to keep misbehaving applications running on the Rocket. "If more applications builders would follow Apple guidelines," he concludes, "we could be spending our time developing new products rather than working out compatibility problems." ■

Rick Grehan is technical director of the BYTE Lab. You can reach him on BIX as "rick_g."

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 183

BOOK

AND CD-ROM REVIEWS

HUGH KENNER

If you were born the year What Computers Can't Do was first published, well, congratulations. Old enough now to order a martini, you're still young enough to have missed a lot of wrangling with and about Hubert Dreyfus. Prof. HD, whose field is philosophy, was suspicious of roseate AI claims as long ago as the 1960s. Back when 10-year-old chess novices were beating the best available programs, Science Journal had machines already playing chess "at the championship level."

It's amazing, that early hype for AI. And when Dreyfus launched his skeptical book (1972), how vehemently he got smeared is arresting, too. Creative Computing was warned by one AI guru that to publish a piece by HD would be to incur "disapproval from the AI community and reprisals from MIT Press." Well, MIT Press not only hasn't flayed HD, it has now taken over his book and published an update (the second) as What Computers Still Can't Do. Even if you read the first version all those years ago, you'll find it a different book in the light of what we take for granted today and what we've quietly jettisoned.

The argument, when we get to it, is essentially that the general knowledge required to understand—let alone answer— a random but sensible query is not the kind that can be reduced to a database. Pooh, says AI, we just need "a machine with the child's ability to learn." Ah, says HD, but that would entail a suite of transmechanical capabilities, for instance, a child's understanding of involvement with a body. (Nausea, fatigue, ecstasy: Define for a machine what such words say to a human.)

Chess programs are an instructive special case. If today's best, like Belle and Deep Thought, are very good, it's thanks to the CPU speed that permits the evaluation of several million potential positions. A chess master assesses only about 100, but he or she has learned how to first zero in on an

THE AI DEBATE REVISITED

What Computers Still Can't Do

Hubert L. Dreyfus

MIT Press, $13.95,

ISBN 0-262-54067-3

The Twenty-Four Hour Society

Martin Moore-Ede

Addison-Wesley, $22.95,

ISBN 0-201-57711-9

area of interest. How he does that we don't really know; likely, spotting similarities to golden oldies. But explain similarity to a CPU? Table lookups won't do; two positions identical in mapping save for one pawn can be utterly different in thrust. We're talking strategy, and programs understand no strategy. Quite small children do, notably near nap time.

And So to Bed

Cats take catnaps, and so do all other creatures great and small save humans, who try to jam a solar cycle's ration of sleep into one 8-hour, parenthesis. Oddly, by just napping the instant we feel tired, we can manage nicely on perhaps 4 hours' sleep per 24. Buckminster Fuller knew about that; so did Edison and da Vinci (whose daily sleep total was a mere 2 hours). So do long-distance solo ocean racers, with "a clear correlation between who was winning the races and how much they broke their sleep into short naps." Correlation says research, hence "a compelling problem."

In The Twenty-Four Hour Society, Dr. Martin Moore-Ede explains why it compels. We work graveyard shifts, cross six time zones at a leap. We doze off— Chernobyl, Exxon's Valdez. Hence, researchers, and more about sleep than you knew there was to know.

Thus, research shows that to suppress the night-shift worker's "waves of sleep," we need the same light that adjusts our bedtime seasonally, and at something like the same intensity. But Edison put us in a dim world indeed. A "brightly lit office," nighttime, boasts about 500 lux; in nature, that's before sunrise. Boost it to, oh, 10,000 lux and watch alertness soar. We all sleep, even you. And you'll not soon find a book closer to your most restorative experience. ■

Hugh Kenner is Franklin and Callaway Professor of English at the University of Georgia. His recent books include Mazes and Historical Fictions. You can contact him on BIX as "hkenner."

OBJECT LOGIC

Logic and Objects, Francis G. McCabe, Prentice-Hall, $18,ISBN0-13-536079-X

Logic and Objects is the name of both this book and the new programming language that it describes. L&O is the brainchild of Francis McCabe, a computing lecturer at London's Imperial College, who also had the distinction of producing the first microcomputer implementation of Prolog (MicroProlog for CP/M in 1980).

McCabe\s book explains why it's a good idea to meld object orientation with logic programming. He critically reviews several previous experiments in this direction before presenting his own elegant solution, L&O. His argument in

brief is that object orientation adds the modularity necessary for structuring large applications, which is lacking in Prolog's clause-based syntax.

L&O offers full OOP (object-oriented programming) features, including multiple and differential inheritance as well as a functional programming notation. The syntax of L&O remains very much like that of Prolog, but groups of clauses get bracketed together as named objects called "theories." The book is clearly written and illustrated, but it will be comprehensible only if you have a working knowledge of Prolog. McCabe develops several nontrivial program examples, including a Macintosh-graphics solution to the Traveling Salesman problem, in L&O. If you believe that C++ does not mark the end of history, and that progress in language design must continue, there's much here of interest.

—Dick Pountain

184 BYTE • MARCH 1993

ILLUSTRATION: HOBERT BURGER ©1993

THE INTERNET WORLD TOUR

Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue,

Carl Malamud, Prentice-Hall, $26.95, ISBN 0-13296898-3

Zen and the Art of the Internet, Brendan Kehoe, Prentice-Hall, $22, ISBN 0-13-010778-6 The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog, EdKrol, O'Reilly & Associates, $24.95, ISBN 1-56592025-2

The Internet Message, Marshall T. Rose, PrenticeHall, $44, ISBN 0-13-092941-7

The Internet, that wild, sprawling conglomeration of uncontrolled and uncontrollable computer connections, is garnering much recent media attention. Accompanying this newfound attention is an increase in Internet-related books ranging from popular travelogues to detailed user's manuals. Most Internet community denizens restrict their travels to the worldwide electronic highways. Carl Malamud, on the other hand, decided to see the world node by node. The result is Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue. Like many travelogues, this book provides insight into the sights and wonders of far-off places. Unlike traditional guides, these sights consist of high-speed backbones, racks of Cisco routers, and standards meetings. Beyond the technology exist the personalities that continue to make the Internet happen. Exploring the Internet paints a picture of this thing called cyberspace.

Zen and the Art of the Internet by Brendan Kehoe should be given to each and every first-time Internet user. It answers many of the novice questions that plague network administrators and consume network bandwidth. This is not a user's manual, but rather a beginner's guide to the services and wonders available on-line. Issues such as etiquette, proper usage, and societal rules are presented to ensure that your passage into this new community is a smooth one. The list of telnet-available databases (from scholarships to extragalactic technical data) provides a starting point for your own explorations.

Kehoe's book tempts you with tantalizing glimpses of far-flung data. Ed fool's The Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog is more of a Baedeker-style guide, fool takes a practical approach to the Internet, from turning off that first, massive news feed to accessing servers using telnet, ftp, and E-mail techniques. Access to services ranging from Archie to WAIS are described in detail sufficient to guarantee first-time success. Members of the Internet community will want to keep this practical handbook.

Mail on the Internet comes in many shapes, from the simple transmission of text to multimedia films. The Internet Message by Marshall T. Rose is an in-depth look at E-mail— its transport and its format. Even if you never have to write or maintain a secure multimedia mail application, Rose's book is handy for deciphering problems when things go wrong. Although it's packed with technical data, this book maintains a light, readable tone, making it suitable for those who simply want to know how the world works.

—Raymond GA Cote

IMPRESSIVE SEARCHING

The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia for Macintosh, DOS, or Windows/MPC,

Grolier Electronic Publishing, Sherman Tpk., Danbury, CT 06816, (203) 797-3530

Here's the Academic American Encyclopedia, all 21 volumes, on a single CD-ROM. The "1992 edition" (internal evidence hints at a 1990 cutoff) claims some 7000 new or revised articles; many new images, monochrome or color; motion-video sequences (i.e., film clips) of such events as the first space-shuttle launch; animated sequences to explicate global matters like weather, the human body, and the solar system; and a Timeline and a Knowledge Tree, both of which we'll come to. Only DOS and Macintosh versions support the motion-video feature, only Macintosh and Windows/MPC the animation.

As encyclopedias go, Grolier's, print or CD-ROM, is about average. One entry begins, "A bed is a piece of furniture on which persons sleep or rest," and must thereafter struggle to justify its presence. (Whoever will look up bedl) There's an overall looseness—T. S. Eliot did not "decide" to stay in England permanently in 1914; he was stranded there by the war—offset by occasional crisp authority, as in the "fractal geometry" entry.

Which brings us to one advantage of CDROM searching. Scan through the book version C D

the only way you can, by article title, and you'll not find "Mandelbrot, Benoit." But go to the CD-ROM version's first menu, which has five options; choose the first, Word Search; type "Mandelbrot"; and you'll quickly find that he's present again and again, notably in "fractal geometry," but in other entries as well. If you'd just this morning happened on the wordfractal, Grolier Multimedia would be a quick and effective way to acquire a sense of its scope. Word Search produces every instance of any word you type, save for 134 deemed too common to matter.

Other options on that first menu include Browse Article Titles, Knowledge Tree, Timeline, and Multimedia. Knowledge Tree is "a hierarchical list of topics," something that's fascinated savants since the late seventeenth century. The first stab here is, The Arts, Geography, History, Science, Society, Technology. Select Science to get a submenu, a lot of sciences starting with astronomy.... You see the idea. As for Timeline, it comes up telling you that in 40,000 B.C., Cro-Magnon man (i.e., Homo sapiens) was active in Europe and the Middle East. You can just go paging down that list, or you can zero in on a date like 1914. Any of the items there will send you to an encyclopedia entry you might not have found. Thus, 1914 includes Chaplin, the article on whom branches to items like "slapstick" and "film, history of." You can even view those two on adjacent windows, even if you're in DOS instead of Windows. Not a bad knowledge engine, no, not at all. ROM —HughKenner

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 185

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SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

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Divide and Conquer

M

any programmers—even very good ones— would rather have their teeth pulled than face writing interrupt service routines. ISRs are demanding; writing them usually calls for knowledge of assembly language, multitasking, hardware, and sometimes special coding techniques. However, most programmers can handle those items reasonably successfully, or are willing to learn as part of taking on an ISR. The real roadblock is in the debugging phase.

Debugging is often a challenge in any kind of programming, but with non-interrupt-based code, you can usually get enough of the code running to get some clues that will help you narrow your focus. If the program crashes every time you read data from the disk, you'll figure out pretty quickly that you forgot to initialize the pointer to the data buffer. If your floating-point calculations are producing incorrect results, you don't need to bother looking at the screen-drawing code while searching for the problem.

ISRs are not quite so nice. Often the only clue provided is a complete system crash, with a cryptic message like "Stack Overflow." Once you've paid your dues and written a few ISRs, you'll have a better idea of how to interpret such gems. The learning curve, however, can be steep and painful.

Diagnostic Limitations

With mainline code, you can usually write diagnostics to the screen or a disk file (e.g., pr intf () or f pr intf ()).

It's best to follow a methodical approach when you are debugging interrupt service routines

In general, this is not possible in an ISR, either because of operating-system limitations (e.g., DOS is not reentrant, so an ISR cannot safely call video and disk I/O functions) or because of the time-critical nature of interrupts.

I remember a client calling me while trying to incorporate

into his program an ISR I had written. The program was crashing in my code, and we were trying to figure out what was wrong. I asked him to try to narrow down the exact place where the program was crashing.

"That's easy," he said. "It crashes during the printf ()."

"Ummm... what pr intf () is that?" I asked.

"Why, the printf () I put in your code to see if it was working, of course!"

Needless to say, once the offending printf () was eliminated, the program ran just fine.

These days, programmers are used to tools that perform much more sophisticated tasks than writing to the screen or to a file. Source-level debuggers let you step through your code, watching variables and catching side effects before they have a chance to be noticed as bugs. Sourcelevel debuggers are great, but some of the worst bugs in ISRs revolve around concurrency issues, and stepping through code on the interrupt usually doesn't give you an

ILLUSTRATION: EARL KELENY © 1993

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 187

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

LitMm

1: A complete ISR skeleton.

.DATA

int seg

dw 0 ;for DOS timer interrupt vector

int off

dw 0 ;segment and offset

int_used db 0 ;the interrupt number we are using

^counter dw 0 ;this can be used to test if ISR is

;accessing data properly

@curseg

ends

.CODE

;Here's the trick—we save the application's

;data segment in the code segment of the

;

interrupt handler, so the interrupt handler

;will know where to find it.

datsegst dw 0 /storage for data segment

Inthandier proc FAR ;This is the interrupt handier,

/capable of accessing data.

push

ds

push

ax

mov

ax,cs:datsegst ;note segment override!

mov

ds,ax ;now we have access to data

inc

counter ;just to prove we can do it

mov

al,EOI

out

20H,al ;send EOI to 8259 interrupt controller

pop

ax /restore registers

pop

ds

iret

;note special return instruction

Inthandier endp

GLOBAL Setint:proc

Setint

proc ;This function saves the vector for

;the interrupt to be changed and

;then points the vector at Inthandier.

;The interrupt number is in AL on

;entry to the function. This version

;saves the data segment for later use

;by the interrupt handler.

ARG

int requested:WORD

push

bp

mov

bp, sp

mov

al,int requested

mov

int used,al

push

ax ;save interrupt number

mov

ax,ds ;get the data segment,

;store in code segment

mov

ax,cs:datsegst ;note segment override!

POP

ax ;restore interrupt number

push

es

push

bx

cli

;disable interrupts

mov

ah,35H ;get the old vector from DOS

add

al,8

int

21H

mov

int off,bx ;and store it

mov

int seg,es

mov

dx,OFFSET Inthandier ;get offset of new

;vector

push

ds ;save the data segment

push

cs ;get code segment in data segment

pop

ds

mov

al,25h ;AL has vector no., AH has int no.

mov

al,int used

add

al,8

int

21h ;have operating system change vector

pop

ds ;now restore DS to proper state

sti

;enable interrupts

pop

bx

pop

es

pop

bp

ret

@curseg

ends

END

Listing 2: This C program sets the interrupt vector to point to your ISR and then looks to see if the ISR is correctly incrementing the variable.

#include <stdio.h>

#define TIMER_INT 0 //use timer interrupt for test, //since we know it's active

extern unsigned int counter;

main () ( Setint(TIMER_INT); // set interrupt vector

printf("\nPress any key to exit.\h\n");

while(ikbhit{))

printf("\ncounter - %u",counter));

Restoreint 0;

Listing 3: This small subroutine takes the values in AL andBL and puts them in a trace buffer each time it is called until the trace buffer is full. AL andBL were chosen arbitrarily for the sake of illustration; any desired variables or tokens can be written. You can use a circular buffer if needed.

TRACE_BUFF_SIZE BYTES PER WRITE

EQU EQU

4000 2

trace_buff db TEST_BUFF_SIZE DUP(OFFH) trace_buff_ptr dw OFFSET trace_buff trace_buff_end dw (OFFSET trace_buff + TRACE_BUFF_SIZE - BYTES PER WRITE)

@curseg

ends

.CODE

;Enter with first byte of data to be stored in AL ;and second byte in BL; keep writing data until ;buffer is full.

trace_data:

push di ;DI used as index into trace buffer

mov di, [trace_buff_ptr]

cmp

di,[trace buff end]

Dae

no more

mov

[di],al

inc

di

cmp

di, [trace buff end]

jae

no more

mov

[di],bl

inc

di

mov

[trace buff ptr],di

no more:

pop

di

ret

;Get place in trace

;buffer

;Make sure don't overrun

;Make sure don't overrun

dcurseg

BYTE • MARCH 1993

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SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

accurate idea of the order of events. Older chips (e.g., the 8086) don't let you trace on the interrupt, so sometimes source debuggers are not an option even for simple problems. Also, source debuggers don't usually help find problems related to the use of the interrupt hardware.

So what's a programmer to do? It would be nice if you could buy ICEs (in-circuit emulators), which provide all sorts of neat things, such as trace buffers, that can tell you exactly what instructions were executed in which order. However, ICEs can cost well into five figures. Most individual programmers and even small companies can't afford such equipment.

Tricks of the Trade

I started writing ISRs on machines with very primitive debugging capabilities, and, painful as those early experiences were, I learned some tricks that I still use, even when I have sophisticated hardware and software available to assist in debugging. The examples in this article are for Intel microprocessors, but the principles apply to almost any environment.

The first and most important technique I use is no stranger to believers in modular

programming. The strategy boils down to this: Divide and conquer. There are three basic areas of difficulty common to most ISRs: dealing with the interrupt mechanism itself (both the hardware and the operating system), getting access to your data, and debugging the actual functional code that runs on the interrupt. If you can get each of these three areas working independently, when you combine them you will have to worry only about problems introduced by their interaction.

Typically, there are four parts to dealing with the interrupt mechanism: telling the system to call your code when an interrupt happens, catching the interrupt when it occurs, returning control to the system, and making sure the normal interrupt vector is restored when your program exits.

Wherever possible in dealing with the interrupt mechanism, use operating-system services to avoid the need for debugging. For example, in MS-DOS, you can write directly to the interrupt vector table to set up your interrupt, or you can use INT 21 h services to get and set the vector. Programmers who decide to write directly to the interrupt vector table create programs that will not work as expected

under environments like Windows, which runs in protected mode and virtualizes memory. Save yourself trouble down the line, and do it the right way from the start. The best debugging is the debugging you never have to do.

Next, write an ISR that consists of the absolute minimum of instructions—just a return, if possible. Remember to use the right kind of return; on Intel systems, the mnemonic is IRET. On IBM PCs and compatibles, you will also need to send an End Of Interrupt signal to the interrupt controller. (See listing 1 for a complete, if tiny, ISR skeleton for the IBM PC.) Then write the code needed to set the appropriate interrupt vector to point to your ISR. Even if you can't use your source debugger on the ISR itself, you should be able to use it to double-check that you're passing the correct address and selecting the correct interrupt.

Now run the code. If nothing seems to happen, you probably got it right. Next, try loading in another program. If the system crashes, you almost certainly changed the interrupt vector successfully. Now you must change it back to the original vector before exiting your program.

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SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

If your tiny program crashes, you have to find out whether the problem lies with the way you are altering the interrupt vector or with the ISR itself. Usually there is some way you can find out whether your ISR is being executed—for example, by writing a character directly to screen memory, if your ISR is being called, then the problem is almost certainly in the code being executed in the ISR. Double-check to make sure you have saved every register you use, including the flags if the micro

processor doesn't save them; triple-check to make sure you have restored all registers in the proper order. If you are calling a function in a high-level language, make sure all registers get saved before the call and restored after the call. Better yet, eliminate all calls to external functions until you are sure they are not the source of the problem.

It is realistic to expect to have to reboot frequently while getting your first ISR running, especially while working on setting

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up the interrupt mechanism. If you don't have to reboot quite a few times on your first ISR, you're doing a lot better than I did on my first one.

The Next Step

Once your program can set up and restore the interrupt vector and execute an interrupt without crashing, the worst is over. Now you can start working on the second area of basic difficulty: accessing your data.

With the old 8-bit processors, it was easy: Memory was limited to 64 KB of absolute address space. Both 16- and 32-bit processors usually use some form of relative addressing—for example, segmentrelative addressing on the Intel chips or address register-relative addressing on Motorola chips. Motorola chips offer the option of absolute addressing, but there are penalties in both code size and execution speed, so most systems use relative addressing.

The trick is getting your data's base address (usually referred to as the segment or selector with Intel microprocessors). When you enter an interrupt, the only registers you can count on are the ones that point to the current instruction. There are two ways of getting a base data address: You can store it at a known absolute address or at a known offset to the current instruction.

Storing something at an absolute address is fine if you are sure you're the only one that will ever be using the system. That leaves out almost all PCs. since, even if you are not actively multitasking, you have to make sure you don't step on the operating system or a TSR program. In fact, this option is mainly viable for embedded systems.

Fortunately, storing the data at a known offset from the ISR's first instruction is relatively simple. The exact details vary with different chips and compilers, but listing 1 shows one way (of several possible ways) to accomplish this under MSDOS.

The next step is to make sure that your ISR works and that you really can get at your data. Listing 2 shows a small test program, again for MS-DOS, that simply increments a variable on each interrupt, with some mainline code that prints the variable to the screen. If the variable is being incremented, your code is correct; if not, make sure you're using the correct base data address.

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether there is a problem with the base data address or whether your ISR is simply not being executed. In this situation, here is a useful trick: Set up your ISR to replace an ISR that you know is being called (on a PC,

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the timer interrupt is ideal). If nothing changes, you are probably missing the data. If the data is now being accessed, the interrupt that you were using before is not being generated.

At this point, note what you've accomplished: All the interrupt-related issues have been isolated (well, most of them; more about that later), and you can proceed to the third basic area—debugging the functional code—without worrying about the interrupt.

Defensive Programming

Several other common trouble spots are best dealt with through defensive programming. First, since the interrupt occurs asynchronously, you must be absolutely certain that you save and restore all registers. Normally, you make assumptions about registers: For example, AX (or DO) is not preserved across function calls. Interrupts are a different story. They can happen at any time, between any two instructions, and if they trash a register, the

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results are unpredictable.

Second, on most systems, especially IBM PCs, interrupt code needs to execute quickly and get out of the way. Several problems can occur when one interrupt interrupts an ongoing interrupt; the most severe is a system crash, but none of them is fun. Avoid complex calculations (e.g., floating point) during interrupts. Pass the values to the mainline code to do the slow stuff. If possible, avoid high-level languages and stick with assembly language for ISRs. You'd be surprised at just how inefficient C can be.

Again, practice defensive programming. Debugging the problems that arise from a slow ISR can be difficult, so avoid the situation. There's still a place for tight, fast code, even in this power-glutted age.

I find it useful to write the functional code for an ISR so that it can be called from mainline code. In this way, I can step through it before it is running on the interrupt, to catch bugs and side effects when it's still easy to do so. Just make sure that your code is not also being executed by the ISR while you're stepping through it from mainline code, or you'll hopelessly confuse your debugger.

Other Snags

Usually, once the basic pieces of your ISR are working correctly, you're finished. Sometimes, however, problems arise involving coordination between the ISR and the mainline code. The ISR may access a variable before it is set to the correct value, or the mainline code may alter the variable before the ISR has a chance to do what it needs to do with the old value. These concurrency problems can be very hard to debug, and source-level debuggers don't always help, because they can alter the order of events. I suggest two techniques for solving these classic real-time bugs.

Say you need to know the value of a variable during the first execution of the ISR. Simply have the ISR copy the variable into another memory location, and have the mainline code display the copy.

Even if you don't have an ICE, you can roll your own software trace buffer. Set up a circular buffer, and write data and tokens to it that you can examine later to see just what happened during interrupt processing. You can often find subtle order-ofexecution problems by carefully examining this buffer. You can use the buffer to accumulate information during processing, and then you can print it to the screen or write it to disk and examine the information at your leisure. Listing 3 demonstrates this technique.

I recently used this technique while I

194 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 147 on Inquiry Card.

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was writing a Windows device driver. I could step through the code and everything would work fine, but when the code ran in real time, something went awry. The code was complex: Data was passed to the driver in a series of buffers of varying sizes, copied in small chunks into other buffers, and then sent via interrupt-driven DMA to a peripheral board. Both the mainline and interrupt code used the key functions, and everything had to happen in the right order. It was impossible to tell the order of execution by any conventional means, so I added a software trace buffer and wrote tokens to it that indicated the order in which functions executed. Once I had the tokens to examine, finding the problem was simple.

Debugging Tools

My emphasis in this article has been on worst-case debugging—routing out the nasty little critters when normal techniques won't help. If your equipment allows you to use a source-level debugger, then by all means do so. You can find some fairly inexpensive hardware and software tools that will help, too. I work almost entirely on IBM PCs, so the list I give here won't

help much if you work on Macs or Sun workstations, but it may give you some ideas.

One of my favorite tools is the breakout switch, which causes an NMI (nonmaskable interrupt). You need software that patches the NMI vector to point to debugging code; then, when the machine hangs, you can hit the switch and find out what code was executing. Periscope makes a great hardware/software combination with a breakout switch that lets you pop into any executing code.

Both Periscope and Nu-Mega provide software that—when running on a 386 or higher processor with adequate RAM— performs many of the functions of an ICE, including complex breakpoints and trace buffering of code that has executed. This kind of tool is almost indispensable if you write a lot of ISRs. Nu-Mega also sells a tool that will spot out-of-bounds memory accesses. That's handy for finding uninitialized pointers in mainline code and ISRs alike.

If you have the money, Periscope also makes a board that contains a trace buffer that errant code can't overwrite. With this board, you have almost all the function

ality of a true ICE at significantly lower cost.

A true ICE lets you do more than just buffer instructions. It can also keep track of exactly what is happening on the bus and at selected other points in your system. However, most of the time you will not need this information for debugging ISRs; it's mainly needed for hardware development.

The time will come, though—no matter what debugging hardware and software you own—when you won't be able to find a way to trace the problem through ordinary means. That's when you need to apply the fundamental rule of dividing the problem into its component parts and then use your ingenuity to find out what is going wrong. ■

Editor's note: The complete listings for this article are available in electronic format. See page 5 for details.

Thomas Jeffries is president of Singing Electrons, a Lope:, Washington, company specializing in developing multimedia audio tools and products. You can reach him on BIX as "(Jeffries."

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Which computer guru founded Dial-a-Joke?

■ •

Now's your chance to stump the experts with the most intriguing, funny, just downright strange computer trivia you can think of. It's the 1993 Computer Bowl, being held on May 14, 1993 in San Jose. California. Two teams made up of industry notables go head to head in this grueling competition. The examiner is again Bill Gales (who on his days off runs a small company in Washington state). So submit as many questions as you want, but do it soon — only a select number are chosen. If we use one. we'll list you in the 1993 Computer Bowl program and you'll get a videotape of the whole event. Send your questions — and answers — in advance to: The Computer Bowl Project Manager. The Computer Museum, 300 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210. And think hard. Mr. Gates is waiting.

For sponsorship and ticket information, call (617) 426-2800 x346

Answer: Let's |ust say he co-founded another company named after fruit.

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Bow/

196 BYTE • MARCH 1993 Circle 220 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 221).

/

UNDER THE HOOD

ROGER C. ALFORD

CD-ROM

Inside and Out

Technology advancements, new standards, and improved software are propelling CD-ROM toward widespread acceptance among personal computer users. But while the impact of CD-ROM technology is clear (see "Start the Presses," February BYTE), the underlying technology and standards can be confusing. Knowing how typical CD-ROM drives work and what standards such as ISO 9660 and CDROM XA (Extended Architecture) mean should help anyone who's shopping for a CD-ROM drive.

CD technology was developed in 1976, the result of a joint effort between N. V. Philips of the Netherlands and Sony Corp. of Japan. This led to the 1982 Red Book specification for CD audio, which defined media size and characteristics, physical data layout on the disc, error correction, disc rotation speed, and other parameters.

The potential application of CD-ROM technology as a high-capacity, low-cost medium for read-only data storage resulted in the 1983 Yellow Book CD-ROM specification. While the basic technology remains the same as that for CD audio, CD-ROM data requires greater data integrity: A corrupt bit that's not noticeable during audio playback becomes intolerable with computer data. In addition to the Red Book CIRC (cross-interleaved ReedSolomon code) standard for audio CDs, the Yellow Book specification dedicates more bits for EDCs (error-detection codes) and ECCs (error-correction codes).

Other CD-ROM specifications have followed, including the Green Book CD-I (Compact Disc Interac

tive) specification, which allows for interleaved audio and video data, and the upcoming Orange Book specification, which governs the new CD-R (CD recordable) drives.

Here's how CD-ROM drives work, how CD-ROM discs store data, and what the standards mean

CD-ROM Basics

A standard CD-ROM disc measures 120 millimeters (4.72 inches) across and has a 15-mm (0.6-inch) spindle hole in the center and a thickness of 1.2 mm. Unlike conventional disks, which have concentric circular tracks divided into sectors, CD-ROM discs have a single spiral track, as a record does, that starts near the center and spirals outward (see figure 1). This 3-mile-long track is divided into equal-length sectors, or blocks. The track width is about 600 nanometers wide, and adjacent turns of the spiral track are about 1600 nm apart, for a density of about 16,000 turns per inch.

Data on the spiral track is in the form of small, variablelength, 120-nm-deep depressions called pits and intervening flat areas called lands. The CD-ROM's read head—an optical assembly with a low-power gallium arsenide laser and a photodetector—reads the pits and the lands. The assembly directs the laser beam through a one-way reflective mirror to the disc's surface (see figure 2). The lands reflect light from the laser; the pits disperse it. The reflective mirror redirects the returning light to a photodiode. continued

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UNDER THE HOOD

CD-ROM VS. MAGNETIC

Sector 1

S^tor 2 ; Sector 0 seof *- ''°'

Z Sector

Sector 3

Sector 4

Track 0 Track 1 Track 2 Track 3

Figure 1: CD-ROM discs use a continuous spiral track that has sectors of equal length (left). Magnetic hard disks organize data into concentric circular tracks and divide the tracks into sectors of varying sizes (right). This design has a marked effect on performance.

The disc itself consists of a transparent polycarbonate substrate onto which the manufacturer impresses a pattern of lands and pits. A reflective aluminum or aluminum-alloy film covers the substrate, followed by a coat of protective lacquer and the vendor's label (see figure 3). The drive reads the disc from the bottom, through the polycarbonate substrate. This tough plastic material, which is also used for bulletproof windows, is unharmed by exposure to direct sunlight.

CD-R

Probably the most exciting—and certainly the most technologically advanced— area of recent CD-ROM development is CD-R. Philips and Sony laid the foundation for this technology, which was introduced under the guise of the Orange Book (Part 2) specification. Also called CD-WO (write once), CD-R lets you write data to a specially manufactured writable disc. Any standard CD-ROM drive can read such a disc.

The Orange Book specification also includes a provision for appending information to a CD-R disc that already has information written on it, displacing the standard CD-ROM-mastering requirement that all information must be available from the start and applied to the disc simultaneously. Currently, however, a standard CD-ROM drive can read only the first session on a CD-R disc; subsequent sessions must be read on the CD-R drive that was used to create the disc.

A writable CD-R disc consists of the same polycarbonate substrate and spiral

groove that are present on standard CDROM discs. But instead of having an aluminum coating, the groove on a CD-R disc is covered with an organic-dye recording layer, followed by a layer of gold and a lacquer coating. Once the lacquer layer is scratched, the dye and gold layers on CDR discs are more susceptible to damage than the aluminum layer on conventional CD-ROM discs.

Dye selection is critical to the successful operation of CD-R. The dye must exhibit the same nominal 70 percent reflectivity as the lands on standard CD-ROM discs, and it must be laser-alterable to a nonreflective (i.e., light-dispersion) state. Long-term stability is also important, since discs in the hands of consumers are subjected to scratches, temperature extremes, and exposure to direct sunlight.

The components of a CD-R drive read/ write head are essentially the same as those of a standard CD-ROM drive head. The CD-R head, however, has a higher-powered laser for burning data pits. The laser power required varies with the disc's rotational speed. To perform faster write operations, the disc must spin faster; thus, it requires a higher-power laser with shorter pulses. CD-R drives use the laser in lowpower mode to read discs.

The preformed groove on a writable CD disc—which is 600 nm wide and 100 nm deep—is used for tracking purposes. Since the virgin state of the dye-on-gold is reflective (like CD-ROM lands), the laser is used to alter the dye so that it disperses light instead of reflecting it. This creates areas that look like CD-ROM pits. This

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UNDER THE HOOD

approach allows the drive to create a disc that, optically speaking, has the same lands and pits as a standard CD-ROM disc and thus can be read by an ordinary CD-ROM drive. While the CD-R head assembly has more components, the path from laser to photodiode is essentially the same as for a standard CD-ROM drive.

Data Organization

The lands and pits on a CD-ROM disc do not represent ones and zeros. The reason is complex to explain. Briefly, each bit requires about 300 nm of length along the spiral track. Thus, if a sector had 2048 data bytes consisting of all zeros or ones, then it would have a pit or land measuring 4,915,200 nm or longer. The CD-ROM drive would have to maintain a precise clock that ticked at an interval representing 300 nm in distance so the next bit could be read at the right time. That's virtually impossible with today's technology.

Instead, designers limited the length of the pits and lands to a specified range. This ensures that a transition from one to the

c,

'D-R is the most exciting and technologically advanced area of recent CD-ROM development.

other occurs frequently enough for the CDROM drive to derive a clock. The drive uses this clock to count the number of bits a pit or land represents, as determined by its length. The bits are stored on the disc in RLL (run length limited) format—the same self-clocking approach used for storing data on most hard disks.

Each transition on a disc between a land and a pit represents a one, and each nontransition represents a zero. The minimum practical length of a pit or land is 3 bits (900 nm); the maximum is 11 bits (3300 nm). It's important to note that the 3-bit minimum precludes having two consecutive one bits (i.e., two back-to-back transitions). In other words, you must have at least two, but not more than 10, zero bits

200 BYTE • MARCH 1993

UNDER THE HOOD

THE CD-ROM DRIVE HEAD ASSEMBLY

Standard CD-ROM drive

CD-R drive

Photodiode

r-i__r~i_rl

. ' ■ -~

■Disc

Collimator lens

Objective lens

One-way reflective mirror

Quarter-wave plate

Photodiode

Cylindrical lens

Laser

Collimator lens

si Objective lens

Polarizing beam splitter

Grating

Condenser lens

Laser

Figure 2: In standard CD-ROM and CD-R drives, a laser beam passes through a one-way mirror or polarizer and a set of lenses on its way to the disc. Reflected light passes through the lenses and is redirected to a photodiode.

between one bits.

However, a byte of data stored on disc might have combinations of eight ones and zeros that violate the 3-bit minimum, and multiple consecutive bytes could result in bit patterns that exceed the 11 -bit upper limit. To solve this problem, CD-ROM drives use an encoding scheme that converts data bytes into 14-bit patterns called channel bits. A 14-bit binary value provides 16,384 bit patterns; more than 256 of these meet the requirements for the CDROM encoding format. A one-to-one correlation is then made between each of the 256 binary patterns represented by an 8-bit byte and 256 of the channel bits that meet the CD-ROM formatting requirements. This method, called EFM (eight-to-14 modulation), requires a lookup table to correlate the 14-bit patterns on the disc to their 8-bit data values.

While the use of these 14-bit codes generally supports the criteria for CD-ROM data storage, it also creates a potential problem. When you place multiple 14-bit codes consecutively on disc, it's possible to violate the run-length limits where the codes meet. To alleviate this problem, three merging bits are placed between each 14bit code to ensure that no run-length violations exist.

Standard CD-ROM sectors consist of 2352 bytes organized as shown in figure 4: 12 bytes of synchronization data, followed by a 4-byte header, 2048 bytes of errorcorrected data, and a 288-byte segment for ECCs/EDCs.

The sector header consists of three sector-address bytes and a mode byte. Three sector modes are defined for standard CDROMs. A mode 0 sector contains all zeros

(this sector might represent a blank area in a line-art image). In mode 1, a sector contains 2048 bytes of data plus 288 bytes of ECCs/EDCs. Mode 2 sectors contain 2336 bytes of uncorrected data. If you use the last 288 bytes for data instead of ECCs/EDCs, the amount of data per sector increases to 2336 non-error-checked bytes. This is normally reserved for data that is insensitive to occasional errors, such as

CD-ROM DISC COMPOSITION

Protective layer

Reflective

aluminum layer

Pregroove

PC substrate

CD-ROM

CD-R

Protective layer

Reflective

gold layer

Dye recording layer

Pregroove

PC substrate

Figure 3: In a standard CD-ROM disc, a manufacturer impresses a pattern of lands and pits into a transparent polycarbonate substrate, which is backed with a reflective aluminum fdm, a coat of lacquer, and the vendor's label. The drive reads the disc from the bottom, through the substrate. The substrate layer on a CD-R disc is coated with an organic-dye recording layer, a gold layer, and a lacquer coating.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 201

UNDER THE HOOD

CD-ROM SECTOR ORGANIZATION

0-11 13-15 16-2063 2064-2351

Synchronization (12 bytes)

Header (4 bytes)

Data (2048 bytes)

ECC/EDC or data

(288 bytes)

2352 bytes

Figure 4: A typical CD-ROM disc sector can contain either 2048 bytes of errorcorrected data or 2336 bytes of uncorrected data. Dispensing with error correction (which is recommended only for more tolerant audio or video data) expands the disc capacity by more than 50 MB.

digitized audio and video data. For sensitive data, mode 1 error detection is very effective: The likelihood of an undetected error is about 10'", or about 1 bit per 2 quadrillion CD-ROM discs.

As with audio CDs, CD-ROM discs are generally made using a 60-minute spiral consisting of 270,000 sectors. These discs can, however, be made using up to a 74minute spiral, with 333,000 sectors. The additional 14 minutes are located on the outer 5 mm of the disc. This area is the hardest to record well and keep clean, so it is often left unused.

Manufacturers cite widely varying CDROM disc capacities. It all depends on whether they are using 270,000 or 333,000 sectors and how they perform the calculations. A 270,000-sector CD-ROM disc with 2048 bytes (2 KB) of corrected data per sector has a capacity of 552,960,000 bytes. Some manufacturers round this off to 552 MB or divide by 1 KB (1024 bytes) and round it off to 540 MB. The correct method is to divide by 1 MB (1,048,576 bytes), for a total of about 527 MB of error-corrected data. If you use uncorrected sectors (2336 bytes per sector), the capacity increases to 601 MB. Using 333,000 sectors per disc, the 681,984,000 bytes on an error-corrected disc add up to 650 MB of usable storage, or 742 MB without error correction.

ISO 9660

While the Yellow Book specification now exists to detail the low-level organization of sectors and data on a CD-ROM disc, early CD-ROMs were fraught with system-level incompatibilities because no standard existed for a file structure or higher-level data organization. In response, an ad hoc group of companies, known as the High Sierra Group, defined today's de facto CD-ROM file-format structure.

The High Sierra format quickly became the standard for CD-ROM data storage

and established a high level of intersystem compatibility for CD-ROM discs. The ISO adopted it in 1988, with minor modifications, as ISO 9660. ISO 9660 is the least common denominator for CD-ROM discs. It offers interoperability at the expense of platform-specific file-system features, such as the Mac's data and resource forks.

A new standard, called the Frankfurt specification, will eventually augment the Orange Book specification. It will support Unix, OS/2, Macintosh, and Windows NT file-system conventions, as well as incremental update (i.e., multisession) capability for CD-R drives. It won't, however, be compatible with today's CD-ROM software.

Drive Mechanics

The data bits on a CD-ROM disc must pass under the read head at a constant rate, known as CLV (constant linear velocity). Because the sectors on the outer and inner edges of the disc are the same length (see figure 1), achieving a CLV requires changing the rotational speed of the disc as the head position changes. As the head moves farther away from the center, the rotational speed slows; if it didn't, the bits on the outer edge of the disc would go past the read head about three times faster than those near the center. In contrast, conventional hard disks operate at a constant angular (i.e., rotational) velocity, or CAV; as a result, the physical sector sizes grow longer as the tracks get farther from the center.

The CD-ROM optical head assembly stays a relatively long (1-mm) distance away from the disc, virtually eliminating the possibility of a head crash. The read/ write heads of conventional hard disks, in comparison, float a fraction of a micrometer over their disk platters—more than 2000 times closer.

While head crashes are rare, dust is a

problem for CD-ROM drives. The guts of a CD-ROM drive are exposed to the outside world each time the user inserts or removes a disc. Accumulating dust on the optical head assembly can reduce the effectiveness of the laser or the photodiode and can cause drive performance to deteriorate or even fail.

Some drive vendors use double doors to minimize the entry of dust into the drive. Others incorporate an automatic laser lens cleaner that dusts off the optical head assembly each time the user ejects a disc. Not all CD-ROM drives have a dust-protection mechanism, however.

Drive Performance

The performance of a CD-ROM drive is measured in access time, which is the average amount of time it takes the read head to reposition itself to a new location on the disc and start reading the data. Older drives required as much as a second or longer to perform this operation, while modern drives accomplish this task in well under 400 milliseconds.

Most CD-ROM drives share the same nominal 150-KBps data transfer rate to conform with the Yellow Book's 75-sector-per-second data read-rate specification. This makes access time all the more significant in differentiating the performance of CD-ROM drives—much more so than with conventional hard disks.

CD-ROM drive access times are very large (i.e., slow) when compared to the sub-20-ms access times of most hard drives. The sheer bulk of a CD-ROM optical head's assembly is one limiting factor. Hard drive read heads are small and light, while the laser, lenses, and other CD-ROM head-assembly hardware make it difficult for a CD-ROM's optical head to move quickly.

A more significant performance obstacle is the drive's variable rotation speed. The rotation speed must change depending on the sector being read and its position relative to the center of the disc. The drive might hit the brakes to slow the disc speed to access data at the outer edge of the disc and then go full tilt to access data on an inner track. This whipsaw effect—changing disc speed and then waiting for the desired speed change before a read can occur—is the single greatest contributor to a CD-ROM drive's relatively slow access time.

To accommodate multimedia applications, drives with faster data transfer rates have appeared on the market in the past year that offer nearly double the standard 150-KBps rate. Multidisc subsystems offer nearly four times the standard data transfer

rate. continued

202 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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UNDER THE HOOD

Faster data transfer rates are accomplished by spinning the disc faster; thus, these faster drives must incorporate heftier motors to quickly accelerate and decelerate the rotation speed of the disc at these higher rpms. Typically, these drives also support the conventional 75-sector-persecond read rate for backward compatibility for playing audio CDs.

To create a smoother—and effectively faster—data transfer rate, some CD-ROM drives incorporate a RAM cache. This al

lows read-data buffering while the drive sends data to the host processor.

Mixed Media

While standard CD-ROM discs can mix text, audio, and video, synchronization is often disappointing because the data isn't interleaved. One of the first enhanced incarnations of CD-ROM to address this problem was the 1986 Philips/Sony CD-I, or Green Book, specification.

Unlike standard CD-ROM drives, which

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operate as a computer peripheral, CD-I specifies a complete system, with an integrated computer and NTSC output. One of its most significant enhancements over standard CD-ROM technology is the ability to interleave audio and video information for synchronized playback. CD-I defines a CD-ROM drive's mode 2 sector type with an 8-byte subheader to support additional data types, including interleaved audio and video data.

CD-I calls for a Motorola 68000 processor using the OS-9 RTOS (real-time operating system). The use of an RTOS is necessary to achieve the functional concurrency that is the key to CD-I operation: audio output, video output, and disc accesses occurring simultaneously.

CD-I also incorporates the MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) video compression standard. With an MPEG decompression chip operating in a CD-I drive, video data can be decompressed and sent to the host processor on the fly. Compressing video data frees up storage capacity and effectively increases the playback data transfer rate by outputting more decompressed pixels per sector than a standard uncompressed sector can hold. CD-I does not currently support audio compression.

DVI

DVI was originally developed by General Electric/RCA's Sarnoff Labs and appeared, like CD-I, in 1986. Intel bought the technology in 1987 and announced an Intel/IBM joint venture to exploit the technology in 1989.

DVI is a computer-based peripheral. It's not a complete system, but it is otherwise similar to CD-I. DVI supports interleaved audio and video data for synchronized playback and incorporates video data compression. Running on 80x86-based PCs prevents DVI from using the OS-9 RTOS found in CD-I. Instead, DVI uses its own real-time executive that takes over system resources to accomplish audio-/video-/discaccess concurrency.

Intel developed a special 750 video processing chip set that performs real-time video compression and decompression operations for IBM's 750-based DVI controller board, the ActionMedia H The IBM board can both play and develop (i.e., premaster) DVI applications.

Intel is working on a special version of its 486 processor that supports DVI. The availability of the new device was uncertain as this article went to press, but it might be on the market by the time you read this. Such a device could allow more economical DVI computers to be produced without external plug-in boards like IBM's

204 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 127 on Inquiry Card.

EXCEED THE LIMITS OF X TERMINAL EMULATION

Turn your PC into an X station.

WithHCL-eXceed/W PC X server software, Hummingbird allows you to live in two worlds: DOS/MS-Windows and X Windows/UNIX.

Imagine being able to move both text and images between UNIX hosts and your DOS PC. It's as simple as copying and pasting from one window of your PC screen to another.

Discover other innovative capabilities of HCLreXceed/W.

■ Launch Pad menuing facility

■ Telnet and FTP applications

■ Xll R5: support for scalable fonts, font servers, XDMCP security

■ Xstart — X client program starter

■ Xtrace — protocol tracing facility

■ single window and multiple window mode

■ supports 15 different TCP/IP transports and DECnet

■ supports up to 16 million colors

■ plane mask support

X Development Tools

HCL-eXceed/W now includes the Xlib, Xt intrinsics, Xaw and Xmu libraries. This introduces a whole new dimension to PC X servers. Now you can use your PC as a low-cost workstation to develop and run X applications. You can also give other PCs and workstations access to these applications over the network.

HCL-eXceed/Wfrom Hummingbird. It's far more than X terminal emulation for PCs. And it's one of the family:

HCL-eXceedPius-A

DOS-based X server with a local window manager that supports EGA, VGA and SuperVGA.

HCL-eXceed HiRes - The

same as "Plus" but it also supports 8514A, XGA and TIGA 2 high resolution graphic standards.

HCL-eXtend — UNIX hostbased X clients for accessing DOS services.

HUMMINGBIRD COMMUNICATIONS LTD.

For the name of your closest reseller, please contact:

2900 John Street, Unit 4, Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 5G3

Telephone: (416)470-1203, Fax: (416)470-1207

In Europe: 37-39 rue de Vermont, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Telephone: 41 (22) 733 18 58, Fax: 41 (22) 734 14 79

Circle 89 on Inquiry Card.

UNDER THE HOOD

ActionMedia II.

DVI supports FMV (full-motion video) at frame rates of up to 30 frames per second, at 512 by 482 pixels per frame. With video compression, a maximum of 72 minutes of high-quality FMV (or the equivalent amount of audio) can be placed on a single disc. With adequate processing power, DVI is also capable of supporting 24-bit color images at 1024 by 768 pixels and 30 fps.

CD-ROM XA

Philips, Sony, and Microsoft introduced CD-ROM XA in 1988. CD-ROM XA defines Microsoft's Level 2 standard for CDROM and multimedia applications. Like CD-I, CD-ROM XA supports interleaved audio and video data that can be played back in sync, but without the OS-9 RTOS requirement.

CD-ROM XA maintains the standard CD-ROM ISO 9660 file structure and 2048-byte error-corrected sectors. As with CD-I, you can add header information to support additional data types and interleave audio and video data. CD-ROM XA also supports up to 16 parallel audio channels.

CD-ROM XA does not yet support video compression, but it does support audio compression using ADPCM (adaptive differential pulse-code modulation). It supports four different audio-quality levels that trade off storage space for quality and allow the storage of up to 19 hours of audio on a single disc. To support the compressed audio data, either the CD-ROM XA drive or its controller must have an ADPCM chip that decompresses the data as it is read from the disc. CD-ROM XA is not yet widely supported.

Photo CD

Kodak's Photo CD is an interesting application of CD-R technology. The Photo CD system can compress and store up to 100 high-quality photographs digitally on a single disc.

Photo CD uses the same file format structure as CD-I and CD-ROM XA. To produce Photo CD discs, your local photo lab must purchase a Photo CD system.

Photo CD discs are readable on CDROM XA and CD-I devices with the appropriate software. They are not readable, however, on a standard CD-ROM drive. Kodak will also offer its own stand

alone Photo CD reader.

In addition, Kodak has developed its own variation on the CD-R disc. Its discs are similar to other writable discs, but Kodak adds an additional UV-curable durability coating on top of the lacquer layer to increase durability.

The Future

As the price of an entry-level CD-ROM drive has dropped into the $200 range, CD-ROM discs have increasingly become the preferred medium for distributing everything from operating systems to multimedia applications. The advent of CDR drives that have price tags of less than $10,000 is accelerating this trend by lowering the cost barriers to publishing CDROM discs.

Understanding CD-ROM drive designs and the evolving standards is a good place to start if you're looking for the right CDROM drive for your needs. ■

Roger C. Alford is a BYTE consulting editor and president of Programmable Designs, a Michigan-based electronics design firm. You can reach him on BIX as "rogera."

DATA COMPRESSION LIBRARIES™

PKWARE's* Data Compression Libraries™ allow software developers to add data compression technology to software applications. The application program controls all the input and output of data allowing data to be compressed or extracted to or from any device or area of memory.

• All Purpose Data Compression Algorithm Compresses Ascii or Binary Data Quickly with similar compression achieved by the popular PKzip software, however the format used by the compression routine is completely generic and not specific to the PKZIP file format.

• Application Controlled I/O and memory allocation for extreme flexibility.

• Adjustable Dictionary Size allows software to be fine tuned for Maximum Size or Speed.

• Approximately 35K memory needed for Compression, 12K memory needed for Extraction.

• Compatible with most popular Languages: C, C+ +, Pascal, Assembly, Basic, Clipper, Etc.

• Works with any 80x86 family CPU in real or protected mode. $295.00

• No runtime royalties.

RUNNING OUT OF EXPENSIVE DISK SPACE?

PKzip can help! PKzip compresses your files to free up disk space and reduce modem transfer time. You can compress a single file or entire directory structures with a single command. Compressed files can be quickly returned to their normal size with PKunzip.

Software developers can reduce the number of diskettes needed to distribute their product by using PKzip. Call for Distribution License information.

I

The included PKzip utility lets you store compressed files as a single self-extracting .EXE files that automatically uncompresses when run. Only $47.00

9025 N. Deerwood Dr.

Brown Deer, Wl 53223

(414)354-8699

Fax (414) 354-8559

206 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 131 on Inquiry Card.

IF LOGIC ALONE DOESN'T

CONVINCE YOU TO USE

PROGRESSJHEN HOW ABOUT

A LITTLE PEER PRESSURE?

1991 DATAPRO 1992 DATAPRO

DBMS USER SURVEY

PROGRESS

SOFTWARE SYBASE INFORMIX INGRES FOCUS ORACLE

Reliability

B.3

8.7

8.9

6.1

7.7

7.9

Ease of Use

3-1

8.2

8.2

8.2

7,9

7.6

Ea6e of Install/Upgrade

8.9

8.0

8.8

7.8

8,1

6.3

Price/Perform Return

9.1

8.3

8.5

7,9

8.1

7.4

FUNCTIONALITY

Flexibility

8.8

8.6

8.4

8.4

7.6

Interface Capabilities

8.9

8.4

8.1

8.7

7.4

Comprehensiveness

9.1

8.8

8.8

8.3

8.7

76

User Friendliness

7.7

8.3

8.1

7.5

7.0

OS Compatibility

96

8.4

8.9

9.0

8.8

7.5

PRODUCT SUPPORT

Documentation

9.0

8.2

8.6

7.4

6.2

6.8

Vendor Training

7.9

8.0

7.9

7.6

6.7

Problem Response Time

7.5

7.2

6.8

6.4

6.2

Quality of Vendor Support

9.0

7.8

7.5

7.4

6.9

7.2

Frequency of Releases

8.5

7.5

6.7

6.9

7.7

7.2

Response to User Request

8.8

7.5

7.8

7.6

7.0

6.5

OVERALL SATISFACTION

9.3

8.7

8.5

8.3

8.0

7.6

Compiled from the latest Datapro reports on DBMS/Computer System Series Software available for each product listed (for Informix, see Informix/SQL). All results are those of actual users of the product as surveyed by Datapro.

1991 VARBUSINESS 1992 VARBUSINESS

DBMS REPORT CARD

PROGRESS SOFTWARE BORLAND

PRODUCT FEATURES

1992 VARBUSINESS Software Report Card reprinted with permission.

Ease of use

.

6.87

6.80

6.00

Memory requirement

7 25

6.30

6.14

5.11

Ease of programming

8.87

6.74

6.79

6.37

Ability to manipulate dala

8.73

7.24

7.14

7.07

Sorting capabilities

8.59

7.24

7.21

7.58

Provision for software security

8.00

6,23

7.00

6.70

Report writing capabilities

7.64

6.54

6.59

6.50

Ease of use of interface

8.13

6.89

6.85

6.50

Software integration capabilities

8.09

6.92

7.20

6.15

Ease of data retrieval

8.89

7.26

7.65

7.04

Satisfaction with product profitability

7.98

6.61

6.79

5.19

Overall quality of product

3.87

6.97

7.35

6.71

PRODUCT FEATURES AVERAGE

8.32

6.82

6.96

6.41

SUPPORT FEATURES

Provision for customer support

? ::n

6.73

6.10

5.44

Charges for training time

6.91

5.79

5.56

4.71

Provision for technical support

7.57

6.14

6.00

5.15

Provision for marketing support

7.04

5.97

5.33

4.04

Documentation & product information

8.62

7.03

6.57

6.00

Frequency of updates & revisions

7.75

6.26

6.05

5.74

SUPPORT FEATURES AVERAGE

768

6.32

5.93

5 18

OVERALL AVERAGE

3.11

6.65

6.62

6.00

For the second consecutive year, Progress ment system that gives you the flexibility to resoundingly swept all 18 categories of the build and implement high performance VARBUSINESS Report Card. And for the fourth applications independent of platforms and year in a row, Progress came database systems. It even

out on top in the Datapro sur- LJLJf jf -j/"^fr~^0*S lets you deploy any applicaveys. Once again, users rated SOFTWARE t'on 'n k°trl multi-use1" and Progress superior to com- client/server environments. But

petitors on everything from strength of product don't take our word for it. Listen to a source to quality of service and support. Which is only far more convincing. Your peers. For survey logical, since Progress is the one develop- results or a test drive, call 1-800-4 Progress.

THE APPLICATION DEVELOPER'S CHOICE.

Progress applications are fully portable across the broadest spectrum of hardware platforms, operating systems, network protocols and user interfaces. So many, in fact, that we had to list them here in small type: aix,™ ctos, hp/ux,™ Novell* nlm, osf/i,® os/2,* os/400,™ unix® ultrix,™ vms,™

XENIX,® MICROSOFT* WINDOWS,™ X WINDOWS,™ DECnet,™ LAN MANAGER,™ neTBIOS,™ NOVELL* SPX/lPX, TCP/lP and SNA APPC LU 6.2. Also,

Progress lets you process information in other databases, including AS/400, c-isam,'u ct-isam,™ oracle, Rdb, and rms.

Circle 132 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 133).

SOFTWARE CORNER

BARRY NANCE

Automatic NetWare Log-Ins

Excuse me for hacking this month, but I have good reason. I needed to better understand the dialogue that occurs between Novell's LOGDM.EXE and a NetWare file server. I had to find out how to build a program that would log in a PC to a NetWare file server automatically, without human intervention.

With some disassembly of the NETX.COM program and some help from Terje Mathesen's NETWARE.PAS code from the lans conference on BIX, I untangled the rather convoluted sequence of events that occurs when the file server verifies your log-in password. This month's Software Corner entry is LOGON, a NetWare log-in utility with Pascal source code. LOGON.PAS is written in Turbo Pascal, and you can compile it with Turbo Pascal 3.0 or higher.

LOGON.COM accepts three parameters—server name, user ID, and password. On the version that I actually used for automatic logging, these parameters are hardcoded into the executable file. It almost goes without saying that treating the password as a command-line parameter is a bad idea security-wise. However, the Soft

MAC/Tom Thompson

How to log in

to NetWare from

your programs without

user interaction

ware Corner version of the program accepts these parameters so you can use it as is; you should strongly consider modifying my code and embedding your log-in parameters directly into source code.

Much of LOGON.PAS deals with uppercasing strings and handling the differences between Pascal strings and the zeroterminated strings the file server expects. LOGON.PAS also locates the entry in the server name table located in NETX.COM corresponding to the server name you specify. This lets LOGON set the correct preferred server before beginning the log-in sequence.

Both NetWare's LOGIN and my LOGON rely heavily on NetWare's undocumented FileServiceRequest() function. Subfunction 17hof FileServiceRequest () returns an encryption key that LOGON uses, along with a table of en

cryption keys in the Pascal source code, to encode the password for verification by the file server. Subfunction 18h of FileServiceRequest () actually performs the log-in. If by chance you run LOGON against an older version of NetWare (or the NetWare shell) that doesn't support encrypted passwords, LOGON reverts to using the LoginToFileServer () function that's documented in the DOS technical reference to NetWare system calls.

LOGON.PAS doesn't perform any drive mapping, nor does it attach to additional servers. For the unattended workstation I set up with an automatic log-in, I didn't need extra drives or servers beyond the defaults that NetWare provided. If you would like to map drives or attach to servers from within your code, you may want to get either Novell's DOS reference or my Network Programming in C (Que, 1990).

With the LOGON.PAS source code, you should be able to create unattended applications that can log in to any NetWare server. While the source code reveals how the NetWare encryption sequence works, you can't use it for breaking encrypted NetWare passwords. ■

Industrial-Strength Text Editing

BBEdit is a freeware text editor written by Rich Siegel that started life as a bare-bones text editor (hence the name). However, BBEdit has evolved into an industrial-strength text editor offering numerous features found in commercial software. BBEdit can open multiple files, compare differences between files, and search multiple files for text strings. For lengthy multifile searches, the search operation runs in the background, and it pops up a notification dialog box when it's done.

The editor window can display the time the file was last saved, and you can click on several icons to print a file, save it, change the quote style, or lock the text. When you save a file, you can choose the type of line breaks. For all these features, BBEdit takes up only 200 KB on disk and uses only 300 KB of RAM. (You'll have to allocate more RAM to work with bigger files.) BBEdit is an ideal companion for PowerBook users.

UNIX/Ben Smith

A Viewer for X Images

If you have an X Window System-based GUI and work with images, you need xv. This is a shareware graphical image viewer and translator for X systems.

You may already have xgif, the GIF file viewer that's often distributed with X. But there are some limitations to xgif. As John Bradley (the author of both) says: "xv probably wouldn't have been written were it not for all the abuse [I received] about the shortcomings of xgif."

Version 2.21 of xv will display GIF, PBM, PGM, PPM, XI1 bit map, and PM images on up to 32-bit X displays. You can correct color mapping, adjust gamma correction, rotate and crop images, and change the aspect ratio. Then you can save out to any supported format. The only shortcoming to xv is that it works with images at screen depth; in other words, if you have an 8-bit system, even 24-bit images will be saved at 8 bits.

Editor's note: Software Corner highlights public domain, freeware, and shareware programs. The programs are available electronically. See "Program Listings" on page 5 for details. We solicit your contributions. We pay $50 for any program we use. Write to: Software Corner, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.

208 BYTE • MARCH 1993

BEYOND DOS

BRUCE D . SCHATZMA

Next-Generation OLE

Although OLE has begun to change the way we build and use Windows software, its first incarnation hasn't been trouble-free. You can create systems of communicating applications, but doing so is not always seamless or intuitive. In OLE 1.0, there are several nuances and rules that users don't understand. Moreover, it stores and transmits object data inefficiently, so performance is not optimal. For developers, its large API and state transition logic make adding full OLE support to Windows applications a difficult task.

The forthcoming OLE 2.0 solves the first two of these problems. However, to make OLE-compliant applications more intuitive and faster, developers will be expected to digest a more complex programming model.

As usual, Microsoft is claiming that OLE 2.0 is an evolutionary technology. Although it's true that OLE 2.0 applications will talk to OLE 1.0 applications, OLE 2.0's long-term impact really will be revolutionary. It encourages a documentcentered model in which you focus primarily on your data, not on applications. When you're driving, you keep your eye on the road, not on the controls. OLE 2.0 aims to make computing a similarly natural, goal-directed activity.

New Features

For users, the most obvious new feature is in-place activation. That means you can double-click on an embedded object and edit or "play" the object without leaving the current window. The user-interface controls of the containing document's window merge with appropriate controls (i.e., menus, buttons, palettes, and toolbars) of the object's server application. When the embedded object loses focus, its server's controls vanish and the containing window reverts to its original appearance. This feature finally provides seamless integration of communicating applications. OLE 2.0 supports in-place activation

only for embedded objects. Double-clicking on linked objects results in the standard OLE 1.0 behavior—you are sent to a separate application window to interact with the object. Why? Links to an object may exist in more than one document. By requiring a separate window for editing, the system gently reminds you that ownership of the object extends beyond the boundaries of the current document.

Also new in OLE 2.0 is an enhanced drag-and-drop capability that works between or within application windows (or anywhere else a drop is accepted). Because OLE 2.0 supports nested objects, you can also drag objects into or out of other objects.

Another feature enables an OLE 2.0 ap

OLE 2.0 is faster and

simpler for users, but it's

trickier for developers

• '";■.'■ K. ;■_

&■

OLE 2 |

M i crosofi

El

plication to define a callable interface to certain internal functions that it chooses to export. Thus, you'll be able to control such an application from another program or a systemwide script language. The idea isn't a new one. Among today's Windows applications, those that can act as DDE servers are frequently controllable by DDE clients. Hewlett-Packard's NewWave defined a more formal API for doing this kind of thing. Microsoft is betting that the OLE 2.0 mechanism will find broader support than the NewWave API did.

As with NewWave, there will be degrees of support for OLE 2.0. You will have to learn to be discriminating when an application advertises OLE 2.0 compliance.

Still to Come

A number of features are described in the OLE 2 specification that will not be available in OLE 2.0. These include the following:

• an extended layout mechanism that supports irregularly shaped objects, not just rectangular ones

• property negotiation, so that an object can adapt its properties to those of its surrounding container

• string searches and spelling checks that "tunnel" inside objects within compound documents, and even within objects embedded in other objects

Tuning the Engine

OLE 2.0 has a new linking model that overcomes some of the limitations that are inherent in OLE 1.0. This model enables links to objects that exist only as embedded items in a document and are not stored as separate files. In OLE 1.0, you can link only to an object that lives in its own DOS file.

The new linking model also improves the persistence of links; that is, there are more ways to copy documents without breaking links. In OLE 1.0, objects are

ILLUSTRATION: JAMES KACZMAN C6) 1993

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 209

Circle 92 on Inquiry Card.

Rack & Desk

HANDS ON/BEYOND DOS

for muni

Chassis

XT/AT/286/386/486

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Integrand's unique packaging design uses modular construction. We have 3 basic models for ISA/EISA bus computers. Over 90 interchangable modules allow you to customize them to nearly any requirement. We make drive enclosures and rackmount keyboards too. Integrand offers high quality, advanced design hardware and strong support. Why settle for less ?

Rack & Desk Models

Accepts Most Motherboards and Passive Backplanes

Doesn't Look Like IBM

Rugged, Modular Construction Excellent Air Flow & Cooling

Designed to meet FCC

204 Watt Supply, UL Recognized

200 & 300 Watt Supplies, UL, CSA, TUV

Reasonably Priced

iM00

Rackmount Keyboards

Three Models: Drawer, Shelf, and Panel Reasonably Priced

Call or write for descriptive brochures, prices or applications assistance:

INTEGRAND

8620 Roosevelt Ave. • Visalia, CA 93291

209/651-1203

FAX 209/651-1353 We accept VISA and MasterCard

IBMX7/AT JM IBM • 28&3BmB6 7M INTEL Drives and compute' boards not included.

referenced by way of absolute hard-coded path names that aren't updated when documents move around within the file system. In OLE 2.0, a link persists if only the container document moves, the relative path between the container and the source object stays the same, or the container and object source file are located in the same directory.

To enable this primitive form of link tracking, OLE 2.0 invents a new object reference known as a moniker. A moniker is a pointer to an object, and it can be dereferenced whenever the object needs to be located. It's like the path name/object name of OLE 1.0, but it's extended to let applications reference objects nested within other objects. Monikers also support the ability to create interobject links within a document.

Moniker dereferencing works automatically, which simplifies the use of monikers from the programmer's perspective. Once you have an object's moniker, you can find it—even if it's nested several levels deep within another object.

Although the new linking model is an improvement, OLE 2.0 does not guarantee unbreakable links. That's a hard problem to solve efficiently because there are so many permutations involved with combining, nesting, and moving objects within a global namespace spanning directories, local file systems, and networks. Future technology will attack this problem, but don't expect a solution anytime soon.

OLE 2.0 also provides an optimized storage model that offers much more efficient use of RAM and better performance than OLE 1.0. In this new model, an object (or even part of an object) can be loaded from disk into memory only when you want to edit or manipulate the object. In OLE 1.0, all objects in a compound document load into memory in their entirety, regardless of whether you want to activate them.

The new storage model will cut down on RAM usage and significantly speed up the loading of large compound documents containing many objects. It also follows a transactional model that can commit or roll back edits that you make to an object.

Associated with this storage model is a new file format known as a docfile. Each docfile is actually a "file system within a file," and part of its structure was modeled after the DOS FAT (file allocation table). In addition to the application-specific contents of the file, docfiles therefore contain object hierarchy information that lets any application identify and enumerate all objects contained in the file. They also contain an extended set of file

properties (e.g., the file's author and a description of its contents).

OLE 2.0's performance will also benefit from the ditching of DDE as its IPC (interprocess communications) mechanism. Instead, OLE 2.0 uses a localized RPC (remote procedure call) protocol (in the spirit of Windows NT) to boost the throughput.

The Price of Progress

Naturally, Microsoft had to allow for backward compatibility with applications supporting OLE 1.0. To accomplish this, OLE 2.0 applications must implement a simple version-negotiation protocol that enables them to determine whether an object was created by an OLE 1.0 or OLE 2.0 server. To an OLE 2.0 client, an OLE 1.0 object simply appears as an OLE 2.0 object that does not implement any of the new OLE 2.0 features. Because of this, OLE 1.0 objects don't require any special treatment or handling, and they can be freely mixed with OLE 2.0 objects in the same document.

Unfortunately, OLE 2.0 doesn't offer developers the simple and intuitive model that it offers users. Programmers complained that OLE 1.0 was not easy to implement, and the situation has only worsened. The OLE 2 specification is over 330 pages long, and there are nearly 270 functions in the API. It will take several weeks of solid work before even highly qualified programmers begin to feel comfortable with the programming model. OLE V.O veterans will have a head start, but there is a lot of new ground to cover for even the most seasoned developers.

The ball will really start rolling when there are class libraries and development tools that can encapsulate the OLE 2.0 functionality. Such tools and libraries will greatly simplify OLE 2.0 programming and encourage less advanced developers to take the plunge into OLE development.

Complexity notwithstanding, a number of programmers have been actively coding with the OLE 2.0 SDK (Software Development Kit). The first generation of OLE 2.0 applications could be available as early as this summer. It will take time for ISVs (independent software vendors) to fully exploit OLE 2.0, though, so you shouldn't expect to see a large number of applications until the first quarter of 1994. By then, the move to document-centered Windows computing should be in full swing. ■

Bruce D. Schatzman is an independent systems consultant in Bellevue, Washington. You can reach him on BIX do "editors. "

210 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Unleash Your 486!

NDP Fortran is now six years old, yet people still call with 486 performance questions related to their use of 16-bit compilers. Therefore, we decided this was a good time to remake the case for 32-bit tools and languages.

To get full access to a386or486 requires that it be placed in 32-bit protected mode. This is done by 32-bit operating systems and some Extenders. Running in 32-bit protected mode increases the 486's segment size from 64 Kbytes to 4 Gigabytes and breaks the 640K DOS barrier. This makes it possible to access

386,486 and i860 Compilers

Microway's NDP family of 32-bit compilers generate globally optimized mainframe quality code that runs on the 386, 486 and i860. They require the use of 32-bit operating systems such as OS/2, UNIX, Xenix, Solaris, Coherent DESCview/X and DPMI and VCPI DOS Extenders.

NDP Fortran,m is a full F77 with F66, DOD, VMS and MS extensions. NDP CICtm++ includes a full C compiler that runs in both K&R and ANSI modes plus a C++ compiler that is Release 2.1 compliant. NDP Pascal'"1 is a full ISO Level 1 Pascal with BSD extensions that can interface the NDP C runtime libraries. NDP Language Pricing Coherent versions use the Coherent tools and

supportthex87family $295

MS-DOS versions include a VCPI virtual memory DOS Extender, a DPMI interface layer, support for the x87 and Weitek coprocessors, NDPLink, NDPLib and GREX our DOS graphics library. The 486 version adds 486 code generation, royalty free DPMI and VCPI plus ClearView, Microway's symbolic debugger.

386 Release $595

486 Release $995

OS/2 releases include x87 support, a WorkFrame interface and our 486 extensions. These tools work with the IBM Linker. CIC++ includes the portions of the IBM Tool Kit needed to interface the PM API's

$695

UNIX/Xenix 386/486 use the native tools on the system in question. V.3 and V.4 versions

are available $1195

DESQvlew/X $1195

Coprocessors

Weitek 4167 25/33$350/$795 3167$200/250

Cyrix D8733/40..$99/129 S87..$79 EMC$250

Intel 387SX..$80 387DX..$85 287..$80

OverDrive25MHz$475..33MHz$675

arrays larger than 64K using the 486's 32-bit "flat" model, which runs 2 to 4 times faster than the huge model employed by 16-bit compilers. 32-bit tools also simplify ports. Programs written for mainframes often assume that integers and pointers are 32-bits long or depend on binary representations, especially when written in Fortran 66 and C. Our 32-bit NDP compilers eliminate porting headaches by providing the extensions you need to recompile your VMS, VS, Crayand MScodes. Wealsosell the IMSL, NAG and VAST II tools that frequently get bundled with mainframes.

i860 Supercomputers

QuadPuter-860The world's most cost effective Supercomputer, the QuadPuter comes with four modules each of which has an i860 and two megabytes of local memory. The modules sit on an EISAbase board that can be purchased with 8 or 32 megabytes of shared memory. Five QuadPuters have an aggregate throughput of a gigaflop! The card comes with one NDP language plus MAX-860. From $9995

Number Smasher-860 our ISA card can be purchased with 8/32 megabytes of memory running at 33 or 40 MHz. Options include EISA and ISA Fifos, a P version with built-in Fifos for distributed parallel processing and a 24-bit graphics buffer. The card includes one NDP Language plus OS860. From $3995

NDP Fortran-860 along with our CIC++ and Pascal utilize advanced scalar code generation techniques designed to optimize the i860's RISC performance. The languages run on DOS, UNIX, OS/2 and i860 UNIX V.4 Workstations $1995

PPS-860postprocessing scheduler, takes assembler outputand converts scalaroperations into pipelined. It also reschedules using dual instructions. Scalar speed ups in the range of

10to40%areproduced $595

VAST-II from PSR is the same vectorizer that is used with Cray's $1495

AT Accelerators

FASTCache-X86/Plus'M — The 'Windows Solution"- easily converts your 286 based PC into a 386/486 powered workaholic. The board takes up a slot in ATbus designs and has sockets for up to 16 megabytes of DRAM. It plugs into your 286 using a cable. The PS/2 version has no memory. All boardshave a 16Kfour way cache and run at 25 MHz. Two processors are available, including the Cyrix CX486SLC. From $399

Before you give up on your486, give us a ring. Whether you are looking for the 5 megaflops your 486 produces by itself, the 12 megaflops it delivers with a Weitek 4167 or possibly the 80 megaflops we can coax out of our Number Smasher-860, you owe it to you rself to contact our excellent Tech Support Staff today. Microway has had the answers to your PC performance problems since 1982!

Phone:(508)746-7341 Fax: (508)746-4678

486 Workstations

A Microway BlackTower is the ideal solution to your486 needs. They feature industrial grade American power supplies, heavy duty cooling and easy access. All motherboards are carefully burned in before shipping and equipped with heavy duty power connectors. Our BX Towers are ideal for use as desktop workstations, file servers, RAID servers and CAD/CAM stations. They were originally engineered to house i860 arrays, which frequently get attached to SUN Networks as computational servers. We customize each system with the OS of your choice, including UNIX, OS/2, DOSand Windows. The base systems listed include case, 4 MB, tactile response keyboard, supply, floppy andmouse. The B2T is our tall tower, the B is a larger box that features front and side hinged panels. All but the 386 system use industrial supplies and the B3 is available with a 12 slot EISA channel. Tosee why Microwaysystems have earned an international reputationforoutstanding design, price/performance, value and reliability, ask for our BX Series Catalogue.

386BT"-40 ISA64K Cache 486B2T-33ISA64K " 486B2T-33EISA256K " 486B2T-50EISA256K " 486B3-50EISA256K "

200W$1395 250W$2495 250W$3395 250W$3995 350W$4495

486B0l-66EISA512K&12Slots350W$5495

386,486, i860 Libraries

NDP IMSL Microway compiled and validated version of the IMSL mainframe libraries, available forthe386/486 and i860 $2,000

NDP NAG Microway compiled and validated NAG Workstation library, available for the

386/486 and i860. 386/486 $995,

i860 $1495

KUCK & ASSOCIATES hand coded i860 libraries. DSP library does 1024 real FFT in 500 microseconds! DSP..$750 BLAS..$500 LAPACK and BLAS vectorized, sources included. 386/486 $295i860 $495

Microwa

Technoloav vou can count on!

Research Park, Box 79, Kingston, MA 02364 USA (508) 746-7341 FAX (508) 746-4678 Kingston-Upon-Thames, U.K., 081-541-5466 Spain /Portugal 351-1-604-049 Germany 069-752023 Greece 30 12915672 Italy 02 7490749 Japan 047 423 1322 Poland 22-414115

If your board doesn't say Quatech Inc., you may be missing something...

II

$H

1

I

;-19

M

Ask a Quatech sales Engineer to show you the value of quality, service and support.

•Quatech manufactures a complete line of data acquisition, communication, and Micro Channel boards for the PC AT/XT, PS/2 and compatible computers.

•Quatech's user friendly software drivers enable our full featured adapters to support most popular operating systems.

•Quatech's adapters are backed by our free on-line technical support.

Made

in U.S.A.

For a free catalog call: 800-553" 11 70

International: Australia/lnterworld Electronics 03-563-7066, Canada (Western)/! nterworld VCR 604-984-4171 (Toronto office 416-513-7027), England/Diamond Point International 634-722390, Finland/Lab Hitech OY358-0-804-2522, France/Elexo 33-1 -69302880, Germany/Jupiter Electronic Systems 06181/75041, Israel/RCM Ltd. 972-03-5447885, Italy/N.C.S. Computer Italia 0331 /770-016, Netherlands/ACAL Auriema 040-816565, Korea/Sam Boo Enterprise Co. 82-2-538-4001, Spain SANTA Barbara SA 34-3-203-9916, Singapore Bliss Services Pte Ltd (65) 338-1300.IBM PC-XT, AT, PS/2 and MicroChannel are registered trademarks of IBM Corp.

CT3 QUATECH

662 Wolf Ledges Parkway

Akron, Ohio 44311 U.S.A.

216-434-3154

212 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 136 on Inquiry Card.

UY IT THROUGH BVTE

Mail Order Hardware/Software Showcase

The latest offerings from

vendors supplying

products of all leading

manufacturers at extremely

competitive prices.

214

This categorized four-color display

section makes it easy to find

Hardware and Software products from

a wide variety of manufacturers

and suppliers.

235

Buyer's Mart

From Accessories to Laptops

to Word Processors, you can

easily find the dealers you are

looking for in this directory of

products and services.

HI 244

ILLUSTRATION: SUSAN KINGSBURY

The Cost of 48B Power is Falling Fast.

AND LODESTAR'S VALUE KEEPS GOING UP:

CONSIDER THESE EISA FEATURES: We've carefully designed a 32-bit processing solution that breaks through the ISA bottleneck while rncrintaining downward compatibility with a 16-bit Bus for a peak data transfer rate of 33 MB/sec, Six, true, fully blown EISA Bus Mastering slots plus two EISA slave slots so you can be assured your EISA mastering add-on cards will work for you (typical 8 slave slots won't).

LODESTAR'S bus mastering, intelligent expansion cards with their own I/O processors operating in parallel with the main CPU, frees up your load on the CPU. Bus throughput is improved by implementing direct memory access (DMA) and bus masters.

Its speedy performance capability provides you with an ideal solution for a wide range of demanding applications, like CAD/CAM/CAE, formidable database management, image processing, artificial intelligence, desktop publishing and in the environments of network and multiuser systems.

_k*i29a

486-SX Workstation 486-SX/20

■4MB fast RAM expandable to 32MB

■85MB 15ms IDE hard drive w/cache

"1:1 interleave 2H/2F IDE controller

■ 1.2MB 5.25' & 1.44MB 3.5" floppydrives

■16-bit 1024x768 SVGA card w/lMBRAM

■14" 1024x768 0.28mm dot pitch SVGA color monitor

■2 serial. 1 parallel & 1 game port

■MS DOS 5.0 8< MS Windows 3.1

■Enhanced 101-key keyboard

■High resolution serial mouse

■Mini-vertical case

486-SX/25 $1339

—Bkl Dim

486 ISA Dataquest 486/33

■64K ultrafast write-back cache SRAM

•4MB last RAM expandable to 32MB

■ 130MB 15ms IDE hard drive W/64K cache

■Teac 1.2MB 5.25" & 1.44MB 3,5" floppy drives

■16-bit 1024x768 SVGA card w/lMBRAM

■14" SVGA 1024 non-interlaced 0.28mm dot pitch color monitor. VESA 72Hz flicker-free display

■2 serial, 1 parallel 8t 1 game port

■MS DOS 5.0 & MS Windows 3.1

■Enhanced 101-key keyboard

■High resolution serial mouse

■Desktop case

^1899

486LB WINstation 486-DX/33

■2 32-bit Local Bus expansion slots for 32-bit power expandability

■64K ultrafast write-back cache SRAM

■Built-m 487 math coprocessor & 8K cache in the CPU

■4MB fast RAM expandable to 32MB

■ 130MB15ms IDE drive W/64K cache ■High throughput Super IDE Caching

Controller. Reduces average disk seek time to 0.2ms ■Teac 1.2MB 5,25" & 1.44MB 3.5" drives

■ 32-bit Local Bus S3 Graphics Engine w/lMBVRAM. Up to 1280x1024 resolution 8c 32.768 colors

■14" 1024x768 non-interlaced 0 28mm dot pitch SVGA monitor, VESA 72Hz flicker-free display

■ 2 serial, 1 parallel 8; 1 game port ■MS DOS 5.0. Windows 3,1 8: mouse ■Enhanced 101-key keyboard ■Mid-vertical case

486-DX2/50 $2039

486-DX/50 $2139

486-DX2/66 $2289

_fk*315&

486 EISA CADstation 486-DX/33

■256K utrafast write-back cache

SRAM. Provides better hit-rate. ■Built-in 487 math coprocessor 8:8K

cache in CPU ■8MB fast RAM

•213MB 13ms IDE drive w/64K cache ■Highiihroughput Super IDE Caching

Controller. Reduces average disk seek

time fp 0.2ms ■Teac 1,2MB 5.25" 8r 1.44MB 3.5" drives ■32-bit^VGA card w/ 1MB RAM. Up to

1280S024 lesolution 8; 65,674 colors ■ 17" Award Winning Viewsonic 7 SVGA

monitor, flat screen up to 1280 x 1024

resolution & 76Hz ultra high refresh rate ■2 serial, 1 parallel 8; 1 game port ■MS DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1 & mouse ■Enhanced 101-key keyboard ■Desktop or mid-vertical case

486-DX2/50 $3299

486-DX/50 $3409

486-DX2/66 $3559

Some of our most astute customers are buying today, upgrading tomonow.

To maximize the useful life of their systems, our customers depend on us. No need for them to unplug an obsolete system. They're using the power they need today and, with their LODESTAR StarFlex Series, they'll be upgrading simply, painlessly. LODESTAR'S unique StarFlex CPU sockets are built right into the system. Upgradable all the way from 386DX to 486SX or 486DX, at any clock speed.

They keep coming to us because most other "upgradable" systems require purchase of a special CPU module board. This causes some performance loss due to speed adjustment. And they couldn't rely on those vendors being there when they needed to upgrade. Nor could they rely on sky-rocketing prices. So they've been calling LODESTAR.

Now Our Customers Are Getting It All Value, Features andPrice.

11

;»->.*^IK.;i»>nw.-:r.v.t,:,.|.-.., .■

How thousands of out customers are

BUYING DIRECT

When they buy from us, they're buying directly from the factory. So they get more value with each purchase, and are always assured their system is backed directly by the people who assembled it.

—Ck MU03

386-SX Workstation 386-SX/25

■2MB RAM expandable to 32MB ■85MB IDE hard drive w/cache

■ 1:1 interleave 2H/2F IDE controller

■1.2MB 5.25' & 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drives

■16-bit 1024x768 SVGA card j w/IMB RAM £

■ 14' 1024x768 0.28mm dot pita* ' SVGA color monitor

■2 serial, 1 parallel & 1 game port

■MS DOS 5.0 8c MS Windows 3,1

■Enhanced 101-key keyboard

■High resolution serial mouse

■Mini-vertical case

386-SX/33 $1099

-Iffwk. I fcuJ

386-DX Workstation 386-DX/25

■4MB RAM expandable to 32MB

■ 130MB 15ms IDE hard drive w/64K cache

■ 1:1 interleave 2H/2F IDE controller

■1.2MB 5.25" 8c 1.44MB 3.5" floppy ■ drives

■ 16-bit 1024x768 SVGA card w/IMB RAM

■ 14" 1024x768 non-interlaced 0.28mm dot pitch SVGA monitor

■2 serial. 1 parallel 8:1 game port

■MS DOS 5.0 & MS Windows 3.1

■Enhanced 101-key keyboard

■High resolution serial mouse

■Desktop or mini-vertical case

386-DX/33 $1339

386-DX/40 $1379

Your Assurance of Complete Satisfaction

OUR RISK-FREE GUARANTEE

Look for your comprehensive, written guarantee when you take delivery of any LODESTAR system. This industry-acclaimed, FIVE WAY Personal Warranty proves our willingness to stand behind everything you buy from LODESTAR.

CALL FOR YOUR FREE COPY; we'll fax or mail it immediately. Use the LODESTAR FIVE-WAY GUARANTEE as your shopping guide; compare and question the others before ordering.

THESE PRICES

GUARANTEED

THROUGH

APRIL 30, 1993

-ffiwkr—I UWW

StarFlex 3/486C

386-DX/25

■CPU upgradable to 386DX, 486SX, 486DX. 486DX2. Up to 66MHz

■64K ultrcrjast write-back cache SRAM expandable to 256K

■4MB fast RAM expandable to 32MB

■ BOMB 15ms IDE drive W/64K cache ■1.2MB 5.25" 8c 1.44MB 3.5" drives

■ 1MB SVGA non-interlaced color card

■ 14" 1024x768 non-interlaced 0.28mm dot pitch SVGA monitor. VESA 72Hz flicker-free display

■ 2 serial, 1 parallel 8c 1 game port ■MS DOS 5.0. Windows 3.18c mouse ■Enhanced 101-key keyboard ■Desktop or mini-vertical case

386-DX/33 $1429

386-DX/40 $1459

486-DX/33 $1639

486-DX2/50 $1839

486-DX/50 $1949

486-DX2/66 $2099

We Won Again. And you enjoy the benefits.

In their latest survey ol QUALITY

CONTROL, proven by this

nationwide provider of warranty

services, LODESTAR again has

earned their raring EXCELLENT.

SHIPMENT WITHIN 48 HOURS

Every system is individually pretested and bumed-in for 72 hours prior to shipment.

We have the right system for you. If it's not already configured, we'll customize it.

Systems can be upgraded to include optional cache, RAM, more hard disk capacity, larger monitor and a host of other enhancements.

LodeStar

COMPUTER

GOVERNMENT, SCHOOL AND CORPORATE ORDERS WELCOME. TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE COPY OF OUR PRODUCT CATALOG, JUST CALL.

1-800-875-3818

All speculations subject to change without notice. 2-Year Parts Warranty applies to advertised LodeStai systems only. Money Back Guarantee does not include shipping & handling, and all returns must be shipped pre-paid & in reasonable condition. Please call to coniirm all warranty details Photography is for illustration only No surcharge on VISA, MasterCard & Discover. Purchase orders are accepted on approved credit. California orders add 8-25% sales tax. All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property ol their respective companies. © 1992 LodeStar Computer Corp.

Circle 204 on Inquiry Card.

"YOU MADE US A LEADER."

18539 East Gale Avenue

City of industry, California 91748

Telephone: 1-818-810-3818

Tech Support: 1-800-875-7569

Fax: 1-818-810-5928

Open Hours:

Mon-Fri: 7am-7pm (PST)

Sat: 9am-4pm (PST)

HARD

DRIVE

SUPER

PRICES

$CALL

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Quantum FUJITSU

SPSeagate

MlCRDPflLIS

WESTERN DIGITAL

SUPER SOU

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DELIVERY, GREAT SERVICE

AND LOW PRICES

INTEL

8067 5MHZ INTEL 8067-2 8MK7. INTEL 8087-1 10MHZ INTEL 80287-6 BMHZ INTEL 80287-8 BMHZ INTEL 80287-10 10MHZ INTEL 80287X1 10MHZ INTEL B0287XU12MKZ INTEL B0387SX-16 I5MHZ INTEL 80387SX-20 20 HZ INTEL 80387DX-16 15MHZ INTEL 80387DX-20 20MHZ INTEL 80387DX-25 Z5MHZ INTEL 80387DX-33 33MHZ INTEL 804875X-20 INTEL OVERDRIVE S&OX33 OVERDRIVE SXTO25 OVERDRIVE 5*0X20

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CYRIX

19.00 83087DX-1G 16MHZ CYRIX

H-00 63DB7DX-20 20MH7 CYRIX

I2SS 830870X25 25MH2 CYRIX

S-ffi 3087DX-33 33MHZ CYRIX

am B3087DX-40 40MH7. CYRIX

T5D0 B3S87SX1G 16MHZ CYRIX

75.00 B3S875X20 20MHZ CYRIX

15.00 B3S87SX2 25MKZ CYRIX

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SIMM-SIPP MODULES

4MB X 9-BONS SIMM-PC . . 4MB X9-70NS SIMM . ....

4MB X 9-60NS SIMM

1MBX9-I0ON3 9CHIPS1MM 1MB X9-80NS 3 CHIP SIMM 1MB X 9-BONS 9 CHIP SIMM 1MB X9-70NS 3 CHIP SIMM 1MBX9-70NS9CHIPSIMM 1MBX9-B0NS3CHIPSIMM IMBX9-60NS9CHIPSIMM IMBX 9-53NS 3 CHIP SIMM 1MBX9-53NS9CHIPSIMM 16M8 X9-70NS SIMM . . . 16MB X9-60NS SIMM ...

EACH 12 +

CALL CALL

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256KX9256K X 9 256K X 9256K X 9 1IMBX 1MB X8

4MB xa. 4MB xa 1 MB X 9 1MB X9 1MB X9 1MB X 9

100NSSIMM . SONS SIMM 70NS SIMM . -SONS SIMM •SONS SIMM 70NSSIMM 80NSSIMM •70NSSIMM 100NS SIPP ■80NS SIPP . . •70NS SIPP . . BONS SIPP .

CALL CALL CALL GM1

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256K X9-100NSS1PP 256K X 9-BONS SIPP 256K X 9-70NS SIPP 256K X 9-60NS SiPP 256 X 36- 1MB . . 512X36- 2MB . .

1 X 36 - 4MB ... .

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8MB Kll II9B229B 450

16MB KIT 1682290 152

32MB Kll 11982291: IMS

SMB XI! H9S229B 451

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9500.1255

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16MB KIT I!/■;■.',!.' 152

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16MB KIT H98229D ISI

jIVLI Ml lri=;?-:| 1745 DESKJET 500C. 5M PLUS

256KB MOO H22707B 14

lUERjnn. no

1-4MB E-C H33443B 71

}■* E-C H33444B 102

LASERJET IIP, III.

ML IIP 1-4MB E-C H33474B 2-4MB E-C II33475B 34MB EC H334768

LAKfljn Kill

1MB MOO C2063A 4MB MOO C20ESA

LASER PRINTER

FUJITSU HI 7100. 7200N

2MB t;

KOWCALP3110. J115

KYOCERA F12005. F33M. F3M0A 1-2-3-4MB C

PS'12M

5IIK MOD I05!il]5

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0-I6MB EC M 1?

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512K Kll 3015348 ?

2MB KIT 30F5360 7

0-16MB E-C NA 12

MODELS 35SX. 35LS, 4KX

1MB MOD 6450603 4

2MB MOD 6450604 7

4MB MOO 871997 7 14

BMB MOO 6450129 79

MODELS S5SX. 55LS

1MB MOD 6450603 4

4MB MOD 6450128 14)

SMB MOO 6450110 299 MODELS 78-001. 70-161

ivii •■'■:r.i 6150603 42

2MB MOO G45O604 75

i) i:'MN I C 6150805 195 MODELS 70-7411, TD-Alt

2MB MOO 6450606 75

032MB E-C 64506OJ 195 MODELS BOOS1.B016I.W132

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019. OJO. OJF.0KD.0XF

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i> ■■;:>.'n e ■: 5450609 19s

MODELS 70 1 10 MAXIMUM TWO CARDS PER MACHINE

0.32MB EC 6450609 19!

1MB MOO 6450603 4i

"IB MOD 6450604 ■;: '.'■:;■:. i.I'/jry

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NEC

4MB MOD >'.

ULTRAUTE U70 2MB MOD PC4421 157

1MB MOD PC4422 530

UITF1AUTE SUM, SUMP 2MB MOO PC472I IM

BMB MOO PC492I 540

ULTALITt HI, IL25C ?MB MOD PC472I 1W

4MB MOO PC4722 340

BMB MOO PC4723 17)

PRDSPEED 211 1MB MOO PC2I21 01

2MB MOD PC2I26 IM

4MB MOO PC2I22 IM

PROSPEED 311 2MB MOD PC3121 170

PROSPEID 3J6SX 1MB MOO PC2I2I 2MB MOO PC2I26

4MB MOO DP4IO POWER MATE POFTTUU II

2MB E-C APCH751X 1)9

8MB E-C APCII753-754 195 POWIRMATE PDRTASIE PLUS

I-3MB E^ APCH750J Z1I

POmfWATE SX

;y? e-: apckssj hi

4-8MB E-C APCH853 411

BMB E-C HA 571

POWER MATE ail

HU5 E-C OP4IBB201 213

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2MB CPU MODULE

OP4108101 172

2-BMB E-C DP41081D2 213

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2MB KIT DP4108103 14 BMB Kll OP41021D! 2H POWERMAIE 2MC. 2M PLUS 1-3MB E-C APCH250K 233 2-3MB E-C N

BE-CN,

335

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POWERMAn 31625S 2MB KIT OP41O5201 9? 4MB KIT OP4105203 174 BMB KIT 0P4I052O2 331

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niWEI1KATE3!533l 1MB MDD OP4I062O4 12 4MB MOD 0P41D620S 110 16MB MOO 0P4IDE2G6 KM

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4H.75TE. /JJTE, lift

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SlLENIWRTTERMOOELMISg 2MB MX DP489? 130

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175

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2-4M3 EC 5631830 3UB EC S631300 L1P-IUI, -IPLUS 1 3MB E-C S632340

2-3MB E-C S632350

SPARCSTAHDN ELC

4MB MOD XI040 I 173

16MB MOD X! 160 109

SPARCSTAT10N IPC

:tt

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SPARCSTATTOH IPX

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16MB MOD XI16U HI

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SPAflCSTHTKlir 330

BMB KIT X10SE 400

T X10BE 400

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TTUVHIUT1; 3000W1NSI

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TOSHIBA

1MB CC PC16PAS3IE4J « 2MB C C PCPA2000U m

iwii ; 1 kpa;toid iu

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8MB C C PCPA2000S1I 241 144MSI. T44MWC. TUM

■Mi; ' 1 ri;|i.?M]|j 1M

8MB C C PCPA2005U 432 I6MBCCNA 7H

T12MXE 2MB MOD PC13PAB306U 95

2MB MOO PC3PA7135E 214 TJI M ?MB Kl! PC9PA334IU OS

W Ml l-n;i.'...- .:. 114 TJIKSIC

:w3 mi ri:r,FJini;;.i B3

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Panasonic

KXP441I, KX.PU21 AX-P4430

I-4MB E-C KXP443 D

7-IVH ;■•: K/P441 III

'-■:>.•■. IC KA TH

4Mii I C NA in

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1MB E-C KXP440 121

O-P44801

1-4MB E-C KXP443 02

:■■■! Mil I C KXP44I 11!

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BEBM

PC 1220

IMS MOD CE62IB t M PCK4I

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PC 0040

2MB MOD U'A 1(1

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1MB UOO CE47IB 145

1MB E-C JX35MJ 13

SLK1PORT 1MB MOD ZA1B095 2MB MOO 2A1B064 4MB MOD ZAIS071

IUR10SPORI 3M6 1MB MOO IA3034UE 45 4MB MDD 2A3G3SME 222

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XX500. 300. 3USX, 216

OKOVTA

1MB E-C 70014701 t 91

4MB E-C NA OLM. 140 2MB E-C 70016501

■Mil

1MB E-C UB41B 2MB EC MB42B 4MB E-C MR440

SX/NOWI CPU

PROCESSOR

UPGRADES

AST PREMIUM 216. SRAVO 266

!.r!!.!;'Ai:eESKPROJM

PORTA1LE HI (PLCCl P0RTA1LE IN I PC 11 OE5KPRO 316-18. 20 701. 25, ?5E. 33

EPSON EOUJIY HE. I PLUS I0UPS.7 50. 00, 502. 2S7U 10.7U. AT, 11.216 HP/ECIRAES1?. ESI NEC POWEBHin 786 I PORTABLE*

r.V"! :=j55k i 2«

;■.>.'-■ :-.'.:,i no

31UH2 386SX 391

LAPTOP & NOTEBOOK

ALTMA LAPTOP 51

4UB MOO CHAPIET HOTESOOK 1MB MOO

GOLDSTAR 6SS21316SX.15 1MB UOO 71

4MB MOO 2fi

HYUNDAI 1B6SX

LLUNHG EDGE DLI 3S6SX

1US MOO t

MITSU6A NUJA 285. UOSX

1MB MOD MS

4MB MOD 545

SAMSUNG HO IE MASTER 3465

SAMS1JMG NDTTLMASTTLR 3KS

sahio inn. ions. imN

2MB MOO |

SAMPO N1SXIS

TANDY 2121 3171

TUUP LAPTOP

4MB UOO lEDS Kj1300t

4030.15, INOIGO RPC, 4MM, SERIES 200.100. 4D SERIES 100, 200.100

16MB KIT HU1C18S

ANYWHERE 2MB CARD I120HX 4MB MDD 1240796O

2MB KIT 9100023008

1100.25. 33 4MB KIT 91D0O23CO4

16MB KIT 9148623004

$200.

386/486-256K Cashe no CPU 1250

OHE BOARD SOLUTION

386/486

386/486^4K Cache no CPU

3860X-25 CASHE W/CPU (180

386DX-33-64K CACHE W/CPU 199

386DX-33-256K CACHE W/CPU 249

386W40-64K CACHE W/CPU 210

386OX-40-256K CACHE W/CPU 260

486DX-33-64K CACHE W/CPU 490

486DX-33-256K CACHE W/CPU 540

486DX-50-256K CACHE W/CPU 749

$195

— I III UN i ■

S]MMply-RAM,'brlbiR;.Ml.: = 6i7^-r-,.Yl.i hi !iu ita Duma rein m aim W i Unwn smg

SIMMply-RAM" hrteFSUl w****w

:-.iiafer::'jT:;-.-a3.-M™;'Vy!:ij:.-ii-.:.:',-j- 5,95 RAMpAT! " UMWBlBUBtJrrtfflofT !B^iy|PCAT]0uit(nt*tt4t-SeB•cajkif mv"KHe«xitniimitoa^SiippiHUti1tnaM(ifLIU4Dca4nOed MMMntB $108 RAMpATl-f/w'" UpW 16MBolrumor, Hj(<4iO[ilmsifOlSMM16-M ~" ■-kNUM 4 0 uwWKl man- 5,45

■ X MOON

1MB X 1-80NS IMBX 1-70NS 1MBX 1-60NS 256KX1-150NS 256KX1-120NS 256KX MOONS

T95 256 X 1-80NS .1.80 64 K X 4-1;

4.20 4.25 4.70 1.50 1.55

4-80NS 4-80NS 4-80NS

256KX 1-70NS

256K X 1-60 NS . 2.

256KX4-100NS . 4.

256K X4-80NS . 4,

256K X 4-70NS . 4.

256K X 4-60NS . 4. 21.00 DIPP 21.00 STATIC ZIPP 21.00 ZIPP

64K X 4-100NS

64 K X 4-80NS

64KXM50NS

64KX M20NS

64KX MOONS

2S6K X1 -STTATIC RAM

AAA2B00P-0B (256x1) 2.65

AAA2BOOP-07 256x1 . 2.85

AAA2800P-06 256x1 . 3.05

H23H

VISA

FOR MEMORY PRODUCTS NOT LISTED, CALL FOR PRICES AND AVAILABILITY

PURCHASE ORDERS FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - UNIVERSITIES - FORTUNE 2000 FIRMS - CALL 1-215-922-4650

u««lanl.i.n».. NEVER A SURCHARGE ON CREDIT CARDS OPEN SATURDAY 10-6 «"«•"»■■»«■ -»«

TECHNICAL SUPPORT ORDERS ONLY TOLL FREE FAX

1-215-922-4640 1-800-457-6937 1 -215-922-0116

ALL CREDIT CARDS ARE VERIFIED FOR FRAUDULENT USE. ORDER TOLL-FREE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE USA OR CANADA. CALL FOR CURRENT PRICES AND VOLUME DISCOUNTS. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE ORDER LINES OPEN B DAYS

MINIMUM ORDER 50.00.USA SHIPPING S HANDLING: AIR J12.0O-AIR OVERNIGHT S18.0O-COD ADD S4.0O.PA RESIDENTS ADD 7% SALES TAX-PREPAID ORDERS CALL FOR CONFIRMATION-ALL RETURNS REQUIRE RMA# AND ORIGINAL INVOICE CANCELLED ORDERS AND RETURNS FOR CREDIT SUBJECT TO 25% RESTOCKING CHARGE-RETURNED MERCHANDISE MUST BE IN NEW CONDITION AND RECEIVED WITHIN « DAYS FROMI INVOICE DATE SORRY NO :REFUNDSI AFTERIII DAYS SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES NOT REFUNDABLE-INTERNATIONAL ORDERS WELCOME-APO-FPO ORDERS WELCOME P.O.'S ACCEPTED FROM GOVERMENT AGENCIES/UNIVERSITIES/FORTUNE: 2000 COMPANIES-SUBJECT TO APPROVAL' ALL MEMORY PRODUCTS ARE THIRD PARTY. ALL TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS* ALL WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS ARE 1007. GUARANTEED AND COME WITHLIFETIMEWAHMim EXCEPT

30 DAY WARRANTY ON CPU CHIPS AND 1 YEAR WARRANTY ON MOTHER BOARDS *

WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGIES

437 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 Customer Service 215-92a-4640

216 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 205 on Inquiry Card.

Rack Mount Computers - Motherboard or Passive Backplane

Use external monitor Up to 6 drives

[

FFF^

t

8.75" high

Mono or color monitor Up to 5 drives

[

8.75" high

Rack Mount Monitors

10" mono or color

monitor

- HiajMIi •

: 1

■UlttUU B .

8.75" high

14" mono or color monitor

12.25" high

Rack Mount Keyboards

Drawer mounted keyboard

A *

1.75" high

Drawer for desk top keyboards

3.5" high

14" color monitor Up to 3 drives

12.25" high

Enclosure for most desk top monitors

C

14.0" high

-"■*:.

Vertical-mount, sealed membrane keyboard

^^^ffl

KEEEgX

5.25" high

Rack Mount Printer

Dot matrix printer with industrial rating

12.25" high

Call for our other Rack Mount computer and "enclosure only" product offerings.

RECDRTEC, INC.

1290 Lawrence Station Road, Sunnyvale CA 94089 Tel. [408] 734-1290 Fax: [408] 734-2140

1-800-729-7654

Circle 202 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 203).

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 217

SmartCaehe Plus: the grow-as-you-go

approach to SCSI controllers

START WITH THE BEST...

DPT's entry level SmartCaehe Plus board offers unrivaled price/performance for single-user systems. It features ISA or EISA bus mastering, and universal SCSI disk compatibility for all PC operating systems. SmartDriver software supports SCSI-2 peripherals like tape and optical drives. ,

NOW ADD CACHING!

Get DPT's award-winning caching technology in a plug-in module! Move up to disk caching speed without investing in a new controller. With an integral 512K cache, the module provides up to 5X performance gains for workstations, ; power users, and small multiuser systems. ,

ADD MORE USERS, ADD MORE CACHE!

Plug in a 2 MB or 4 MB memory module and accommodate up to 18 users from a single card slot. Ideal for medium-sized networks or multiuser systems.

HOW ABOUT DISK MIRRORING?

DPT's SmartCaehe mirroring module provides 100% disk fault toleranceby simultaneously writing all data to a second "mirrored" drive. No more data loss or costly system down-time due to disk failures. And unlike software mirroring' schemes, fault tolerance is achieved with no performance penalties. "

PLUS STILL MORE CACHE, AND THEN SOME...

Cable over to DPT's 4 MB Cache Expansion Card, then grow your system to 16 MB by adding more plug-in memory modules—enough power for 64-plus users! . ..

DPT has your solution—no matt'er.how you grow. Performance, compatibility and upgradability make SmartCaehe Plus the only SCSI controller you'll ever need. For details, contact Distributed Processing Technology, 140 Candace Drive, Maltland, FL 32751. Phone (407) 830-5522; FAX (407) 260-5366.■■,

Circle 195 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 196).

Speed that Excels

4E

The power, reliability and price of Kaiyo computers make them stand out among other leading computer systems. Thanks to the Local Bus VGA design, Kaiyo offers you the best performance, especially in the CAD and windows environments.

Rated by Chip Magazine of Germany as its January "Tip of the Month", Kaiyo enhances video performance by more than ten-times that of normal VGA display. In utilizing a full 32-bit CPU bus. Kaiyo's local bus design lets VGAs operate at the processor's clock speed. This versatile series includes a comprehensive range of PCs guaranteed to meet the needs of all your customers. It features up to 66 MHz 80486DX2 EISA bus microprocessors so they'll never be at a loss for computer power. Incorporating the most advanced

Visit us at:

HANNOVER FAIR"/ CEBIT '93 Booth #2, A18-D17 Mar. 24-31. 1993

microprocessor technology, Kaiyo has among the smallest, yet most powerful compact desktop computers in the world.

But don't just take our word for it.

Over the years, our Group has established a strong base of over 190 active customers in 46 countries. We're particularly strong in Western Europe, especially Germany. And our sales in Eastern Europe have increased

by over 74% over the last year.

Team up with us- long-term business partner that support you every step of the way.

The Power in PCs

The Intel Logo is a trademark of Intel Corporation

(All brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owner.)

Ocean Office Automation Ltd.

Head Office: Ocean Office Automation Ltd.

4th & 5th Floor, Kader Industrial Building. 22 Kai Cheung Road. Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Tel: (852) 3051800 Telex: 52289 OCCOM HX Fax: (852) 799 2398 (5 lines)

U.S.A. Office: Ocean Information Systems, Inc.

12155 Mora Dr. Suite 6, Santa Fe Springs. CA 90670, U.S.A.

Tel: (213) 946 5888 Fax: (213) 946 0929

For US Enquiry-Call Toll Free: 1 -800-32-KAIYO (52496)

Circle 213 on inquiry Corel (RESELLERS: 214).

MEMORY...

YOU JUST CAN'T DO WITHOUT IT.

Picture this:

You bought a new software package. You try it out on your computer and soon find yourself working for hours on a sophisticated graphic design. While scrolling through your worksheet, it feels like you are moving through pudding. Your hard disk has a tough time trying to catch up. You then try to print, but the laser printer's buffer is full. You reset it, try again, and find that it spits out only part of your beautiful graphic...

No problem!

We'll take it from here. With our JetRam™ line that supports the leading brands of laser printers and PcRam™ line that upgrades your Notebook, Laptop or Desktop computers, Transcend can help solve your memory problems.

What you get from our memory upgrades

■ Life time warranty on all our products

■ Full memory lines support a variety of brand names of laser printers and PCs

■ High quality at a reasonable price

■ Easy-to-install

Office hours: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mon. to Fri. "You order in the morning, we will ship in the afternoon."

PACKARD

TOSHIBA

» Apple

IBM EPSON

Panasonic QMS

CtJ KUDCBRa txoOwe iNsnwjMlms

SEC SHARP

comma

' All brand names are registered trademarks of their respective c

Your Supplier, Your Partner, Your Friend.

220 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Transcend Information Inc.

104 Exchange Place,

Pomona, CA 91768 U.S.A.

TEL: (909) 598-5500

FAX: (909) 598-5050, (909) 598-6050

3FI., No. 465, Chung Hsiao East Road,

Sec. 6, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.

TEL: (886) 2-7881000

FAX: (886) 2-7881919, 7889191

Circle 210 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 211).

MEMORY SALE 4 MEG x 9* 80NS $124

■ WifclW■ "•** Im I Villi IN STOCK WITH 5 YEAR WARRANTY! GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICE

SOFTWARE LIQUIDATION WORDSTML

Wordstar 2000 Rel. 3.5

Hiis is not a misprint! These ore the exact

for ovor $300.00 from our competitors.

We rmve thousands in slock

FOR SALE BELOW

D(5TRIBLfTOR

COSTI UST 5495.00 eo

DEALER5 WELCOME

RETAIL BOXED & FACTORY SEALED

IOO FOB $55 EACH

Mb HARD DRIVE

SALE

cfflseagate

MODEL SIZE SPEED TYPE PRICE

ST225 20MB 65M5 MFM5.25* $149

ST4096 80MB 28MB MFMFullHT $349

ST251-1 42MB 28MS MFM5.25" $239

5T35lA(lBhighl ...,42MB 28MS IDE3.5" $179

ST3120A|l"higM.105MB 18M5 IDE3.5' $269

ST3144A(l"high).130MB 16MS IDE 3.5" $299

5T3283A (Thigh). 240MB 12M5 IDE 3.5" $489

ST1480N 426MB 14MS SCS13.5" $999

5T41200N 1037MB 15MS SCSI/FH $1499

ST4766N 660MB 15MS SCSI/FH $899

CONNER

MODEL SIZE SPEED TYPE PRICE

CP3000{1' high) 40MB 19MS IDE $169

CP30OB4E BOMB 19MS IDE $228

CP30104(luhigh) 120MB 19MS IDE $288

CP30174A|l"high| 170MB 17MS IDE $349

CP30204 209MB 15MS IDE $459

CP3544A 525MB 15M5 IDE $1045

CP3540 540MB 12MS SCSI $1045

Mqpqtor

MODEL SIZE SPEED TYPE PRICE

2585(16 'high] 80MB 17MS IDE $249

7120A[l*h:gh) 130MB 15MS IDE $283

7213A(Th;gh) 213MB 15MS IDE $389

72135(1* KigM 213MB 15MS SCSI $429

LXT340A 340MB I5MS IDE $648

IXT340S 340MB 16MS SCSI $699

PANTHER(FH) 1000MB I3MS IDE $1489

MX1175|FHJ 1500MB 13MS SCSI 51729

FUJITSU

MODEL SIZE SPEED TYPE COST

2622A/S [3.5") 330MB 12MS SCSI/IDE $845

2623A/5[3.5I'| 420MB 12MS SCSI/IDE $899

2624A/S [3.5"| 520MB I2MS SCSI/IDE $949

2266SIFH) 1080MB 14MS SCSI $1449

2652SIFH) 1750MB 11MS SCSI $2699

MICROPOLIS

1624 (HH) 660MB 15MS SCSI $1099

2112(3.5*) 1050MB 10MS SCSI/IDE $1849

1598(FH) 1050MB 14MS SCSI $1599

1548(FH) 174BMB UMS SCSI $2299

1528-15[FHj 1350MB 14M5 *FCSI $1749

1924[FH] 2100MB 1IMS SC5I $3099

LAPTOP & NOTEBOOK HARD DRIVES

60MB 2.5" 15MS $319

85MB 2.5" 15MS $339

130MB 2.5" 17MS $499

Floppy Drives

WE

360K 5.25" WW $29

720K 3.5" ViHT $34

1.2MB 5.25" 'AHT $58

1.44MB 3.5" WHT $58

5.25* MOUNTING $5

Drive Controllers

8811 4 Floppy $9

88it 4 Floppy High Densit). $49

8 Bit 2 Hord Drive* MFM $49

8 Bit 2 Hard Drives RLL $59

16Bil Hard Drive only $24

l6Bil Hard and Floppy I 1 Interface $34

SCSI DTC-3280 (Supports 7 drives] $139

SCSI Adaptec 1542B $224

ESDI DTC62B2-24 $149

IDE Hard and Floppy $29

IDE Hordond Floppy w/O $39

Cobles HordDrive $9

Cables Hard and Floppy $14

MONITOR SALE

14" SVGA 1024X768 With .28 Dot Pitch

$279

SVGA Interface, 1024x768, 512KBxptolMEG

$69

Laptop Memory

Z-Notebook 2MB

8MB

Masterport 386SI, SLC, SLe 2MB

Masterport 386SX 2MB

SupersPort SX; 286e; SlimsPori 2MB

SupenPort 286; 2B6e 1MB

SupersPort 286e; SlimsPort 4MB

TurbosPort386; 386e 1MB

C.omputerPeripheralsjnc

MODEMS

9400 Internal, >h Cord far IBM PC, XT, AT end compoKbles. CCITT V.22bis, V.22 and Bell 212A. Auto dial/Auto answer. Supports Comm 1 -4/IRQ 2-5, Software included, 539 2400 External, same as above plus 0 LED slalus lighls, requires serial port, $69

FAX MODEM

9600 BPS Group III Facsimile,

2400 BPS Hoyes Compatible Modem,

True Background Send end Receive,

Menu Driven, Command Line, Normal and Fine Modes,

Hall Cord,

One Year Warranty

$68

VrU 5 llUVNl B0486DX/25 $299

■ I ■ l|4l B0486DX/33 $399

386SX *** B0486 DX/50 $5-10

B03S6 SX/16... $29 386DX 80486 DX-2/50.. $489

B03B6 SX/20... $39 80386 DX/20 . $39 80486 DX-2/66 $699

80386 SX/25... $49 80386 DX/25 . $71 80486 5X/25 $189

80386 SX/33... $59 80386 DX/33. $81 80486 SX/20 $124

IfffnT^fiTt cpu UPGRADES

1 ^^^NoJjYCOfiKWAfSDfi Turn your 286 into a 3861 True multitasking, background operation far Windows 3.0, OS/2 and 386 software. 5X/NOW improves system performance by up to 350%. Available far: HP ES286/1 2 & ES 8, EPSON EQUITY lie & II+, IBM ORIGINAL AT & X7/286, AGI l800A,1800B&1800C,ASTPREMIUM286;BRAVO2e6,COMPAO PORTABLE III, DESKPRO 286, NEC POWERMATE 286+ & PORTABLE*, IBM PS/2, 25/286. 30/286, 50. 50Z, 60.

25Mhx SX/HOW . $349

33Mhx SX/NOW $399

486SX 25 $499

486DX 33 $899

intel COPROCESSORS

8088 BASH) MAOWES: 80 244 BASH) AUOJKS: 80384 BASED AUOMi

808735MHz itf 60287-41*1 $29 80387- I6MH1 $49

8087-2 BMHi. $59 B0287-BMHz S39 80387-20MHi ... $59

8087-1 lOMHi $89 60287- lOMHi.... $49 80387-25MHz $49

B0287-XI Hi 8M87-33MHi..... $7?

Overdrives BQM7-XLT 199 80387-$XI4 $49

B04B65XM/SX20 U99 80387-SX20 $89

B0484SX25«DX25 1599

KUB6SX3JwDX33 $7*9

RAPIDCAD J2W

/• {_ COPROCESSORS

^T*I.!5- AND CPU's

Plug compatible witli Intel, three times faster! 5 year warranty.

CYRIX 83D87-33Mhz $88

CYRIX 83D87-40Mhi $104

CYRIX 83D87-SX25Mhi/SX33 $88

CYRIX 80486DLO25 $148

CYRIX 80486DLC 33 $195

CYRIX B0486SIC-25 $119

Largest selection of Memory! We won't be undersold!

mm PS/2 Memory ,

MODEL # MEMORY PS/1 and386/SX 2MB

4MB

PS/2 30/286; Adpt Brd 1497259 512K

PS/2 30/286;25/286; Adpt Brd 1497259.... 2MB PS/2 35SX, LS, 40SX.70-E61; 061; 121 Adpt Brd 6450609; 34F301 1; 34F3077

XStotion 120& 130 1MB

PS2 50,50Z, 55SX, 60, 65SX 2-8MB

2-16MB PS/2 35SX, LS, 40SX, 50Z; 55SX; LS, 65SX.LS; P70; 70-E61; 061; 121 Adpt Brd 6450609;

34F30ll;34F3077XStalion 120 & 130 2MB

PS/2 70-A2l;A61;B21;B61 2MB

PS/2 35SX, LS, 40SX, 55SX; 55SL; 65LS; 65SX Adpt Brd 6450609; 34F301 1; 34F3077

XSiaiion 120 & 130 4MB

PS2/2 35SX; LS; 40SX 8MB

PS2 7O'sand80's 2-8M8

2-14MB 4-16MB

P5/2 80-A21;A3l;A61 4MB

PS/2 80-041 1MB

PS/2 80-111; 311; 121; 321; 081; 161 2MB

PS/2 90; 95 (Install in poirs) P75; 56; 57

(all models) PS/1 Pro 386SX M2I23 2MB

4MB 8MB

PS/2 L40SX; N33SX Laptop

IBM Laptops

2MB

.!W!i 8MB PS2 CL57SX Color Notebook 4MB

With PS/2 wi>ory purclut.

PART* PRICE

92F9935 $78 92F9694 $138 30F5348 $35 30F5360 $89

6450603 $49 1497259 $259 6450609 $308

34F2933 $138

6450129 $289 6450605 $249 34F3077 $289 34F3011 $388 6451060 $198 6450375 $68 6450379 $89

6450902 $90 6450128 $138

6450130 $298

79F0999 $79 79F1000 $134 79F1001 $274 $239 $399 07G1879 $169 07G1880 $239 07GIB81 $399

TOSHIBA Laptop & Notebook Memory

MODEL

MEMORY

8MB CARD

4MB CARD 8MB CARD

4MB BRD

4MB MOD

4MB MOD

T4400 SX, SXC, T6400 SXC, DXC

4MB CRD 6MB CRD

16MB CRD 2MB CRD 4MB CRD BMBCRD

16MB CRD

T5200/T52OOC/T850O

2MB MOO 8MB MOD

MODEL

Portable 111

Memo

MEMORY 512K

Memory

486/33ET 4MB L

16MB 7j

Z-386/20; 25; 33; 33E 1MB Z,

i

Z-386/20, 25; 33; 33E, 486/25E 4MB Z>

Z-248; Z286LP; Z386SX 2MB

4200-M2 $188

4200-M8 $598

3600-ME $49 3800-ME

3800-MK $148

Z-605-1 $99

INTFC

EXP8D

2MB

1MB

4MB EXP 4MB DAGHT

1-2MB

2MB 1MB

/isr

Memory

MODEL# MEMORY PART*

Pre. Exec. Notebook 1MB N/A

4MB N/A

Brovo 3B6-SX, WS/286, 386 2MB 500510-002

4MB 500510-008 Premium 386/25;33;33T

Premium II 386SX/16;20 IMBw/WPB 500780-003,002

Bravo 4/33; 486/25 Premium II, TE;

Server SE 4/33 2M8w/WPB 500718004

500780-005 Premium II (All) Premium 386/33T

Premium 386sx/16 4MBv//WPB 500780-004

All Premium 386/33T,

486/33T, Server SE 4/33

Brovo486 BMBw/WPB 500780-001

MEC Memory

MODEL MEMORY PARTS

Powermate 286/12; SX/16

and SX/20 2MB Kit

Powormate 386/20; 25 2MB

8MB

Powermate 386/33E, 486/25E 2MB

NEC LAPTOPS

Ultrolilelll,SL/25C 2MB

4MB Ultralile SL/20. SL/20P 2MB

6MB ProSpeed 286, 386SX-16 1MB

4MB ProSpeed 386 2MB

Deskpro 286E; 386-20, 20E; 25; 25E ..

OP-410-8103 APC-H655 APCH656

OP-410-5101

PC4721 PC4722 PC4721 PC4921 PC2121 PC2122 PC312I PC3122

PRICE $68 $128

$139 $279

Deskpro 386-20E, 25E 4MB

Deskpro 386/33; 386/331; 486/25;

33L;50L; Systempro 2MB

8MB

32MB

Deskpro 386M,486M, Systempro LT 2-64MB

Deskpro 286N, 386N, 386SX/20, 20N,

Portable 486c, Deskpro M , Systempro LT

Series 129160-001 1MB

2MB -'.MB

Proline 3/25 & 25Z ..

Essg

PART#

PA8311U PA831 2U PA8314U PA83I5U PA8306U PA8302U PA2000U PA2001U PA2002U PA7135 PAB341U PA8308U PAB310U PA8307U PA8309U PA8318U PA8319U PA7I37U PA2006U PA2007U PA2008U PA2009U PA2003U PA2004U PA2O05U PA2010U PA8301U PA8304U PA8313U

PART* 107331-001 107808-001 107811-001 107332-001 107651-001 507653-001 107654-001 108069-001 108069W71 108071-001 108070001 108072-001 113131-001 113132-001 113634-001 112534001 113645-001

115144-001 116561-001 116568-001. 129160001

118688-001 118689-001 118690 001 128877-001 141738-001 141742-001

PRICE $99 $99

$298 $895 $125 $209 $375 $799

Laser Printer Memory

1MEG 2MEG 3MEG 4MEG 5MEG

Brother H 8.8E. 8D. 8V $99 $149 $249

CanonLBP4 $128 $178

Epson Aci.on Loser II $95 $163 $229

Epson 6000, Action LSR $108 $178

Fujitsu 7100 & 7200 $199. . $279

HP Deskjet 500, S00C $59[256K]

HP2, 2D, 3. 3D. 3P. 2P. 2P+ $104 $164

HPIIISI $50 $148

HP Laser Jet 4 $158

IBM loser 4019, d019E |3.5MB| $169

IBM Laser 4029 $149

KonicoLP3110/3115 $98 ....$159

NEC90.290 $118

NEC 95 $128

OKI400 $99

Pockord Beil PB9500 $125 $178

Panasonic4410/4430 . . $119 $178

Panoson.cd4?0/d4.W 589 $118 $178

Ponosomc 4450 $105

Ponasonic 4455 $139

QMS410 $119 ..$159 $249

SlarLS04 $129...$179 $269

StarScript4 $128 ..$178 $258

Tosiba Poge Loser 6 $119 $178

Tl $79.. .$149 $299

TIXL/PSI7/PS35 $59

HP Deskjet $149

More Laptop Memory

MODEL MEMORY PART*

ALRVentura 168.20 1MB 12407980

ALR Venturo 16 & 20 4MB 12407970

AT&TSalari 2MB 37650

AT&TSafari 4MB 37651

BondwellB3l0 1MB 2305009100

Commodore 2MB 390850-01

Dcll316,320LT 2MB

Dell NL20 & NL25 2MB 310-3213

Dell212N A320N1N+ 2MB P/IV310-3204

Everex Temoo U. LX20 2MB 00160

EverexCorr.ef 2MB 0026300

EpsonNB3 4MB A8085I1

Grid 1500 4MB 52587

Grid 1450SX 2MB 6200203

Goldstor GS520.386SX 16 ... 1 MB N/A

Goldstar GS520, 386SX 16 4MB N/A

Packard Be'. Mognovox, Mj'buba 1 MB N/A

Packard Bell, Magnovo.. Mlhubd 4MB N/A

Panasonic CF170/270/370 1MB N/A

Samsung Notemaster 386b 2MB SNM002

Samsung No'emoster 3865 . 4MB SNM004

Sonyo 17NB 18NB&ZEOS 2MB MBC-N8MEM2

Sharp 6220 1MB CE-621B

Sharp6640 2MB N/A

Sharp 4700MZ 200. . 1MB CE-471

Sharp 8501 Colwstor 2MB N/A

Tondon NBE 386SX 1MB N/A

Tondon NEE 386SX 4MB N/A

Tl Travelmate 2000, 3000 1MB N/A

Tl Travelmale 3000 . 2MB N/A

Tl Travelmate 4000 4MB N/A

PRICE $198 $895 $168 $268 $128 $97 $98 $149 $109

Laptop Memory

Conruro Notebook/Laptop 2MB

4MB

$129 $175

Newer Technology

O-SMB 1 6Bll lor 286 and 386, up to 24Mlu, Limm 4.0 and Extended. Uses Dip chips. Extended and Expanded OK 2MB 4MB 8MB

$19 $89 $159 $299

O-1 6MB Lim/EMS 4.0, Expanded and Extended, True EMS 4.0 for any 286, 386 ond 486 w/ up to 33Mhz CPU speed. Uses Simms OK 2MB 4MB 8MB 16MB

$49 $139 $204 $352 $653

S398 $88

$299 $88 $78

$218

Simm Modules (Call for current prices)

DESCRIPTION 100NS B0NS 70NS 60NS 53NS

256X9 $9 . $10 Sll $15

IMEGX3 $32 $33 $38

1MEG X 9 $29 $35 $37 U& ... $54

4MEGX9 $124. ..$134 $159

16MEG X 9 $599

256X36 l MEG 172 P.n] $50

512X36 2MLG (72 Pin] $85. $95

lX36 4MEG[72P,n] $139... $149 $159

2X36 8MEG [72 P.n) $289... $298 $329

4X36 16MEG|/2P.n) $549 .... $579 $619

D-Ram Chips

DESCRIPTION 150NS 120NS 100NS SONS 70N5 60NS

64X4 $1.95 $2.25 $2.45 $2.95

256X1 STATIC $1.95 $2.25

256X1 $1.05 $1.25 $1.40 $1.55 $1.95 $2.20

256X4 $3.95 $4.45 $4.95 $5.45 $5.95

1MEGX1 $2.95 $3.45 $3.95 $4.45 $4.75

IMEGXI STATIC $4.95 $5.25

IMEGX4 $17.00 $20.00 $24.00

CmputerPeripheralsjnc

Memory Boards

For 286, 16 Bit, 2MB Expandable to 4MB. (Uses 1 MB x 1 Dips) Works BratAT + l/OPar5erd-4MEGSll8 OK SI 18 2MEGS184 4MEGS250 with IBM AT, and compatibles. Expanded, Extended, 4.0 Lim compatible

Bo«ar«/aPluiforPS/216Bi!Memoryfcralll&MMCASySlemi,DOS 3MIG 569

& OS/2 UM EMS 4,0 Support. 2-BMB (uses 1MB Simms). 4MEG 119

2MB-5179 4MB-$279 8MB4399

Compaq SLT/286 1MEGMOD

4MEG MOD I MEG MOD 2MEGMOD

Compaq SLT386 4MEGMOD

Compaq Lie 286 1MEGBRD

2MEG BRD 4MEG BRD

Compaq Lte 386/20 1MEGMOD

4MEG MOD

Compaq Lie Lile/20, 25 2MEG MOD

4MEG MOD 8MEG MOD

139497001 13949B-001 139499-001 110235-001 110237-001 118303-001 118304 001 118305001 117081 001 117081 002 117081-003 121125-001 121125-002 129769-001 129769-002 129769 003

16 Bit Memory Boards Below Dealer Cost!

BO^n Memory Boards

Boca AT Plot (Bral 90 uses 1MEG Simms) OK-8MEG Board, 4.0 UM compatible, Conventional, Expondod & Extended Memory, Supports DOS,

OS/2, LIM/EMS & EEMSOK-S94,2MEG-S159,4MEG-S228,8MEG-S358 Brat 80 (uses Dip Chips) $79

PC-47-21 $158

PC-49-21 $488

ZA44 S98

ZA3601 $118

ZA180-64 $134

ZA180-66 $94

ZA180-71 $279

ZA3034ME $86

ORDERS ONLY

800-982-2925

TECHNICAL/CUSTOMER SERVICE/ORDER STATUS:

(702) 294-0204 FAX (702) 294-1168

FAX ORDERS WELCOME

WE PUROUUI EXCESS INVENTORY! CALL OR FAX UST

Mlg.pi

CONDITIONS: 20i.U<

30 <feyi-WARRANTY R£ TllMi:NOSURCHABGt FOB MC/VtSA/AE SHIPPING UPSlMin 13 7S) Shipping thamoi as rmn ..kmdabio NET 30 A<c^fcd FW™ coWi from Uni™..."n. Jwlune 1000 A Govwnmool Ag^tinsfWionoJ OwLi, CCO odd S5 00 iCnJi^ittwtl icqirodj lH(nn=!K-» tan-jkB-jIr-i.WEACCEPIINTERNATONAl ORDERS

684 Wells Road

Boulder City, NV

89005

NEVADA

WZ

Circle 199 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 221

Micro-International Inc.

since 1984, world-wide distribution of quality computer systems and components

Intel CPU

486X-25

486DX-33

486DX2-50

486DX-66

Monochrome

$2,160

$2,410

$2,560

$2,720

Color

$3,060

$3,310

$3,460

$3,620

Don't be misled by cheap, low-performance 486SLC designs. With the real Intel 486 power, this notebook computer is the only system you'll ever need in the office or on the road.

HCP Power Notebook Standard Features

VGA graphics with CCFT backlit LCD screen

Mono - 32 gray scale

Color - 256 colors 4 MB RAM installed (16 MB capacity) 120 MB hard disk, 15 ms access time 1.44 MB floppy drive

Nickel-cadmium quick-rechargable battery Carrying case

Built-in trackball (COLOR System Only) Serial mouse (MONO System Only) Licensed Microsoft Windows 3.1 Licensed DR-DOS 6.0 One parallel and two serial ports External VGA and keyboard connections External numeric keypad AC adapter/charger included

Optional Features

Docking station with 2 x 16 bit slot $ 160

Auto cigarette adapter $ 40

Memory upgrade to 16 MB $380

Memory upgrade to 8 MB $ 160

Pocket fax modem (24/96) $ 130

Upgrade hard drive to 210 MB

Upgrade hard drive to 450 MB

Additional battery

Battery charger

Additional AC adapter/charger

$200 $720 $ 90 $ 30 $ 50

Micro-International, Inc.

10850 Seaboard Loop Houston, Texas 77099

VISA

National Sales 800/967-5667 Houston 713/495-9096

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (Central Time)

All systems and components include a one-year warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee.

Price reflects cash or credit card payment. Major corporation purchase orders accepted.

222 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 207 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 708).

"'Hi

in!!

1:11: I,,,,

——. —

N45SL-120 meg, notebook

.1995

N51SX-80 meg, notebook

CALL

ThinkPad 700-120

.2750

ThinkPad 700C-120

.4050

PS/2 9 57-160 meg

2370

Manager's Special

IBM ValuePoint 486 DX2/66, 212 MB

...2450

IBM ValuePoint 486DX66, 212 MB, 8 RAM

.2435

BRAND NAMES

LOW PRICES LEADER

SINCE 1983 We export to Europe, Asia

Notebook Memory

Compaq Contura 4/8MB 215/430

Toshiba T4400 4/8MB 235/460

AST Exec. 4MB 290

Texas Instruments TM4000 4MB 225

TOSHIBA NOTEBOOKS

Toshiba 1850, 80 meg 1895

Toshiba 4400c, 120 meg 3625

Toshiba 6400sxc, 120 meg CALL

Toshiba 3300sl, 80 meg CALL

Toshiba 4500,120 meg CALL

Toshiba 4500C, 200 meg CALL

Call for pricing on other brand name models

CD ROM/Multi Media

NEC CD ROM 36M 570

NEC CD ROM 74M 680

Sound Blaster Pro 205

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH

Toshiba 1200XE, 40 MB $850

AST Premium 386/33 $850

AST Premium II 486SX20,4MB $950

AST Premium II 386/25, 2MB $895

MAC 2C 5MB/40MB $1500

Toshiba Printer 321SLC Color $390

AST

Power Exec 386SL/25, 60 meg 2185

Power Exec 386SL/25,120 meg 2555

Power Exec 386SL/25C, 80 meg 3195

Power Exec 386SL/25C, 120 meg 3575

Power Exec 486SL25 CALL

Power Exec 486SL25C CALL

Power Premium 4/50 2290

Power Premium 4/33 1995

(HARD DISK & MONITOR EXTRA)

COMPAQ.

ProLinea 3/25zs, 84 MB 909

ProLinea 4/25s, 240 MB

1595

Prolinea 4/50, 240 MB

2275

DESKPRO 3/251,120 MB

1695

DESKPRO 4/25ls, 120 MB

1810

DESKPRO 4/661,210 MB

2675

DESKPRO 386/33M, 120 MB

2335

DESKPRO 486/33M, 340 MB

3520

DESKPRO 50M, 340 MB

3995

DESKPRO 66M, 510 MB

4730

Portable 486, 210 MB

CALL

Portable 486c (color), 210 MB

CALL

Contura 386SL/25,120 MB

CALL

LTE Lite/25,120 MB

CALL

LTELite/25c, (color), 120 MB

CALL

LTE Lite 4/25

CALL

SYSTEMPRO/LT

486/33,1020 MB

7552

486DX2/50,1020 MB

9350

|§ N 0 V E L L SPECIALS Netware 386 V.3.11

Authorized Dealer

5 users 695

10 users 1395

20 users 1895

100 users 3795

250 users CALL

WE STOCK CITIZEN

SHARP NOTEBOOK okidata TEXAS INSTRUMENTS epson

HITACHI NEC TALLGRASS ALR ARCHIVE WYSE

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS INTEL MICROSOFT PC MOUSE

SUMMAGRAPHIC CALCOMP

AgS Computers

® All systems include

Made

in USA

• Intel CPU with 4 meg RAM

• Desktop or tower case

• 2 serial, 1 parallel, 1 game (joystick) ports

• 101 AT enhanced keyboard

• 1.2 (5.25") & 1.44 (3.5") TEAC floppy drives

• SVGA card w/1 meg & SVGA 0.28mm monitor

• MS DOS 5.0 (complete w/manuals)

• MS Windows 3.1 (complete w/manuals) & mouse

486/50 with 200 meg HD 2150

486/33 with 120 meg HD 1860

386/40 with 120 meg HD 1390

386SX/25 with 40 meg HD 950

One year limited warranty

LAN BOARDS

8 bit Arcnet

75

16 bit Arcnet

1fil)

Novell NE 1000

1fifl

Novell NE 2000

175

8 port Active Hub ..

.325

Token Ring Card ...

399

Tokenhub 4-port ...

.355

Call for otber

LAN Accessories

PRINTERS

Panasonic 2180

...289

Panasonic 2624

...390

OKIDATA ML320

...315

OKIDATA ML390

...460

HP DeskJet 500

...399

HP DeskJet 550c

...699

HP PaintJet

...705

Epson, Citizen

CALL

HARD DISKS

CONNER

CP30104120meg....CALL

CP3204F 220 meg....CALL

QUANTUM

Pro Drive 120 meg ...CALL

Pro Drive 240 meg ...CALL

MAXTOR, SEAGATE MICROPOLIS, MICRONET CALL FOR ALL MODELS

SVGA Monitors

NEC3FGX, 14" 665

NEC4FG, 16" 825

Viewsonic 4E, 14" 365

Viewsonic 8,17" 1785

Aamazing, 14" 335

LASER PRI

HP LaserJet NISI....

3595

OKI OL 400, 800

...CALL

HP LaserJet HID

CALL

OKIOL840P.S

1720

HP LaserJet IV HP LaserJet HIP

1495 CALL

Panasonic 4450

1295

NEC Model 95

1395

HP LaserJet IIP Plus

CALL

NEC Model 97

CALL

HP Laser 4M

1995

Compaq Pagemarq 20

4295

inc.

Corporate Accounts Welcome

Call for Discounts on Volume

And Consultant Orders

Computerlane

Outside California: 1-800-526-3482

Inside California: 818-884-8644 • FAX: 818-884-8253

7500 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Canoga Park, CA 91303

Hours: Monday - Friday 9 -6, Saturday 10-5

Compaq is a Registered Trademark of Compaq. IBM is a Registered Trademark of Internationa! Business Machines.

ALL QUOTED

PRICES REFLECT

A 5% CASH DISCOUNT

Visa, MasterCard

and

American Express

also accepted

Prices subject to change without notice. 'Quantities are limited

Circle 192 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 'BYTE 223

CONTROL UP TO 96 PC

PILE SERVERS WITH 1 KEYBOARD

AND MONITOR USING...

COMMANDER

by cybex

• Select via Keyboard

• Dual access up to 250 feet away (optional)

• no external power

• Mix PC, PC/XT, PC/AT

and PS/2

• "AutoBoot™" Feature boots attached computers without operator intervention

• Shows PC power status

7ZZ2ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

gaeseiEnra

ps^ra

>

y///^y^/}/>>^}//z

PS/2 Mouse support available

• Each unit accommodates from 2 to 8 PCs

• Up to 12 units can be cascaded

• Mounting kit available for 19" and 24" rack installation

Dealer Program Available

Cybex corporation

2800-H Bob Wallace Ave.

Huntsville, Alabama 35805

(205) 534-0011

_ Fax (205) 534-0010

PC, PC/XT, PC/AT and PS/2 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp.

224 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 193 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 194).

"The CA RAVE, Now I

knovvWh'

Jim Scalise finds FastCAD®'s speed and ease of use gives more than an increase in quality production time... "We found other systems difficult to learn, but FastCAD enabled us to get up and running in short order. Architects that need the fastest CAD system have to see this to believe it. FastCAD really lives up to its name. Without FastCAD it would be tough to compete and we wouldn't have time for the extensive detailed work we consider standard on all construction documents.

Cy Jim Scalise

Nickels+Scalise Architects

PMsTfofa

Plus, paper storage would be overwhelming and we'd still have 'draftsman's cramp' in our fingers and graphite on our forearms. After winning two National CAD Drawing Contests and elating our clients with FastCAD, it's as easy for me to endorse as it is to use."

If you want to be more competitive, but find yourself short on time, don't delay! Call Evolution Computing today for a freedemo at 1-800-874-4028. Free technical support for registered users.

^^^^^^^fi^nS^ln^^l^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^*

tuewn

/ ciBlor

f (team

! ampstlbk

agjj IK'Mllill

I^P^Jf compuwr.

jCAD2

the twite

>««r.

m

■GE3S1

HWw

FREE Hands-On Demo^ CalM-800-874-4028

EasyCAD and FastCAD are registered trademarks of Evolution,Cafljputing © 1992 Evolution Computing.

pCsoU**,

Says... Kenosha Computer' Center offers some of the Best Buys in Mail Order!

EPSON

LX810

....$169

LQ570

LQ870

$235 $425

FX870

....$265

FX1050....

....$349

LQ1070....

$349

FX1170

....$349

LQ1170....

$569

EPL8000...

..$1065

LQ2550....

$849

Action 325 Action 100

)

$189

) 6 PPM,

14 fonts

$689

Action 1500 6 PPM,

PLC5

$889

DFX 5000/DFX ROOfl

£12B3/S?139

Call For Options

Join the thousands of

satisfied customers who

enjoy our combination of

price, service, and speed

of delivery.

KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER

SALES LINE OUTSIDE WISCONSIN

1-800-255-2989

Shipping, customer service & technical assistance call

414-697-9595 - FfiX 414-697-0620

VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED

• No Surcharge on MasterCard or Visa!

• Kenosha Computer Center is now in its 6th year!

4$ Texas Instruments

Travelmate 3000-WIIMSX $1749

Travelmate 4000 SX-80mg $2199

Travelmate 4000 WIIMSX 25-120 $2349

Travelmate 4000 W1NDX 120mg $2879

Travelmate 4000 Win SLC/25 $1749

Travelmate 4000 Win DX2/50 $3399

Travelmate 4000 Win SX/25 Color ...$3199

Travelmate 4000 Win DX2/40 Color .$3899

Call For Accessories

OKIDATA

ML320/ML321 S299/S419

ML380/ML590 S219/S419

ML591/ML393 S569/S909

OL 400 Laser/OL 810 $589/$1029

OL 820 Laser/OL 830 S1219/S1279

Okilaser 400 2MG upgrade S119

Panasonic,

Office Automation/^^l

\Jr~i

1123/1124i $195/8275

2180/2123 S179/S229

1624/1654 S339/S519

2124/2624 $299/$359

4410/4430 S599/S859

4450i/4451 S1059/S1379

2mg. Upgrade for 4420 81 44501 S139

cc Computers

KCC 386 SX-33 W/1.2MB floppy, 2 MG RAM, 40 MG Hard Drive, SVGA Card & Monitor,

DOS 5.0, Windows & Mouse S1249

KCC 386-DX-40 w/64K Cache 1.2 MG floppy, 4 MG RAM 106 MG Hard Drive, SVGA Card and Monitor, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1

and Mouse S1499

KCC 486-DX-33 w/64K Cache, 1.2 MG floppy, 4 MG RAM, 211 MG Hard Drive, SVGA Card and Monitor, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1 and Mouse S1999

All KCC systems come with a 30 day money-back guarantee. Toll-free technical support. One Vear Limited Worranty.

HEWLETT-PACKARD

Laserjet IV w/toner S1399

Laserjet IV M w/toner Call

Laserjet III P w/toner $979

Laserjet II P+ w/toner $809

1 MB Upgrade $69

2 MB Upgrade $99

Deskjet 500/500C $399/$509

Deskjet 550C $729

Deskjet Portable Call

Laserjet III si $3249

4 MB Upgrade $159

Options Call

Canon

BJ10EX $245

360 DPI, 37K Buffer, 142 CPS, 6 fonts, IBM & Epson Emulation

BJ20 $359

Detachable cutsheet feeder, 188 CPS, 360 DPI

BJ300 $329

600 CPS, 30K Buffer, 3 Fonts, Epson IBM Emulation

BJ330 S555

Wide carriage. Version of BJ 300

BJCSOO $1779

Color Bubblejet, 360 DPI, 7K Buffer, Epson Emulation LQ2550, 600 CPS, Built-in auto cut sheet feeder

BJ200 $325

496 CPS, 360 DPI, cut sheet feed, Epson & IBM Emulation

MEMORY PRODUCTS

2 MB IBM 30-286 $89

2 MB IBM 55SX $89

1 8t 4 MB SIMMS Call

BOCA RAM AT 2 MB $179

4 MB Tl 4000 $199

Ast Premium 4 MB $165

Toshiba, Nee, Zenith, AST, IBM, Compac, Other Manufacturers & Products Call

LASER PRINTERS

2 MB EPSON ALII $139

2 & 4 MB H-P III $99/$159

2 MB OKI 400 $119

2 MB OKI 830/840 Call

2 MB Panasonic 4450i $125

2 MB Panasonic 4410/4430 $125

Other Models & Manufacturers Call

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS PLOTTERS & SUMMAGRAPHICS DIGITIZERS

Image Maker A&B 11x17 $699

DMP-52C&D 1 Pen $1979

DMP-161 A to D 8 Pen $2749

DMP-162 A to E 8 Pen $3475

DMP-162RAtoE8Pen

Roll Feed $4749

Summasketch II 12x12 $279

Summasketch II 12x18 $479

HARD DRIVES & TAPES

SEAGATE, CONNER & MAXTOR

SEAGATE 120 MB 3144A S279

SEAGATE 245 MB 3283 $399

MAXTOR 120 MB S279

MAXTOR 200 MB S379

MAXTOR 340 MB S639

CONNER 40 MB S189

CONNER 120/170 MB S269/S289

CONNER 200/250 MB S399/S419

MICROSOLUTIONS

40 MB or 100 MB $399/$489

External Parallel port hard drive. Perfect for Laptops, PS It's 8t XT's.

HARD CARDS

Plus Hard card 50XL S239

Plus Hard card 105 MG S339

TAPE BACK UP

Colorado Jumbo 120 S189

Colorado Jumbo 250 $249

Colorado Tracker 120 Portable ....$339 Colorado Tracker 250 Portable ....$399 Mountain, Maynard, others CALL

MONITORS

Mitsubishi EGA $239

Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 17" $1069

Mitsubishi HL 6955 20" $1779

NEC Multisync III FGX $609

NEC Multisync IV FGX $709

NEC Multisync VFGX $1245

NEC 6FG $2249

Samsung 14" Sync Master 2 $249

Samsung 14" Sync Master 3 $299

Samsung 15" Sync Master 15 $479

Samsung 17" Sync Master 4 $799

KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER

2133 91st Street

SOFTWARE

Lotus 2.4/3.1 $299/$359

Microsoft Word for Windows $299

Microsoft Windows 3.1 $79

Microsoft DOS 5.0 $69

DBase IV $419

Word Perfect 5.2 $269

C.A. Cricket Paint $89

C.A. SuperCalc $89

C.A. Simply Accounting $125

C.A. Clipper $495

C.A. BPI Value Pak $359

C.A. db Fast $329

BATTERY BACKUP & UPS

AMERICAN

250/400 $109/$165

450/600 $199/$259

900/1200VX $375/$729

SMART UPS 400 $309

TRIPPUTE

BC 250 $105

BC 400 $159

BC 500 LAN $195

BC 600 LAN $259

BC 900 LAN S359

GRAPHICS CARDS

ATI VGA Wonder XL 24 1MB $149

ATI Graphics Ultra 1MB $279

ATI Graphics Ultra Pro 1MB $439

ATI Graphics Ultra + 1MB $295

Diamond Speedstar 24X W/1MB.S175

Diamond Stealth w/1MB $219

Orchid Fahrenheit1280 $269

Trident SVGA 1MB $79

Monochrome Boards $35

No charge (of MasterCard or Visa. Wa will ship COD on a cash or cashor's check basis only. Shipping & handling

3%-S6 minimum; AK and HI slightly higher. 15%

restocking charge on returned items. Purchase orders

accepted Irom Fortune 1000, Government institutions,

schools and universities. 2% shipping discount available

on orders over S2000 il prepaid by chock.

Prices and availability subject to change.

^V Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140

KENOS(HA COMPUTE'

1-800-255-2989

MODEMS & FAX MODEMS

PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS

FAX ME for plain paper fax $169

PRACTICAL PER 9600 INT/EXT ...S199/S229

PRACTICAL PER 14.4 INT/EXT ....$329/S279

HAYES

HAYES OPTIMA 9600 S329

HAYES OPTIMA 14.4 $399

HAYES OPTIMA 14.4 W/FAX $439

HAYES ULTRA 14.4 S619

U.S. ROBOTICS

USR 9600 V.32 bis S469

HST 16.9 Int/Ext $499/$549

USR SPORTSTER 14.4 Int/Ext $309/$309

USR SPORTSTER 14.4 W/FAX $328

USR DUAL STD EXT $729

World Port 96/96 Fax Modem $439

Intel Satisfaxtions Below

iny

Satisfaxtion Fax Modems

200 2400 V.42/9600 Fax $275

400 14.4/14.4 Fax $375

400 ext 14.4/14.4 Fax $419

Faxability Plus $59

80387-SX co-processor $75

80387-DX co-processor $85

Overdrive Upgrade SX20/25....S349/$435 Overdrive Upgrade DX25/33 ...$435/5575

MULTIMEDIA & CD ROMS

Media Fusion 16 $499

SoundBlaster Pro $189

Videoblaster $329

Imports video & audio from VCRs, cameras and video discs into VGA graphics Soundblaster Pro

Multimedia Upgrade kit $539

With Soundblaster Pro, midi kit, CD Rom drive 8t software

NEC CDR 74 w/gallery $629

NEC CD Express $419

NETWORKING

NETWARE 2.2 5 USER $489

NETWARE 2.2 10 USER $1079

NETWARE 2.2 50 USER $2099

NETWARE 3.11 5 USER $589

NETWARE 3.11 10 USER $1359

NETWARE 3.11 50 USER $2699

NE 2000 $139

LANTASTIC 10MPS STARTER KIT $449

LANTASTIC 10MPS ADAPTER $199

LANTASTIC FOR WINDOWS $165

3 COM ETHERLINK II $185

3 COM ETHERCARD $279

INTEL ETHER 16 $119

INTEL ETHER 16 20 PAK $1975

SMC ETHER + ELITE 16 $145

SMC ETHERNET 8 BIT COAX $95

XIRCOM POCKET ADAP COAX $299

XIRCOM POCKET ADAP 10 BASE T $299

CENTER

Circle 557 on Inquiry Card.

Thafslt!

It's an exhibition, with new products, new ideas, and new solutions. It's a conference, an educational forum which can open your eyes to new ways of, solving problems. It's a meeting place where you can exchange thoughts with your peers. It's an industry forum where DEC can connect to IBM, Mcintosh, Hewlett-Packard and many other systems. That's it. That's DEXPO and it's your best opportunity to make your DEC system compatible with the world. DEXPO.

Come see exhibitors and their products at DEXPO Spring '93.

DEXPO Spring is well on its way to filling the Inforum in Atlanta, GA with the exhibitors you want to meet. They'll be there to answer your questions, to provide solutions, to help you make your systems more efficient and your companies more profitable. That's it.

Open Systems Conference debut's at DEXPO Spring '93.

Today's information manager has two things on their mind - increased productivity and profitablity without added expense. DEXPO has added a world class conference to open your eyes to new ideas in making your DEC and DEC compatible products work more effectively together. Topics include: Achieving Enterprise-Wide Open Systems A Guide to DEC-Other Vendor Integration

• IBM, HP, Sun, Unisys, Pes, Unix System V DEC and the Issues of the 90's

• Open Systems

• Operating Systems

• Network Management •NAS

• Application Development

• DEC's Software Vision

To obtain registration information for DEXPO Spring '93 fill out the form and return either by mail or fax.

DEXPO Spring

Exhibition & Open Systems Conference June 8 -10,1993 Inforum Atlanta, GA

Fax to: 214/385-9003

Mail to: Registrar

DEXPO Spring

13760 Noel Road, Suite 500

Dallas, TX 75240

Yes, I'm interested. Please send more information on:

() Attending () Conference () Exhibiting

Company

Cily/StaleVZip

DEXPO

No one serves the DEC market better, no one can.

Produced by Miller Freeman, Inc.-A member of the United Newspaper Group ©1993 Miller Freeman, Inc.

Circle 555 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 224NE-3

Basic Systems Include : ~ Motherboard & CPU ~ 101 Enhanced Keyboard

1.2 Meg or 1.44 Meg Floppy Drive - 2 Hard/2 Floppy IDE Controller

2 Serial/1 Parrel/1 Game Ports ~ Internal Clock Calendar ~ Coprocessor Socket ■

386-16SX NottBook

2Maj RAM 40M«g. ND

1.44 FD $799.00

Special 1024 X 768 SVGA .28

$255.00

Ask About

Our 2 Vaar

Extended Warranty

Panasonic 2124 $299

14' Mono Monitor

14* Mono VGA

M- SVCA (1024X768 .39)

14- 5VCA (1024X768 .28)

14* SVGA (1024X768 .28) N/1

14" Sony 1304

IS" MAS

IS* NEC 3F6X

17* SVQA N/l

17" SONY 1*04

I NETWORKING

NOVELL V3.ll G USER

NOVELL V3.1l 10 USER

NOVELL V3.11 20 USER

NOVELL V3.ll 100 USER

ARCNET 8/16 (STAR)

ARCNET 8/16 (BUS)

ACTIVE HUB 4/8 PORTS ; NE-1000 COMPAT (COAX/TP) . NE-2000 COMPAT (COAX/TP)

MEMORY

1 MEG X 9 70 NS SIMM 256K X 9 70 NS SIMM A MEG X 9 70 NS SIMM

575 649

650

TQ39

i*59

1499

1794

4249

49/89

64/94

79/139

90/110

100/130

JJS WESTERN DIGITAL

NT CO-PROCESSORS

Why Ulta

FLOPPY/HARD DRIVES

1.2/1.44 Mb ID

Satisfied Government &

Corporate Customers

- Pentagon

~ General Electric

- Melon Bank

- Sigma Software

No hassle return Policy Name brand Parts

- Teae

- Senate

- Intel

- NEC

1 Vr. Parts & 5 Yr. Service Warranty

48 Total System Burn-In

Piece of mind knowing the Quality and Reliability That only a Ulta Computer Can Bring.

Manufactured Direct to i you Right here in the UnlrecTSrates

40 Mb/28 m 80 Mb/18 m IDS Mb/17 i 170 Mb/15 i 210 Mb/16 i 340 Mb/12 i S35 Mb/16 i 210 Mb/16 i 340 Mb/16 i

IDE IDE ■ IDE a IDE a IDE a IDE

$ S3

149 209 236 299 372 675 1019 469 732

KEYBOARDS

101 ENHANCED 101 LITE-ON CLICK 108 FOCUS 2001 1 1 1 FOCUS 8000 130 FOCUS 9000 MOUSE

CONTROLLERS

IDE 2FD/2HD $ 12

IDE 4FD/2HD 29

IDE 2FD/2HD W/2S/1P/1G 20

AT I/O 25/1/IG IS

MFM 2FD/2HD 1:1 40

RI.L 2FD/2HD 1:1 40

Ultrajtor 12F ESDI 32k Cache (ISA) 159

Ultrastor 14F SCSI 64K cache (ISA) 239

Ullrastor 24F 449 Ultrastor 22F/22C ESDI (EISA) 48S/639

Ultrastor ISC IDE Cache (ISA) 199

CD ROMS/MULTIMEDIA

MITSUMI CRMC TEXEL /W CONTROLLER SOUNDBLASTER SOUNDBLASTER PRO 7 CD-ROM TITLES

179

489

199

139

387SX-26 3B7DX-2S 387DX-33 387DX-40

S 69

69 76

90

SCANNERS

HP SCANJET 2P HP SCANJET 2C

MODEMS

5 890 1445

2400 B Modsm

9600B SEND/RECEIVE FAX

9600B w/V.32 A V.42 BIS

$ 39 79 229

CASES W/POW'R SUPPLY

Mini Tow*r 200W Digital

Mini D-.k 200W

PS2 Stylo 200W

MldTow»r 200W Digital w/7 Baya

FullTowau 230W w/11 Bay*

Prices subject to change without notice. AH returns must be made in 30 days and accompany an RMA number. Shipping, insurance & COD charges are extra and non-refundable. All prices reflect a 3% discount for cash. Ulta Computers is not responsible for Typographical or Photographical errors. $3.00 charge for orders under $ 100.00. California residents subject to sales conformation. Tech. Support 1 -304-748-1891 Fax 1 -304-748-0276

224NE-4 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 559 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 560).

FREE On-Site Service Nationwide For One Year!

.■.■:■

II 1

WIN

©<

m C 7;'l;-.t;

!

386DX 40 64K Cache 4 Meg

486DX 33 256K Cache 4 Meg... 486DX2 50 256K Cache 4 Meg. 486DX 50 256K Cache 4 Meg ... 486DX2 66 256K Cache 4 Meg.

486 VESA Local Bus

w/24 bit 16 Million true color video.

$1175 $1575 $1625 $1775 $1775

........Add $100

c o ivi r u ~r f / / / / /

S ■ - :S--- - Jr S •.■■ A ■■■£

R

/

30 Meg hard disk (14.5 ms

.44 Meg floppy drive

.2 Meg floppy drive

VGA 1024 X 768 .28 14" color monitor SVGA card (trident) 1 Meg "20 Watt desktop or mini tower

serial, 1 parallel, 1 game, IDE 2HD/2FD

01-Key enhanced keyboard 1 year parts and 5 years labor

1 YEAR ON-SITE SERVICE

FCC B AND UL APPROVED

One Hollywood Drive North Grafton, MA 01536 508-839-3289 fax 508-839-6236

800-685-3981

Monday-Friday: 10am-10pm Saturday: 10am-6pm Sunday: Noon-6pm

Circle 558 on Inquiry Card.

No

' surcharge'

for credit

cards.

VISA

/

/

**£

Circle 556 on Inquiry Card.

MAGAZINE

| WORLD |

\00

a

ISA-VESA-ISA

A L L

ONE SYSTEM

Poly486-66EV $2750

8 x 32-bit EISA slots with 3 VESA Local Bus Upgradeable to P24T (586SX) 256K Cache, Option: 512K 8MB RAM, Expandable 256MB 213MB High Speed IDE Hard disk 32-bit VESA IDE with 2MB Cache 1.2MB and 1.44MB Floppy Drives VESA Video Accelerator with 2MB

FAST AND EXPANDABLE

Call for other model and configuration!

800-999-1278

TEL 415-583-7222 FAX 415-583-1974

well

^pwfi.

♦

ADVERTISERS

♦;♦

Run a full- or half-page 4-color ad

reaching a portion of BYTE's U.S. readers

at unbelievably low rates — right here in this section!

Call today to learn more about BYTE's unique Regional Advertising Section, located in our prominent Buyer's Guide.

♦

(603) 924-2651 or (603) 924-2637

224NE-6 BYTE- MARCH 1993

P- The Superstore with Super Deals!

Hard Drives

Western Digital

High performance

"Caviar" series with V

height. Cache FlowIM and 32K buffer.

AC280 80Mb 1" 3.5" 14ms IDE....Call

AC2120125Mb 1" 3.5' 14ms IDE....Call

AC2200200Mb V 3.5- 14ms IDE....Call

AC2340340Mb 1" 3.5" 14ms IDE ....Call

Maxtor

7080A 80Mb 1" 3.5" 15ms IDE....Call 7120A 120Mb 1" 3.5" 15ms IDE....Call LXT213A213Mb 1" 3.5" 15ms IDE....Call MX12401.2Gb 1" 3.5" 15ms IDE....Call Panther 1.2Gb SCall Panther 1.7Gb Call

Conner Peripherals

30104 120Mb 3.5" 19ms IDE....Call 3204 200Mb 3.5" 16ms IDE ....Call

Hard Drive Specials

Seagate ST3283 249Mb IDE 499.95

Samsung 100Mb IDE 299.95

Seagate Wren 340Mb ESDI 599.95

Brand Tech 200Mb IDE 379.95

Call for Quantum, Micropolis, Seagate. Controllers from Ultrastor, Always, WD etc.

Backups

Colorado

DJ10 120Mb Tape Drive internal .. 199 DJ20 250Mb Tape Drive internal.. 268

Trakker 120Tape Backup 358

Trakker 250 Tape Backup 428

Syauest (with cartridge)

44Mb kit SQ555.SQ400.SQ01 (16 bit) .419

44Mb external 499

88Mb kit SQ5110, SQ800, SQ01(16bit) 529 88Mb external 629

GrassRoots Floptical

Floptical 21 Mb (external) Call

Floptical 21 Mb (internal) Call

Floppy Disk Drives

Toshiba

ND04DG 360K 5.25" HH PC/XT 59

ND08DEG 1.2Mb 5.25" HH PC/AT ....72 ND3561GR1.44Mb 3.5" HH w/ATKit.,72

ACP

1.2 Mb 5.28". 66 2.88Mb 3.5" Call

1,44Mb 3.5".. ..67 All in One 3.5/5.25 149 Compaq 1/3 ht. Floppy Call

MultiMedia

Creative Labs

Complete all-in-one MPC compatible upgrade kit includes; Panasonic CD Drive. Sound Blaster Pro, five CD's, Microsoft

MultiMedia Kit Int/Ext 539/599

Sound Blaster Reg/Pro/16 85/148/218

MediaVision

CDPC Subsystem (external) 998

Pro 16 Multimedia System 968

Pro Audio Spectrum 16 194

NEW! MediaVision Fusion CD ext. CD ROM with Sound.Speaker and 4 CDs: Compton's Carmen, Ultima, Wing Comm 429

Compton's Encyclopedia CD

Standard version 169

Interactive version, NEWI 249

CD ROM Special

Mitsumi MPC Compatible (inf) 188

input Devices

Advanced Trackman Port ...98

3-button Mouse 14,95 Microsoft

84/101 Keyb...48/58 Mouse 73

Mouse&Windows 88 Ballpoint 98

Logitech Mouse&Windowsl48

Mouseman 78 Microspeed

Trackman 78 PCTrac 78

Cordless Mouse ..88

Video Graphics Cards

ATI

Graphics Ultra Pro w/lMb/2Mb... 428/518

Graphics Ultra+ w/lMb/2Mb 288/328

Graphics Ultra 512K/1 Mb 248/288

Graphics Vantage 512K/1Mb 188/218

VGA Wonder XL24 w/512K/lMb .. 128/148 VGA Integra 83 VGA Basic 16 65

Diamond

SpeedSTAR Stealth w/1Mb 218

Speedsfar 24X24-BitColorw/lMb 165

Orchid Fahrenheit 1280w/lMb ...258

Paradise

Windows Accelerator w/l Mb 178

Chips and SIMM's

RAM Chips I 25

41256-100 256K 100ns DIP 1.49.. 1.35

41256-80 256K 80ns DIP 1.59.. 1.49

414256-80 256Kx4 80ns DIP 4.79 ..4.59

lMb-100 IMbxl 100ns DIP 4.05 ..3.95

lMb-80 IMbxl 80ns DIP 4.49 ..4.39

Call for VIDEO RAMS & CACHE RAMS Over 20,000,000 IC's in-stock including We Specialize in 486DX/25 & 33 Upgrades

New Low Prices!

SIMM Memory Modules

lx9-70(3-chip)..,.37 1 X36-70 138

lx9-70(9-chlp)....39 2x36-70 288

4x9-70 129 4x36-70 538

1 x 8-70 (Mac) 36 8x8 (Mac) 324

4x8-80(Mac) 124 16x8(Mac) 408

Advanced Cards

Mono/Color 38/48

EGA 48

VGA (800x600) 53

VGA (1024 x768)512K 68

MGA 0024x768)1 Mb 88

Math Coprocessors

Intel

Cyrix

8087 29 387SX06-25) 73

80287-10 89 387DX (20-33) 88

80387SX (all) 78 387DX/40 108

80387DX (all) .... 85 80287 (all) 78

387SL 78 Overdrive 486DX/33 649

Rapid CAD 249 Overdrive 486SX/25.489

Memory Upgrades

Notebooks

Compaq Contura, 4MbS 1

Compaq Lite. 4Mb 228

HP95LX Palmtop, 2Mb .. Call

IBM CL57SX. 4Mb 345

Everex Carrier, 2Mb ...

Toshiba T4400,4Mb 18

Toshiba T6400, 4Mb 18

Zenith Z-Note. 2Mb ....

Laser Printers-"0"K Boards

HP III/IIID/IIIP/I1P/IIP+/II/IID 49.95

Panasonic 4410/30 or 4420/10 .. 69.95/49.95

Oki400 49.95 Oki 800/20 59.95

Oki 830/40 79.95 IBM 4019/29 49.95

NEC 69.95 QMS 410 69.95

Computer Upgrades

AST Bravo 3/25S\ 8Mb S 318

IBM PS/2 90, 95, 2Mb 88

Dell 420/25/33/50SE, 4Mb 208

Call for NEC, HP, Zenith, Leading Edge.

Motherboards

Advanced

286-12MHz 69.95

3B6SX -25MHz 119.95

386DX -40MHz 199.95

486SX -20MHz 199.95

486DX2 -50MHz 699.95

486DX2 -66MHz 999.95

486DX -50MHz Call

Micronics

ISA BUS

486DX/33 W/256K cache 799

486DX2/50 W/256K cache 999

ISA-VLBUS

486DX2/66 W/64K cache 1399

486DX2/50 W/64K cache 1049

MVC4000LB/lMbVideoAdapter 199

EISA BUS

486DX2/33 W/256K cache 1099

486DX2/50 W/256K cache 1449

f

1 D7MTT(^'ll 5"

(O)

A Dynatech Company

Memory Upgrades ni

S8M

COMPAQ PROLINER

™

Mod 4/33,50 4Mb

158 ■

Mod 3/25 SC.25 2Mb

.89 ■

Call for other models.

' H

COMPAQ,Vte

Shki

Lite, Contura"

2400/9600 w/SFW

,.169

9600/9600 w/SFW

..439

144/9600 w/SFW

...529

TOSHIBA1

Notebooks'

2400/9600 w/SFW

...169

9600/9600 w/SFW

...439

144/9600 W/SFW

...549

' Cellular ready.

PC6881CSH/^R|

Color

386SL/20

NoteBook

•Only 4.9 LBS. •2Mb RAM . 80Mb IHD

$^10095

3199 * also NEW!

6785w/80Mb $ 1799.95

Advanced • with AMDHigh Performance CPU's Computers 'plusSEIKOTrinitronMonitors

• OPTI or ACC Chipsets • 1 Year Warranty

• AMI BIOS • Enhanced 101 Keyboard • IDE Interface |

• Free Accounting Software

...all Advanced Systems include:

advanced computers

486/33 Complete Color System

Includes •

• 486DX/33 w/256k Cdche .

• 4 Mb RAM

•512K VGA Card •105MbHardDrive

1.44 Mb Floppy Disk IDE Controller 101 Keyboard 14" SVGA .28 Color Monitor

ACP's Sale Price

$1499

Call for additional configurations... Local Bus, .386SX, 486DX/50 and Seiko Trinitron Monitors

386DX/25 &100Mb HD Desktop System

2Mb RAM • 100Mb HD • 64K Cache

3.5/5.25 Dual Floppies- SVGA/512K

Mouse • DOS 5.0 ■ Windows 3.1 • Works

Unreal Deal $ ^ AA

at acp m */yy

Hi-speed CD-ROM

Toshiba 2200

FREE Lotus 1-2-3 CD with purchase. 200ms ACCESS w/adapter.

386SX/20 Notebook

40 Mb Hard Drive 1 Mb RAM • VGA LCD

$799 $999

Call ACP for Notebooks...

AST • COMPAQ MITAC • TOSHIBA

BELOW COST!

286/12

80286»3.5" Floppy 1 Mb-101 Keyboard

$269

IBM OS/2

Special Purchase...

04G1049 OS/2 Extended w/server. List 1995 ACP 1159 04G1051 OS/2 LanServer

List 795 ACP 429

04G1091 OS/2 Ext. Admin.

kit. List 165 ACP 97

10G 5999 OS/2 2.0 Upgrade List 149 ACP 79

All 4 for only $499!

Software Sale...up to90% Off! of Titles! Now only 9*5.1

CompuServe 9.95 Coinbase

Life & Death 9.95 Computer Comic 9.95

DesertStorm 9.95 Complete Craps 9.95

Personal Biz Base 9.95 Pro Football Analyst . 9.95

Stickbear 9.95 Hdc Window Apps ...9.95

Dvorak on Typing 9.95 30 Min. Negotiator.... 9.95

Bible Trivia 9.95 Retirement Planner... 9.95

■«J.«IMJf.W.l,J.lfJ/J)M

Intel®

Satisfaction

Model 100 48 FAX/24 Modem 88

Model 200 96 FAX/24 Modem ... 288 Model 400 144 FAX/144 Modem 388

TOSHIBA'Notebooks

T1850 386SX-25/80Mb 1899

T1850C Color/80Mb 2835

T4400SX 486SX-25/80Mb 2299

■J C: Windows Accelerator ' ' Increases "'] Performance!

:i Diamond

Computer Systems, Inc.

Speed Star 24X

...make your 386 perform like a 486

• Windows Accelerator _ _

• 15X faster than SVGA ACP •1Mb RAM onlV •WD90C31 Chip

• 5 Year Warranty

• 24 bit color for 16 .7 million colors

?165

"HEB-I

New! OPTIMA* 24+FAX 96

Now you can get a 2400bps V.24bis data modem plus a 9600 bps FAX with Hayes superior performance and compatibility. All at a great price. Also includes SmartCom EZ and SmartCom FAX software.

OPTIMA'24 +FAX 96 $ 148

OPTIMA' 96 + FAX 96 368

OPTIMA" 144 + FAX 144 475

SII

Seiko CM 1450 £T'

New low price on — "~ an incredibly sharp SVGA flicker-free. ^*tr

non-interlaced mjlliscanning monitor. Features finest quality Trinitron high-contrast black tube. .25mm aperature grille and 1024x768 resolution.

CM 1450 14" $ 424

CM 1760 17" (.25mm) 1097

or try Seiko's new 20"

CM 2070 LR 20" 1825

Canon

Canon® Authorized Reseller... NEW LOW PRICES!

BJ10E Portable 5 299.95

BJ200 Inkjet 348.95

LBP-4SX Laser Printer 988.95

BJ330 Printer (B/W) 548.95

BJC 800 (Color) 1895.95

BJC 820 (Color) 2075.95

BJ 300 BubbleJet(B/W) ... 449.95 BJ 20 Portable 328.95

Advanced Computer Products, Inc.

1310 E. Edinger, Santa Ana, CA 92705 • FAX /14-558-8849 • Toll-Free 1-800-FONE ACP • Sales 714-558-8813 MMC

Prices subject to change without notice. No surcharge on credit card. Credit cards not charged until we ship. 100% risk free return guarantee! II you are not 100% satisfied jusl return insured within 15 days complete with all malerials in new resaleable condition with original invoice. ACP will immeOiately exchange product or issue ACP credit less shipping lor lulure purchase. No Returns on soltware Special Purchase

Circle 190 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 191).

TRAVEL LI

HAVEL NEAT, TRAVEL SMART...

- Weight less than 1 kg

- PCMCIA 2.0 Interface

- 60 Mb Hard Disk

- 2 Mb RAM

- No adapters needed

• Weight 2.2 lbs. (Bicom and Battery)

• Dimension 8.78" x 6.36" x 1.22"

• True 16 bit AMD Lonestar Processor, 386SX Class Performance

• 5 "AA" size NiMH Batteries

• 60 MB Hard Disk Drive

• 2MB RAM expandable to 4MB on board and 16MB with memory card

• PCMCIA 2.0/JEIDA standard port for memory card and I/O card

• 640 x 400 resolution LCD screen supports CGA, AT&T mode and all Windows graphics • 64-key keyboard • 1 parallel (bi-directional)/ 1 serial • External FDD port for optional Floppy Drive • DR-DOS 6.0, File Transfer Software & Serial Download Cable • Built-in Personal Data Manager software

• Built-in Programmable Power Management Software

• Universal AC/DC adaptor

• Carrying Case

Options: External Floppy Drive, SRAM Memory Cards, 9624 IC Card Fax/Modem, Mini-trackball, External Keyboard, extra batteries.

^m MCOMPUTERS

Abe

1-800-336-2280

ABC Computer (USA) Corp.

2531 237th Street, Suite 122, Torrance CA 90505

310-325-4005 Fax 310-325-6369

226 BYTE • MARCH 1993

30-Day Money Back Guarantee

All brand names are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Circle 188 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 189).

If You're Only Using Windows

For Work, It's Time You

Sought Professional Help.

MicroProse Has The Remedy.

Spreadsheets. Multi-tasking. Sales forecasts. It's enough to drive a Windows user to the laughing academy.

MicroProse has one clear response to the nightmare of work! FUN!

For 10 years, we've relieved computer owners of workday grief with spine-tingling software. We created F-15 Strike Eagle, a flight simulation of America's most powerful jet fighter. Civilization, a strategy game that lets you build an empire. And Darklands, where you can lead a band of adventurers through 15th century Germany.

Now MicroProse is prescribing this same high dosage of fun for Windows users. And it all starts with The MicroProse Entertainment Pack Vol. #1.

Somebody Call A Doctor!

Our first offering for the Windows environment is the endlessly engaging Dr. Floyd's Desktop Toys.

Load this package onto your Windows and the wacky Dr. Floyd (whose good looks grace this ad) will escort you through six wonderfully addictive games. f Games like Snark Hunt.Web Spinners. Cryptograms. And KYE. All designed to transport your thoughts far away from the daily grind of work.

So take your shoulder off the wheel and look for these MicroProse games arriving soon at your favorite software retailer. And open your Windows to a whole new world of fun.

/MICROPROSE

ENTERTAINMENT - SOFTWARE

Seriously Fun Software

© 1992 MicroProse Software, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Circle 200 on Inquiry Card.

To get our free catalog, call 1 -800-879-PLAY.

(Mon.- Fri., 8:30 am-5:00 pm EST.)

Or illl out the coupon and mail it to: MicroProse Software, Inc. 180 Lakeiront Drive • Dept. D-10 • Hunt Valley. MD 21030-2245

Name

Address _ City

.State.

.Zip.

NA1

MARCH 1993 'BYTE 227

HBMO&tt M6M0MI! MEMORY!!

ACER 486SX - 16MB SIMM m x 36)

32MB SIMM(8MX36) AMI EZ-FLEX - 64MB KITvsimms) AMIGA 2000 - 16MB SIMM AST BRAVO 486LC - 16MB SIMM COMPAQ SystemPro - 32MB MODULE DELL 486's - 16MB KIT (2 simms) 32MB KIT (2 simms) MAC llfx - 16MB SIMM MAC QUADRA 950 - 16MB SIMM MAC llci,llcx,llsi,QUADRA 900 - 16MB SIMM MAC QUADRA 700 & SE/30 - 16MB SIMM NeXT TURBO - 16MB SIMM SUN IPX,ELC - 16MB SIMM

$ 529.00 $ 1,599.00 $ 2,799.00

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

<3>k

wamc &mw

16MB mi

469.00 469.00

1,199.00 538.00

1,088.00 479.00 469.00 469.00 529.00 469.00 499.00 11

<o

THER MEMORIES AVAILABL

L.

IBM

COMPAQ

HP

1 A DT/"^DQ

PS/1 - 2MB

$ 68

DP 386/20,20E,25 - 1MB

$

66

Vectra QS-16 - 2MB KIT

S 129

AST EXEC. NB - 4MB

$ 119

4MB

S 149

4MB

s

159

4MB KIT

$ 229

COMPAQ LTE386 - 4MB

$ 209

M30 - 2MB

$ 79

DP 386S/16 - 1MB

$

66

Vectra 486 - 2MB

$ 79

SLT386 - 4MB

$ 168

M50Z,55sx,65sx,70 - 1MB

$ 45

4MB

y

159

4MB

$ 135

DELL 316,320 LT - 2MB

$ 99 $ 78

2MB

S 79

DP 286N.386N.S/20 - 4MB

$

135

8MB

$ 269

EVEREX TEMPO - 2MB

M55sx,65sx.70 - 4MB

$ 135

M-SYSTEMS - 2MB

$

79

X-Statlon 700 Ser. - 2MB

$ 89

IBM L40sx - 4MB

$ 135

M70-A21,A61,121 - 2MB

S 79

4MB

$

13b

4MB

S 149

MAC POWERBOOK - 2MB

$ 104

M40sx,35sx - 8MB

$ 269

8MB

$

299

8MB

S 299

NEC P.S. 286,386sx - 4MB

$ 200

M57sx.90,95 - 4MB

S 135

DP 386/33/486/25 - 2MB

s

96

9000/400t,425t - 8MB KIT

$ 495

P.S. 386 - 8MB

$ 429

8MB

$ 269

SystemPro - 8MB

$

269

16MB KIT

S 999

P.S. SX/20 - 4MB

$ 200

M80-041 - 1MB

$ 65

OK Exp Brd DP 386S/16 1MB Exp Brd

5

335

32MB KIT

SI 869

PANASONIC CF170 - 1MB

$ 55

M80-lll,121.311 - 2MB

$ 99

$

105

9000/4256 - 8MB KIT

$ 428

T.I, TRVL-MT 3000 - 2MB

S 80

M80-A21.A31 - 4MB

S 180

DP 386/20,20E,25,25E

16MB KIT

S 828

TOSHIBA 1000 - 2MB

$ 108

16-BIT OK Exp Board

$ 128

1MB Exp, Board

$

105

2000SXE - 8MB

$ 388

32-BIT OK Exp Board

S 128

APPLE

3200SXC - 4MB

$ 160

AST

DELL

ll,SE,SE/30 - 1MB

$ 32

5200 - 8MB

$ 315

325D,P;333D,P - 1MB

$

41

Classic - 1MB Exp, Board

S 54

PRINTERS

PREM. 386/20C - 1MB KIT

$ 65

4MB

$

135

SE/30,llcl,llcx,llsl,LC &

PREM. 386/25 - 1MB

S 45

420,425,433 - 2MB KIT

$

82

Quad. 700,900 - 4MB

$ 115

EPSON 6000 - 4MB

$ 229

PREM. 486/25 - 1MB

S 45

4MB KIT

$

158

Quad. 700,900 - 32MB KIT

$1120

HP IIP.III.IIID.P - 2MB

$ 108

PREM. II 486 - 1MB

$ 41

8MB KIT

$

2/0

llfx - 16MB KIT

S 499

lllsl - 4MB

$ 135

4MB

$ 139

450DE.450SE - 2MB KIT

s

82

llfx - 32MB KIT

$1156

IBM 4019/40296 - 3.5MB

$ 129

8MB KIT

$ 278

4MB KIT

$

158

Quadra 256K V-RAM

$ 27

4029 - 4MB

$ 135

PREM, II 1MB Exp Board

$ 469

8MB KIT

s

270

LC 512K V-RAM

$ 44

OKIDATA 400 - 2MB

$ 129

PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

OTHER MEMORIES FOR:

ACER, ALTIMA. APPLE, AST, CHAPLET, COMPAQ, DELL, EPSON, EVEREX, HP, LEADING EDGE, IBM, NEC, NCR, OKIDATA, PACKARD-BELL, PANASONIC, PHILIP, SAMPO, SHARP, SILICON GRAPHICS, SUN MICROSYSTEMS, TANDON, 71, 70SHIBA, TULIP AND ZENITH.

call ma ©mm commME CAmiom

TERMS: COD. CASH, VISA OR MASTERCARD.

COMPANY AND UNIVERSITY P.O.'S ACCEPTED UPON CREDIT APPROVAL,

414 CLOVERLEAF DR., UNIT B, BALDWIN PARK, CA 91706

TEL (818)855-5688 FAX (818)855-5687

Circle 206 on Inquiry Card.

ALL PRODUCT NAMES. TRADEMARKS AND REGISTERED TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR REPSECTIVE COMPANIES.

Become a legend before your own time.

What becomes a legend most? Find out for yourself as you pilot the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress and lead a 10-man crew through the same flak-infested skies that menaced the legendary flyboys of the Memphis Belle.

The most complete and accurate bomber simulation ever produced, the B-1 7 Flying Fortress will have you negotiating 25 perilous daylight missions over Nazioccupied Europe.

You'll allocate crew members to their specific tasks. You'll devastate strategic targets in dangerous bombing runs. You'll take control of crew positions from pilot to bombardier. And you'll even customize your own Flying Fortress with historically accurate nose art.

So pick up your copy of B-1 7 Flying Fortress today. And experience a flight simulation of legendary proportions.

Circle 201 on Inquiry Card.

Actual screens may vary.

*JC«0 PROSE

ENTERTAINMENT • SOFTWARE

For IBM PC compatibles!

For more information about exciting MicroProse products, call1-800-879-PLAY

© 1992 MicroProse Software, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 229

IBM

PS/1 286, 386SX 2MB 92F9935 $79 4MB 92F9694 S149

PS/1 Consultant, Essential & Expert models K43,144 & ^PS/valuepolnt all models except cxx series

4MB PN NA S159 16MB PN NA $579

, PS/1 Consultant, Essential & Expert models X76

16MB Kit PN NA $579

PS/2 25/2S6,30/286, s memory adapter 1497259

2MB Kit 50FSS60 S89

PS/2 S5SX; LS, 40SX, 502, 55SK; IS. 65SX; LS, 70, 8 XStatlon

1MB 645060! or 90X8624 $49

2MB 6450604 or 90X8625 S79

PS/2 70-A21; A61; B21; B61, PS/1 Consultant, Essential & Expert models X11, x13 & X14, PS/Ualuepoint Cxx series

2MB 6450608 $79

PS/2 iSSX; LS, 40SX, 55SX; LS, E5SX; LS, XStatlon, PS/

Ualuepoint Cxx series & adapter board 54F5011 or 54F3077

4MB S4F29S3 or 87F9977 $149

PS/2 55SK; LS, 405X, PS/ValuepoInt Cxx series

8MB 6450129 $S09

PS/2 90 XP, 95 XP, P7S Ipalrsl, 56,57 (all). PS/1 Pro 2125

2MB 6450902 $89

PS/2 90, 95 XP, P75 ipalrsl, 56,57 call), PS/1 consultant, Essential, Expert 111,115 & 114, PS/1 Pro 2123, PS/6000 4MB 645D128 $149 8MB 6450130 $309

Expansion boards for 50,50Z, 55SX, 60,655X

2-8MB SI/2MB 1497259 $269

Expansion boards for all models 70 & 80

2-14MB H/2MB 34F3077 $529

Compaq

Protinea 3/25S; 3/25IS

2MB 141738-001 .... $89 8MB 141742-001... $289 proUnea 4/25S, 4/33,4/50

1MB 141682-001.... $49 2MB 141683-001 .... $89

4MB 141684-001 .. S159 8MB 141665-001 .. $509 DestPro 386-20, 20e & 25

4MB 113152-001 S169

oeskPro 586S/16

4MB 112554-001 $169

oeskPro 2B6N; 386N; I series; 386SX720; 20H; Portable 486c; M Series expansion boards; SvstemPro LT series

1MB 118688-001 .... $49 2MB 118689-001 .... $79

4MB 118690-001 .. $149 8MB 112877-801... $309 DiStPro 386-33,196-33 S. systtrnPio

2MB 115144-001 .... $99 8M8 116561-001... $289 OeskPro 38EM, 486M, systempro LT 132-Bit Exp. board)

2-64MB 1V/2M 129160-001 S359

OeskPro 386/33L, 4B6/33L, SYStemPro

6 Socket Brd H/2MB 116569 + 115144-001 $589

DELL

Power Desktop 3250 & P, 333D & P, 433P, 486P 8, 4860

1MB 310-2505 S59 4MB 310-2507 $149

POWertlne Workstation 420; 25; 53; 50; 450DE/2 S 4E6DE

2MB 510-2466 S99 4MB 310-2467 $179

8MB 310-2468 $319 16MB 310-2469 $629

zenith

2-300/400 Series 2-420/SX, 2-425/SX, 2-433/DX, Z-433/SX '$*% 4MB ME-100 $159 16MB ME-90 $599

ME-100 $149

.. $149 ...$99

ZA3S00MK,.

S00510-OO8 .. $179 SO0824-002.. $319

Fz-server 42SSE, 433DE, 4S0DE

4MB ME-432 $179 8MB ME-102 $319

16MB ME-442 $629 32MB ME-92 $1199

,. 2-Station 525SII, 420SEb; Sll; Sn, 425SU, 4330eb; nh.SOXEn

MffiS ™> ME-78 S49 4MB

If^r^Zenitb 2-3B6/20; 25; 33 8 33E

1MB ZA3S0OME $49 4MB

Zenith Z-3BESX/2D, 286LP+, Z-LS

2MB Kit 2-605-1

Zenith 4B6/33ET; 25E

4MB ZA4200M2 $189 16MB ZA4200M8 $619

AST

Bravo 386-SX, WS/286, 386

2MB 500510-002.... $89 4MB Bravo 3/25S

2MB 500710-004.... $99 8MB Bravo 5/33S 'MX 2,,,B 500962-001.... $75 8MB 500962-002 .. $379 Bravo LC 4/25S, 4/33, 4/33S, 4/50d, 4/66d

4MB 500987-002 .. $159 8MB 500987-005 .. $259

16MB 500987-004 . $499 32MB 50O9B7-005 .. $999 Premium 386/25; 33; 351, Premium II 3865X716; 20; 25

1MB IV/WPB 500780-005; 002 $59

Bravo 4/33; 486/25; premium 4/25; 33TE, Server SE 4/33

2MB SV/WPB 500718-004; 780-005 $119

Power Premium 3/33,4/33,4/33S, 4/50d, 4/E6d,

Premium 386/53TE, 486/25, 25E, 25TE, 33,33E, 33TE, Premium II3/25,33,486/35,486SX/20 s Server SE 4/33 4MB 500780-004 .. $159 8MB 500780-001 .. $518

Hewlett-Packard

Vectra 386/16N, 3B6/20N, 3B6/25N PC

2MB D2406A S99 8MB D2404A $319

Vectra 486PC; 25T; 33T; 486S/20; 486/25N; 33N; SON; 66N

2MB D2581A $89 8MB D2152A $309

4MB D2151A or P2156A $169

Vectra 386/2S; 486/2511; 4SE/33U; 486/50U; 486/6611

2MB D2381A $89 8MB D2152A $309

Vectra 486/25N; 486/33N; 486/50N; 486/66N

tSS? 16MB D2676n SS"

PowerMate 286/12; SX/16 8 SX/20

2MB Kit OP-410-8103 $99

PowerMate SX/20

2MB CPU upgrade op-410-8101 S1B9

2M8 Eip. Board OP-410-8102+8103 $209

PowerMate 336/33E & 486/25E

2MB OP-410-S101 $199

DEC

DECstatJon 3 series SX; C; Plus; & 425c

2MB PC4XM-CB $99

DECpc 400ST series 4MB PCTAM-CC $189 8MB PCTAM-CD $299

We stock memory for most rjicontlnued systems!

Laptop & Notebook Memory

m

AST

POwerEiec 3/25SL, 3/25SL-C 4MB $179

16MB $1299

Premium Exec 3B6SX/25,25C 1MB $69

4MB $129

Compaq

ronton 3/20, 3/25 & 25C 4MB $189

8MB $329

LIE 286 2MB $99

1MB $199

LTE 38ES/20 4MB $199

LTE Lite 20; 25; 25C 2MB $139

1M8 $219

SLI286 1MB $99

4MB $279

SLI 386S/20 1MB $89

4MB $199

IBM

ThinkPad 300 2MB $159

8MB $459

PS/2 CLS7SX & ThinkPad 700; 700C 4MB $349

8MB $669

N51 Notebook IAIII 2MB $179

4MB $249

L40SX & N33SX Laptop 4MB $135

L40SX 8MB $285

NEC

UltraUte a cellular workstation 2S6F 1MB $139

4MB $369

UltraUte 8 Cellular Workstation 5X720 2MB S179

8MB $599

UltraUte III, SI/25C 2MB $149

1MB S219

UltraUte 51/20, SL/20P 2MB $119

6MB $299

ProSpeed 286, 3B6SX/16 1MB $109

4MB $209

ProSpeed 386 2MB $149

Panasonic

CF-170, CF-270, CF-370 1MB $54

Texas Instruments

TravelMate 2000 j^ 1MB $89

TravelMate 5000, WlnSX J$$2 2MB $79

TravelMate 4000 *fV* 4MB $219

Toshiba

T1000SE/LE/XE; 2000; 2000SX/SXe; 2MB 585

12200 & T1800 Satellite series 4MB $169

BMB $299

T1200XE, 1600, S 3100E 2MB 505

T3100SX, 3200SK, 8 sxc portables 2MB $S5

4MB $149

13200 5MB $149

T3500SL Notebook 2M8 $119

4MB $179

T4400 8 T6400, SX, SXC Notebook 2MB $129

4MB $1B9

8MB $349

T5100 2MB $89

T5200; T5200C S T8500 2MB $92

8MB $299

Zenith

2-Note Notebook {all models) jvJiV 2MB $159

l&^r 8MB $499

2-Sport325S ' 2-6MB $139

2-Snort 420S 8 425S 4MB $189

Mastersport 386SL, SLC, SLe 2MB $99

MastersPort 386SX 2MB $109

SupersPort SX; 2B6e; SllmsPort 2MB $139

superspnrt 286e; SllmsPort 4MB $279

Grid

1450SX 2MB S149

Magnauox or Packard Bell

286 8 386SX Notebook 4MB $179

sharp

PC-6220 Notebook 1MB $109

Sanyo or Zeos

Notebook Memory 2MB $79

Everex

Tempo ix Notebook 2MB $79

Tempo carrier Notebook 2MB S119

H ft %

nKingston

ifi'lll TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

386 & ass Processor

upgrades for your

system!

Now you can use Windows in enhanced mode, get true multitasking & background operation for Windows 3.1, OS/2, & other 386 specific software. Processor upgrades offer dramatically increased system performance & easy installation & improves your systems performance by up to 350%.

CPU Upgrades icpu socket! From 286 to 386SX

25MHZ SX/NOW! $269

33MHZ SXVNOWl $299

Add a math coprocessor for $75

From 386 to 486

25MHZ 486SX7NOW! $029

33MHZ M6DX/NOW! $769

MicroMaster Upgrades (expansion sioti

From 286 & 386 to 486

25MHz 486SX MicroMaster $829

33MHz 486DX MicroMaster $1299

MicroMaster with 32-bit 70ns Memory

25MHZ 486SX With 4MB $999

With 8MB $1179

With 16MB $1519

33MHz 486DX With 4MB $1439

With 8MB $1619

With 16MB $1959

Mfe Megahertz

"^CORPORATION

Laptop & Notebook FAX/Modems

for AST, Compaq, IBM, Sharp, Tl, Toshiba, Zenith and many other Laptop & Notebook Systems.

Megahertz modems include:

• Send & Receive Fax capability

• Easy Installation with illustrated user's guide

• software included • Free technical support

• Full 5-year warranty • Hayes compatible

pcmcia 2.0 FAX/Modems with XJACK

14,000bps FAX/iiiodem, cellular, Autosync Scan

24/9600bps FAX/Modem SCall

internal FAX/Modems w/mnp-5 & v.42/v.42bis 14,000bps FAX/Mooem, cellular, Autosync $549

96/96000PS FAX/MOOem $499

24/9600bps FAX/Modem S229

2400bps Modem $149

External Pocket Modems for any RS-232 Serial Port

14,000bps FAX/Modem, Cellular, Autosync $399

9600bps FAX/Modem $339

24/9600bps FAX/Modem $189

Laser Memory

.Compaq PACEMAR015 & 20 JSjjX BMB 126361001... $329 16MB 126361-001 .. $649

* Hewlett Packard LaserJet Ills! 4,4M a XL300

4MB C2065A $149 BMB C2066A $299

Mien-Packard Usenet IIP, III, HIP, HID

2MB 55475B $95

4MB 33477B $159

Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II & (ID

2MB 33444B $99 4MB 33445B $159

Hewlett Packard Desklet 500,500C

2S6K 22707B $59

IBM Laser 4029 All Models

4MB 1185335 $129

canon LBP-4,4L!te, 4Plos

1MB 563-2230 $119 2MB N/A $169

canon IBP-HI s mil Plus

2MB 563-2350 $249 5MB 563-2360 $299

Panasonic 4410 & 4430

2MB KX-P441 $119 4MB N/A $189

Panasonic 4450I & 4420

2MB KK-P441 $109 4MB N/A $179

oklLaser 400

1MB 70014701 $79 2MB OKI N/A $99

Texas Instruments MicroLaser & XL

1MB 2555739-0001 $49

Epson EPL 6000

2MB IBS401 S99 4MB N/A $169

Epson ActionLaser II, EPL-8000

2MB N/A $169 4MB N/A $259

i Guarantee

Buy with confidence!

First Source international

'The Only Source for Computer Upgrades"

• 50 Day Money Back Guarantee

• 100% compatible in form, fit, & function

• All products user installable

• Installation instructions included

• Toll-free technical support

• Thousands of items in stock

• Manufacturer's warranties

• Corporate PO's, APO/FPO's welcome

• Government & Educational pricing

• International orders welcome

• Special volume pricing • 24-hour fax line

• same day shipping > Overnight delivery available

• Visa, mc, AMEX, & Discover accepted

• No surcharge on credit cards

• Call for any Items not listed

• We'll meet or beat any advertised price

Toll free from anywhere in the united States or Canada

800/046-9866

international

714/588-9866

Facsimile

714/588-9872

Business Hours

Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM Saturday, 10AM-3PM, P.S.T

T**/*

Mall orders to: First Source International, Inc.

36 Argonaut, Suite 140 Aliso uiejo, California 92656 USA

Terms & Conditions

Memory products are third party, manufacturers' part numbers are for your convenience. Freight charges are non-refundable. A 20% restocking fee will be charged on ail non-defective returns, unopened, & refused or cancelled orders. Items mustbe returned within is flays with original documentation & packaging. A Returned Merchandise Authorization number Is required. Prices & availability are suolect to change without notice, purchase prices at the time of order are final. First Source international cannot be responsible for errors in typography or photography. We will beat any advertised price valid only on identical brands, offer not good for SIMMs or DRAM. Trademarks & registered trademarks are of their respective companies.

CALL THE UPGRADE EXPERTS TOLL FREE 800/446-9866

Circle 197 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 198).

Circle 209 on Inquiry Card.

You Can Rely on Ralin For all Your PC System Upgrades!

^ODEM UPGRADES §|| ^ iKSM ]VfPC UPGRADES

Zoom Telephonies

All Zoom modems are backed by a 7-year warranty and are made in the USA.

2400 bps w/ v.42bis and MNP 2-5

(AMC) (AMX)

$ 49.00 $ 65.00

2400 bps w/ v.42bis and MNP 2-5 9600 send & 4800 receive Fax

(AFC) (AFX)

internal external

$ 59.95 $ 79.95

9600 bps modem w/ v.32, v.42bis, MNP2-5

(VP-V32) (VX-V32)

internal external

$199.00 $199.00

14,400 bps modem w/ v.32bis, v.32, v.42bis, MNP 2-5 and 9600 bps send/receive Fax

(VFP-V32bis*) (VFX-V32bis*)

internal external

$229.00 $269.00

2400 bps modem w/.42 bis and MNP 2-5, 9600 bps send and 4800 bps receive Fax

PKT Pocket/Fax Modem

$ 99.00

•WINFAX software option available for $15 if purchased with VFP-V32bis or VFX-V32bis modem.

Call a corporate sales expert today and find out how Ralin can maximize

your purchasing dollars by upgrading your existing computer equipment.

Ralin stocks: • Motherboards • SIMM Memory • Controllers • Printers • Monitors

Hard Drives • MPC Products • Computer Cases • Keyboards and much more

CALL 1-800-752-9512

Ralin Policies

• Prices arid availability subject to change.

• Purchase orders are accepted, subject to approval.

• We do not charge your card until order is processed.

Incomplete returns are subject to a service charge. All returns other than exchanged items incur a 10% re-stocking fee.

To insure your shipment arrives when you need it, Ralin uses only the most reputable modes of transportation available:

SHL— lupsi

^^OFUnWKX EXPRGS5

Philips CDD-462 BK $325.00

• External MPC CD-ROM and CD Audio player.

• Kodak Photo CD compatible

• 680 Meg.

Dealer Inquiries Welcome. Purchase Orders Accepted. International Orders Welcome.

15

'fixo^

WE ACCEPT:

I© MM

WHOLESALERS, INC.

P.O. Box 450, Orchard Park, NY 14127 Hours: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Mon-Fri Customer Service: 716-674-6267 Fax: 716-674-2108

Local Printer Sharing

PARALLEL DEVICE

LCX-1000 1Mb $595

4 serial I/O, 57,600 bps 2 parallel in, 2 parallel out

LC-512Kb $495

4 serial I/O, 19,200 bps 2 parallel in, 2 parallel out Many New Features!

LC Jr.-256Kb $239

Up to 115,200 bps 4 serial in, 1 parallel out

LC-41PAS $90

Smart-switch

4 in /1 out, all parallel

Requires no power supply

SPPS $60

Up to 115,200 bps Serial / Parallel Converter Requires no power supply

PB-42PP-256Kb $250

4 in/2 out, all parallel Upgradable to 4Mb

Logical Connection, Inc.

4660 Portland Road NE #108 Salem, OR 97305-1697

Customer Support: (503) 390-9375

FAX: (503) 390-9372

800-238-9415

Circle 212 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 231

CRD RT THE SPEED OF THOUGHT

PLAIN TALK ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR SPEED

AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISA, EISA AND VL-BUS

ISA transfers

data up to 3MBIsecond

on an 8 bit wide da tabus

FHSTEH:

EISA offers 32MBI "~"\ second transfer rates on a 16 bit wide databus

FASTEST: « ^ J NAGA's VL-Bus1'" system is capable of transferring raw data on a 32 bit wide databus at the rateofWMBIsecond

SVSTEM BOTTLENECKS CHUSE LENGTHV REDRAWS

Redra ws take a long time because data displayed on your monitor is bottlenecked. The databus, periphera Is an d CPU a ren 'l operating on the same Imndwidth—ihe number of hi Is a ble to passthrongh tlwsystem's narrowest bottleneck—causing delays.

Vou've looked at a zillion ads.lt seems like everyone's selling the same thing. You want the fastest 486 or 386 available at the lowest price. And now, everyone's talking ISA, EISA and VL-Bus™. And how much more speed you need.

CRD. IMAGING OR

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS:

WORM SO TIMES FASTER

RND SMARTER.

For CAD, imaging or graphic design users, VL-Bus' speed advantages are incredible! Without all the wasted time spent waiting for screen redraws, you'll work up to 50 times faster—and smarter.

VESA'" VL-Bus, transparent to operating systems and software, is tndy the new standard of performance—which more than 120 manufacturers of systems, chipsets and peripheral boards have adopted for their most powerful products.

'lij

MICROSOFT*

WINDOWS.. CouovnniJ

NRGR S QURUTY COMMRMEHT TO VOU

2-Year Warranty on ALL Components

Lifetime 1)00 Number for Service tY Support

FREE! 12-Month On-Site Service Contract*

Next-Day Replacement Part Warranty

45-Day Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee—No Questions Med

24-Houi' BBS Technical Support

CRD ELITE SOLUTION 486-0SH/VL

- Intel 80486 Processor (Integrated Math Coprocessor)

COD SOLUTION 40G-VL

Intel 80486 Processor (Integrated Math Coprocessor)

8MB RAM (exp. to 256MB) - 8MB BAM (exp. to 32MB)

256K RAM Cache (exp.to512K)

210MB <15ms IDE Hard Disk

64K RAM Cache (exp. to 256K)

210MB <15ms IDE Hard Disk

Teac L2&L44 Floppy Drive - Teac L2&L44 Floppy Drive

- 32 Bit VL/IDE I/O

Controller

- 32 Bit VL-Bus 2MB

- 20" Flat N/I SVGA (1280x1024)

- 101 Enhanced Keyboard

- Vertical Case with 250W Power & 2nd Fan

■ CalComp 12x12 Digitizer

- CAD SOFTWARE BUNDLE

486DX-33 MHz S 3.695 486DX2-50MHz $3,795 486DX2-66MHz $3,995

- 32 Bit VL/IDE I/O Controller

- 32 Bit VL-Bus 2MB

- 15" Flat M SVGA (1280x1024) (For 17" monitor, add S500)

■ 101 Enhanced Keyboard

- Vertical Case with 250W Power & 2nd Fan

■ CalComp 12x12 Digitizer

- CAD SOFTWARE BUNDLE

486DX-33MHz $ 2,695 486DX2-50MHz $2,795 486DX2-66MHz $2,995

FREE! OVER R S1.200 VRLUE CRD SOFTWARE SOLUTION WrTH ANY CRD VL SVSTEM!

■ Autodesk Generic CADD 6.0': PC Magazine's Editors' Choice CAD package for superior 2D CAD design, layouts and drawings.

- Silver Screen 2.2: a true 3D CAD and solid modeling software solution.

■ AutoPaek Tutor for AutoCAD: an interactive tutorial for beginning and advanced AutoCAD ver. 11 or 12 users.

'Cimm.rriJ !.ti.,1ij_: /..../

' '/I'-mniilJi mi-.ilr 'in <<r mm n,.[ f.-n

/'.In '. irui/i;!!,'uJM.'ii t;M'l in.'N/.iri' III

ORDER TODAY TOLL FREE

1-800-5686343

Fax orders: 602/820-3153

Direct & international line:

602/820-3294

Hours7amto7pmMoa-FrL

9ajn.to4p.rn, Sat.&Sun,MST

Purchase orders

accepted from

Fortune L000 Companies

& Universities. Commercial leasing available.

^[«iranlVEv\.DiiiiiiT..Anmanl-!x[iT*ari!0.1il

Circle 215 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 216)

lift fiimlue*' ri/jficii pint uppltmbb- vile lox /,iuinj mil niiiffulile in uTlimi slab?. Liiv rmoiittk* tt;<iib:hti> Un Uu-ir.i.i&s l(« ihim liiu

NA7A

Systems Corporation

Smart Computer. Smart Solution. Smart Choice.

1520 West Mineral Road Tempe. AZ 85283

te locatiims. InlA is a in:d-:ir.i:rl: tif inul 0^jr'rntui:i Other Imind mimes tin iniiieijuirksi'f their nsj-vtiiv companies. pit'ilAiiut nnlim Prices do not include shipping or applicable sates tax.AuitJAllini ni-ist<r,<i imdemark of Autodesk

8 0 0

6 8-624

1979

2233 Samaritan Drive, San Jose, CA 95124

BUY WITH CONFIDENCE FROM JDR!

' 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

1 YEAR WARRANTY TOLL-FREE TECH SUPPORT

UPRIGHT CASE

$99

95

Mounts 3 floppy and 4 hard drives Accommodates std. & mini motherboards ,™ 2 digit LED display

CASE-100A $99.95

CASE-200A Super Deluxe Upright $349.95

PS-250TW 250Wp. supply $129.95

PS-300TW 300Wp. supply $149.95

CASE-130 Mid-upright case $99.95

CASE-120 $199.95

Mini-upright case w/200W power supply

POWER SUPPLIES

U/L approved MlSC 4R|

110/220VAC, 50/60H2 ^j; #►«*"/?

PSI50 8088 150 watt ™1. 7 $69.95

PS-200X 8088 200 watt $89.95

PJ-200 286/386/486 200 watt $89.95

LPS-300 286/386/486 300 watt $149.95

ENHANCED KEYBOARD

'Lteridi

$4995 m:

iBIC-5339 101/102-key enhanced layout $49.95

NON-INTERLACED

1024x768 MONITORS

P VGA-M0N-1024N .28 dot pitch .... $379.95

VGA-M0N-17N 1024x768 17" Nl, 0.26mm $999.00

VGA-PKG-1024N Non-interlaced Super VGA pkg $469.95

VGA-PUG-1024+ 1024x768 interlaced VGA pkg . $449.95

LyOA-PKG 640x480 .39mm dot pitch VGA pkg. .. $299.95^

2400 BAUD MODEM

Interna] data modem Hayes compatible Config. as COM1-COM2 MCI-241 $49.95

14,400 BPS INTERNAL FAX/MODEM

14.400/12,000/9600/7200/4800/2400/300

Hayes AT ser, V.42bis/V.42/V.32, Group HI fax romp.

I VIVA-144IF $229.95 I

VIVA-144EF 14,400 baud external version $299.95

VIVA-96E 9600 baud external modem only $269.95 |

I FAX/MODEM/PHONE SWITCH

Save phone line charges!

Supports fax, modem, phone and ""*■*<

answering machine from 1 phone line

I FAXM-SWITCH $89.95

1 FAX-SWITCH Without modem connection $59.95

[PORTABLE IC TESTER

Tests the following 14 to 20-pin ^8 **

devices: 74 series TTL, 40 & 45 series ^^B CMOS & 41/44 series DRAM up to 1Mb mg *\ Identifies unknown part numbers ^^^BP^^

I MOD-HIC $149.95

! WIRE-WRAP PROTOTYPE CARDS

JDR-PR2 8-bit with I/O decode layout $29.95

JDR-PR10 16-bit with I/O decode layout $34.95

SOLDERLESS PROTOTYPE CARDS

PDS-601 8-bit breadboard-on-a-card w/IO decode $79.95 PDS-611 16-bit version $89.95

MOTHERBOARDS

^- MODULAR C in

25MHZ 386SX

$19995

• 25MHz Intel 80386SX CPU • Expandable to 16Mb on-board • Uses 256K, 1M or 4M x 9 80ns SIMMs (0K installed) • Six 16-bit and two 8-bit slots

MCT-M386SX-25 $199.95

MCT-M486-50E 50MHz EISA w/coche $ 1195.00

MCT-M486-50 50MHz cache 486 $999.00

MCT-M486-33 33MHz cache 486 $799.00

MCT-M486SX-25 25MHz cache 486SX $399.95

MCT-C386-40 40MHz cache 386 $379.95

MCT-C386-33 33MHz cache 386 $349.95

MCT-M286-16 16MHz286 $149.95

. MCT-M286-12 12MHz286 $129.95

16-BIT VGA CARD $4Q95

• S/16-bit 8088 and 286/386/486 compatible

• 640x480 in 16 colors 320x200 in 256 colors

• 256Kb video RAM MCI-VGA-1000 ... $49.95

MCT-VGA-4000 1024x768, 1Mb DRAM $129.95

MCT-VGA-5000 Windows Accelerator $149.95

SPEEDSTAR-24X 24-bit color, 1280x1024 $199.95

STEALTH-VRAM Windows acceler., 1 280x1024 $249.95

3-BUTTON MOUSE

Accuracy 290-1450 DPI Opro-mechanical design Windows 3.1 compatible

JDR-M0USE-3 $14.95

MOUSE-PAD $4.95

POST CODE DISPLAY CARD

286/386/486 compatible Displays power on self-resr code Works when software won't even boot PC0DE $49.95

EPR0M PROGRAMMER

Programs devices up to 512K bits, plus 27C100, 27C101, 27C301 27C1000, 27C1001, 27C2001, 27C4001 and more

• Includes dedicated S-bit 8088 and 286/386/486 PC compatible card

• ZIF socket accepts 0.6MW DIP ICs to 32 pins

M0D-MEP-1A $199.95

M0D-MEP-4A As above with 4 ZIF sockets $269.95

M0D-EMUP Universal programmer/tester $699.00

95

EPROM ERASER $39

• Quickly and simultaneously erases

up to 4 standard EPROMs DATARASEII $39.95

e

120Mb DRIVE PACKAGE

$299

• CP-30104 120Mb

, 19ms

IDE hard drive, 16-bit

--

i

floppy/hard disk conrroller

:'

cables and insrrucrions

JjKjjyWjj

ifr

HDKIT80 $299.00

Si

IDE HARD DRIVES

PART#

BRAND

CAP.

SPO.

TYPE

PRICE

CP-3000

Conner

42Mb

28ms

3.5" IDE

SI59

ST-351A

Seagate

42Mb

28ms

3.5" IDE

$169

CP-30084

Conner

84Mb

19ms

3.5" IDE

S239

ST-3096A

Seagate

88Mb

16ms

3.5" IDE

S259

CP-30104

Conner

120Mb

19ms

3.5" IDE

5279

ST-3144A

Seagate

131Mb

16ms

3.5" IDE

$319

CP-30204

Conner

212Mb

12ms

3.5" IDE

S429

FLOPPY DRIVES

%L.

j^^^ni

FDD-1.44A 1.44Mb, 3.5", Bei

ne $79.95 WM

^ ::." : /

FDD-1.44X 1.44Mb, 3.5", Black . $79.95 '

FDD-1.2 1.2Mb, 5.25", Beige

$89.95

FDD-360 360Kb, 5.25", Black

$89.95

FDD-2.88A 2.88Mb 3.5" drive

, Beige

149.95

FD-505 5.25" & 3.5" combo c

rive, Beige

149.95

MULTI I/O CARD WITH IDE $ AO95 FLOPPY/HARD CONTROL

16-bit 286/386/486 compatible • Supports 2 IDE hard drives &

2 floppy drives (360Kb-1.44Mb)

2 serial, 1 parallel & 1 game port

MCMDEIO

MCTIDEI0+ As above w/16550 compatability MCT-IDEFH 1 6-bit IDE hard/floppy controller ..

MCT-CIDEFH 16-bit IDE CACHE controller $

MCT-IDE-8 8-bit IDE controller

MCT-FDC-HD 1.44Mb floppy controller

MCT-FDC-HD4 1.44Mb floppy controller (4 drives! MCT-FDC-ED 2.88Mb intelligent floppy controller

MCT-AIO Serial/parallel/game port card

MCT-AI0+ Two NS16550 serial/par/game port

GATEKEEPER PC security card

RAMPAT-f 8/1 6-bit 16Mb RAM card (w/OKb). $ S0UNDBLASTPR0 8-bit MIDI sound board $

$69.95 $99.95 $29.95 169.95 $79.95 $49.95 $59.95 $79.95 $49.95 $89.95 $49.95 139.95 199.95

DYNAMIC RAM

PART#

SIZE

SPEED

TYPE

PRICE 1

41256-80

256K x 1

80ns

DIP

1.69

414256-80

256K x 4

80ns

DIP

5.49

1MB-80

lMxl

80ns

DIP

4.99

1MB-60

lMxl

60ns

DIP

5.49

41256A9B-80

256K x 9

80ns

SIMM

14.95

41256A9B-60

256K x 9

60ns

SIMM

16.95

421000A9B-80

1Mx9

80ns

SIMM

39.95

421000A9B-60

1Mx9

60ns

SIMM

45.95

424000A9B-80

4Mx9

80ns

SIMM

149.95

424000A9B-60

4Mx9

60ns

SIMM

159.95

MATH CO-PROCESSORS int^l

PARTS

SPEED

PRICE

PART #

SPEED

PRICE

8087-2

8087

80287-X1

8MHz 5MHz 12MHz

129.95 89.95 89.95

80387-SXP 80387-DXP 80487-SX

<25MHz < 33MHz <25MHz

79.95 89.95 389.95

CALL FOR YOUR FREE JDR CATALOG TODAY!

FOR PC'S, SOFTWARE, MONITORS, DISK DRIVES, KEYBOARDS, MODEMS, CABLES, CONNECTORS, ICS, COMPONENTS, PROGRAMMERS, .TEST EQUIPMENT, TOOLS & MORE!

NOW ORDER

24 HOURS

A DAY!

Toll-free Fax Ordering 800-538-5005

' 1 lb. and foreign

total 408-559-1200 BBS 408-559-0253

mmmm,

snor responsible for typographical errors. We

our Soles Dept. for the

awBiBiigBm^^^^M|§|g

We Carry

ALPS i§!

BASF \xcti>ef. Canon

CEIlTROmCS # CITIZEN" CCZXSR CREATIVE LABS INC. CUmS Dataproducts

HHHDBSD Dyson

EPSON" EXABYTE FACIT ^1 FUJITSU

^ GRAHAM MAGNETICS

GENSCGSvl

ii£l PACKARD ISSl

i'MTGMr ^ Kama

3M M. TALLY maxelL MICROSOFT Wlaslrwa NEC

OCLI OKIDATJV Olivetti OLYMPIA

OTC PACIFIC DATA

Panasonic

§ Polaroid qms Quma IBKgfflur

<SP Seagate

SEIKOSHA corona

sony. star* SYQUEST &TDK.

teac. B5BBSB3

^^r^JlvTs TOSHIBA

TRIPPLITE

"Verbatim C3J9

and many more OEM supplies!

ANNUAL

MULTI-MILLION

SPRING CLEANING

r - SALE - ^

DISKETTES

DESCRIPTION TDK BASF MAXELL _3M

57.TDS/DD $ 2.75 3.35 3.55 3.75

574" DS/HO 4.95 5.35 5.65 5.95

3Vs" DS/DD 4.35 5.35 5.65 5.85

37i" DS/HD 6.95 8.55 8.75 9.35

FORMATTED

BULK DISKS

5VVDS/DD $0.20

5VVDS/HD 0.29

3'/!"DS/DD 0.34

3Vi"DS/HD 0.53

(Above Inc. Sleeves & Tabs)

DATA CARTRIDGES

DESCRIPTION 3M_ MAXELL DYSAN

DC-2120 $13.95 12.95 11.95

DC-6150 14.95 13.95 12.95

DC-6250 20.95 17.95 16.95

DC-6525 24.95 21.95 19.95

STREAMER CASSETTES

MAXELL TEAC

CS-600HD S 11.25 I 60MB I CT-600H. .$ 11.75

CS-600XD ..12.25 150 MB CT-600N.. .16.75

CS-600SX ...19.25 I 600 MB I CT-600F .. 23.75

4 MM & 8 MM CARTRIDGES

DESCRIPTION

4MM 60 Meter 4MM 90 Meter 8MM 112 Meter

TDK

$ 6.75 8.75 6.75

SONY EXABYTE

8.95 —

10.95 Call

10,25 12.25

OPTICAL DISKS

DESCRIPTION MAXELL BASF SONY

37i" 512/128MB $36.00 37.00 39.00

57." 512/600MB 76.00 83.00 89.00

57." 1024/650MB 76.00 83.00 89.00

CASH FLOW PROBLEMS?

• ARE YOU OVER-STOCKED?

• DO YOU HAVE SLOW MOVING INVENTORY?

• DO YOU EVER COME UPON A PEP PERIOD WITH TOO MUCH STOCK?

CALL ME WHEN A SPIFF/PROMOTION IS BEING OFFERED. I WILL BUY THOSE EXCESS INVENTORIES, HELP YOU INCREASE YOUR SPIFF DOLLARS, WHILE YOU OBTAIN THOSE BIG PEP CHECKS! WE ARE NOT MR. ROSS PEROT ... BUT WE HAVE PLEANTY OF CASH TO HELP YOU!

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL LOGOS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COMPANIES.

P.O.S./ATM SUPPLIES

RIBBONS, ROLLERS AND OTHER CHECK PROCESSING SUPPLIES FOR OMRON, IBM, ICL, TEC. DIEBOLD, EPSON, SWEDA AND NCR. (TO QUOTE PRICES, WE NEED P/N)

TEL: 619-278-2600 FAX: 619-278-2780

START ECU ^nte-i-tutti-cna/

.COMPUTER SUPPLIES

5575 Magnatron Blvd., Suite G San Diego, CA 92111 USA

TLX: 15779 ANS:STARTECH

RICOH

TONER 6000 + . . . TONER 80 PLUS . TONER 150 PLUS

OPC KIT 80

OPCKIT81

OPC KIT 150 ....

1 12.95 .27.95 .27.95 .96.95 .96.95 .93.95

KYOCERA

TONER

DEVELOPER

DRUM

FUSER

$ 25.00 .106.00 . 111.00 .156.00

DIGITAL

LN03X-AC TONER KIT $28.75

LN03X-AD OPC KIT 101.75

TK-50 TAPE CARTRIDGE ....16.75 TK-70 TAPE CARTRIDGE ....26.75 TK-85 TAPE CARTRIDGE ....27.75

RA60-P DISK PACK 550.00

Dec Ribbons & other supplies Please call for the lowest prices.

IO

3.5" FLOPTICAL DISK 21 MB ...$ 17.00

OPTICAL DISKS 512/1024 194.00

44 MB GOLD BERNOULLI CART . .83.00 90 MB GOLD BERNOULLI CART . 124.00

SyQUEST (5-year warranty)

10MB DISK CARTRIDGE ..$114.00

44MB DISK CARTRIDGE 62.00

88MB DISK CARTRIDGE 93.00

CANON

BC-01 INK CARTRIDGE ..$ 15.95

BJI-481 INK CARTRIDGE ....10.95

BJI 642 INK CARTRIDGE ....14.95

BJ-10e PRINTER 249.00

BJ-20 PRINTER 369.00

BJ-300 PRINTER 439.00

BJ-330 PRINTER 559.00

KODAK

MICRCvTHERMAL FILMS

MICROFILM P/N 8161218 . .$ 199.00

MICROFILM P/N 1298546 55.00

THERMAL FILM P/N 3597630 .17.00 (For other Microfilming products please call with the P/N)

GENIUS

CLIX MOUSE ES $ 13.50

GM-D321 W/9-PIN 19.50

GS-4500 GENISCAN w/CAT OCR..100.00 (For other MICE & SCANNERS please call lor the lowest prices.)

HARD DRIVES

BRAND 80MB 120MB 200MB

CONNER $209.00 279.00 379.00

MAXTOR 189.00 279.00 369.00

SEAGATE 189.00 269.00 349.00

W.D 199.00 279.00 359.00

FLOPPY DRIVES

BRAND 1.2MB 1.44MB

CHINON $47.00 43.00

EPSON 44.00 41.00

MITSUMI 45.00 42.00

TEAC 49.00 44.00

FAX/MODEM

2400 INTERNAL W/MNP SOFTWARE .$33.00 2400 EXTERNALW/MNP SOFTWARE ..54.00

9600 SEND/4800 REC.INT. FAX 47.00

9600 SEND/REC. FAX POCKET MODEM 99.00

MOTHER BOARDS

386-33SX MOTHER BOARD $ 114.00

386-33DX 64K CACHE MB 179.00

486-33DX 256K CACHE MB 589.00

486-50DX 256K CACHE MB 799.00

MULTI MEDIA

SONY INT., SCSI CONTROLLER . . .$299.00

MULTI MEDIA KIT W/CD ROM 549.00

SOUND BLASTER CARD 95.00

SOUND BLASTER PRO 189.00

NEC CDR 84 INTERNAL 519.00

VIDEO GRAPHIC CARDS

ATI GRAPHICS ULTRA PRO W/2MB $489.00

ATI VGA WONDER XL W/1MB 129.00

ATI GRAPHICS VANTAGE W/1MB . .. .209.00

ATI GRAPHICS ULTRA W/1 MB 299.00

ORCHID FAHRENHEIT 1280 W/1MB . .259.00

HEWLETT PACKARD

INK JETS TRANSPARENCY/PAPER

HP51604A ..$7.65 HP51630Z 14.95

HP51606A ...19.65 HP51630S 42.95

HP51606C ...22.65 HP51636G 36.95

HP51625A ...22.65 HP92261K 48.95

HP51626A ...20.65 HP17703T 34.95

LASER TONERS RIBBONS

HP92275A .$54.95 HP92151H 4.25

HP92285A ...69.95 HP92155A 12.25

HP92291A ...96.95 HP92155L 13.95

HP92295A ...68.95 HP92156S 8.45

HP92298A . . . 89.95 HP92154B 109.00

We carry a complete line of HP Products Please call for the lowest prices.

Vrs

:s^

Order your FREE ON-DISK CATALOG Just fill out this form and Mail it to:

STARTECH INTERNATIONAL

5575 Magnatron Blvd., Suite G San Diego, CA 92111 USA

NAME:

ADDRESS:

CITY:

ZIP CODE:

TEL:(

FAX:(

_STATE:

COUNTRY:

Circle 222 on Inquiry Card.

Add-In Boards

Add-In Boards

SSD-2HD Intelligent Solid-State Disk

1.44MB max. FLASH/EPROM Disk w/auto-boot

I.44MB max. SRAM Disk w/battery backup

Auto-sense installed FLASH/EPROM

/SRAM memory types

Auto-configure Solid State Disk Drive

Software protection key(PARAKEY) designed to protect a specified software application from unauthorized use.

ACI

1-800-886-ACI-3

U.S.A. International

TEL:G17-938-8020 TEL:886-2-7G90128(Taiwun)

FAX:617-938-8037 FAX:88G.2-7G02iri4

Circle 376 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 377).

WINDOWS™ ACCELERATOR HIGH SPEED, BATTERY BACKED RAM DISK

• Ideal for disk intensive application such as Windows, CAD and Imaging

• Replaces a hard disk in PC/AT™

Expandable Memory 2MB-96MB DRAM SIMMs

Memory mapped to I/O space, not memory space

TURBOD1SC

RAM Disk access time <2 microseconds (170 ns)

Autoboot option available

flHMf" Computer Modules, inc.

2350A Walsh Ave.

Santa Clara, CA 95051

Tel: (408)496-1881

Fax: (408) 496-1886

SCSI IDE FLOPPY

HOST BUS ADAPTER/CONTROLLER

STANDARD FEATURES

• Drivers for Fixed, Optical and Removable Drives

• Internal and External SCSI Connectors

• SCSI and IDE Cables

• On-Board Diagnostics

• Complete Documentation

• Lifetime Warranty

• 30 Day Return Policy

• Made in the USA

$150.00

SUPPORTS

• Up to 7 SCSI Devices

• Up to 2 IDE Drives

• Up to 4 Floppy Drives

• 7 ROM Addresses

• 2 I/O Addresses

OPTIONS

• CD ROM & UNIX Drivers

• ASPI Manager

• 3rd & 4th Floppy Driver

$175.00

(16-Bit HBA/Cnll w/Optlon Pkg.)

CONTROL CONCEPTS INC. (703) 876-6444* (703) 876-6416 Fax

Government. Educational and Corporate Discounts Avail; Dealer Inquiries Welcome

Circle 333 on Inquiry Card.

Circle 390 on Inquiry Card.

Experience the Power

Parallel Processing

For the professional, student or hobbyist who wants to come up to speed with parallel processing. All kits include one or more 20-MHz 32-bit transputer processors, each with 1MB of DRAM • Occam2. C. and assembler • examples and demos • complete set of manuals • schematics. Requires IBM-compatible PC.

4 Processors: $1,284 1 Processor: $396

The Transputer Education Kit is outstanding. You would be hard pressed to find as valuable and inexpensive a tool.

R. Eckhouse. IEEE Computer. Sept. 92. page 97

Computer System Architects

15N.100E., #100 Provo, Utah 84606

^ 800-753-4CSA or 801-374-2300 FAX 801-374-2306

FEB

S»

VISA • MasterCard American Express

wvcxi

Circle 334 on Inquiry Card.

An intelligent graphics coprocessor is required to maintain high GUI performance in multi-tasking environments like UNIX, OS/2 and NT.

• 1280 x 1024 x 256 colors ^g^

• 100K Xstones Performance

• SCO, USL, AIX, SunSoft

• ISA, EISA, MCA OEMs choice since 1984!

800-334-4922 or 503-626-9393 fax: 503-641-9333

9825 SW Sunshine Ct. Beaverton. OR 97005

Circle 344 on Inquiry Card.

Direct Stepper Drive from PC

• No external DC supply or translators required SA703 $199

• Free 2D/3D interpolation software Drivus lwo 1/2 amP motors

> Free HPGL convener SA704 $599

t-. 7n4 Drives two motors up lo 6 amps

ttk^\ - Call (613)359-1029

FAX (613)359-1147

). BOX I Hit, El GIN . CANADA K0G IE0

/A \ STKADA \3<C/ AUTOTECH INC.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 235

Bar Coding • Communications/Networking

Communications/Networking

I

Portable Bar Code Readers

TimeWand' 1 DuraWand

TimeWand II

Data collection is fast, easy, and extremely accurate when using Videx portable bar code readers. Cordless operation, compact size, and light weight allow you to take the wands wherever the work needs to be done. Call Videx today for your free information kit: 503-758-0521. Prices starting at:

'^YdMH] TimeWand I $298

l^^f DuraWand $495

l=S5™"*5^ TimeWand II $698

1105 NE Circle Blvd., Corvallis, OR 97330-4285 503-758-0521 • FAX 503-752-5285

TimeWand, DuraWand, and Videx are registered trademarks of Videx, Inc. GC0355

Circle 365 on Inquiry Card.

PC/AT Four Port Com. Coprocessor

GMM Sync4/CCP™

• High Performance 16 MHZ 16 bit CPU.

• 80X86 code compatible.

• 4 Sync/Async Ports (2 Serial Ports with Full Duplex DMA).

• Uses Zilog 85C30, 85230 SCC chip.

• 512K Dual Ported Ram (STD) (1, 2, or 4 MEG Dual Port Ram - optional].

• 8k, 16k, 32k, 64k Window Size (Programmable). GMM Products Are All Mode in USA.

• 8 Software Selectable and Shareable ( ■ { . PC/AT Dual Port Com. Coprocessor

• RS232/RS422/RS485 ■ Source Code Debugger Kit Available.

also available GMM Syoc2/CCPT>

Gmm

GMM Research Corporation

Other PC/AT & PS/2 8530 based products available. Extremely competitive pricing,: (714)752-9447 Fax (714)752-7335 18092 Sky Park South - Unit E, Irvine CA 92714

Circle 341 on Inquiry Card.

Light-Speed Serial Communications

PCSS-8FX Intelligent Serial Coprocessor ~

Better than IMbyte/second t transfer rate. f No load on Host.. Processor!

• I/O Mapped - No' ' host memory used. NEW - Supports DMA transfer. Faster than Dual Ported Memory!

' Looks like IBM Uart with Huge QUEUE!

• 8 ports per card. RS-232, 422,48S.

CTKK. INC. • DEVELOPMENT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE • P.O. Box 2310 Bay St. Louis. MS 39521-2310 USA • Mississippi & Technical Support 601-467-8048 Fax: 601-467-0935 • OEM & Dealer Inquiries Welcomed!

ORDER TOLL-FREE

800-282-4835

TEK

236 BYTE- MARCH 1993

Circle 342 on Inquiry Card.

Access your old PC's disks from your new PC

Introducing: Infill.StOr!

InfiniStor™ from Infinicon™ makes your old PC's disk drives appear to be

internal to your newer PC. What's more, those disks will perform almost

as fast as if they were mounted

inside. InfiniStor consists of a pair of

half-size add-in cards (one for your

old PC and one for your new one), a

thin 12 ft. cable (which can be

increased to 50 feet or more), and

easy-to-use software which takes

less than 10 minutes to install.

And you'll get Super PC-Kwik'" InfiniStor Add-In Catds and Cable

disk caching software (to speed things up even more) and Stacker™ file compression software (to double the size of your old PC's hard disk), both bundled FREE with InfiniStor.

Oilly$129§5 (introductoryoffer)

Warning! InfiniStor is not a network product, and as such Infinicon cannot promise that you will encounter the typical network software installation difficulties. Furthermore, you won't have to deal with the usual cabling problems, and you won't have to become a master of complexity.

InfiniStor uses only 4K bytes of memory, appears transparent when in use, and is compatible with all your favorite software (including Microsoft Windows'" and computer networks). And if you're not totally satisfied, just return it within 30 days for a complete refund on the purchase price.

For info or to order, call toll-free: (800) 374-3880

VISA-MasterCard-AMEX FS:lloi)37oS

INFINICON • 15 North 100 East, Suite 106 • Provo, UT 84606

Circle 389 on Inquiry Card.

LET YOUR COMPUTER DO THE TALKING!

Integrated Voice/Fax Mail

integrates major voice/fax applications plus program control into one full-featured' high performance software. PC-AT/386/486 based. Menu driven. Easy to use. Full support for Rhetorex, New Voice, Dialogic, TTI and Intel voice and fax hardware. Supports up to 24 voice lines and up to 8 fax lines. Hardware + Software <£ Q C f\

4 voice lines package starts at V./--J"

Tel: (818) 368-6132 Fax: (818) 368-7859

SigmaTech Software

24 hours demo lines: 818-368-4566 or 818-368-8848 10801 Bismarck Ave, Northridge, CA 91326 USA (Resdlcrs/Dealers/OEMs/Privcite labels are welcome)

I Auto-Attendant

I Unlimited Audiotex

I Voice Mail

I Call Processing

I Telemarketing

I Fax Mail

I Fax-on-Demand

I Fax Broadcasting

I Party/Chat lines

I Talking Yellow pages

Circle 380 on Inquiry Cord (RESELLERS: 381).

\

Multi-Line Voice Mail Plus.

> VAX ON DEMAND

FAXON DEMAND • VOICE MAIL CALL PROCESSING • TELEMARKETING

VOICE PLUS gives you professional VOICE MAIL & AUTO TRANSFER while il pounds out Fax'd Hard Copy non-stop 24-hours a day. Give it lo them - NOW! Complete Package with Hardware and FAX Software. 2 year warranty. Requires PC/AT/386/486.

VOICE PLUS only S69S

Basic Voice Mail from $295

(Devolper/OEM package specials) (VISA-MC-AMEX-COD)

For Sales and Information Call:

1-800-685-4884

510-522-380'FAX: 510-522-5556

TALKING TECHNOLOGY, INC. ^

1125 AllanticAve.. Alameda. CA 94501/.

Circle 359 on Inquiry Card.

Computer Systems

AT Systems in ROM

r /

Run DOS in ROM

Develop code on a PC. Use 'C and standard PC tools. Burn DOS and .exe code in ROM. Run disk-less on our battery-backed single board computers.

PC Compatible

Our CPU cards are PC compatible. They run all PC software and drive standard PC expansion cards (VGA, A/D, etc.) on a passive backplane.

For Catalog Call 303-444-7737 or fax 303-786-9983

655 Hawthorn Avenue, Boulder CO 80304 USA

CPU Card

KS-6

KS-3

Base price

$299

$224

CPU chip

V53

V40

Equivalent to

286

186

Runs PC code

yes

yes

Bus

AT

XT

Max DRAM

4M

512K

Max ROM

2M

512K

Max SRAM

512K

256K

Serial ports

5

3

Parallel ports

2

2

Real clock

yes

yes

Flop, Keybd.

no

yes

Size

4.x8.

4"x6"

Power 5v

400mA

250mA

We provide comp ment ROM basec

lete support PC system

oimple>. Devel

opment kits with;

>ourcecode

samples

and DOS utility c

isk are avai

able.

KILA

Circle 350 on Inquiry Card.

GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL PBQDUCTS AND RESOURCES

RELIABLE, RUGGED & INTEGRATED

A10714" VGA Color Industrial

Workstation A17" Rack Mount Monitor

Enclosure with Touch Screen A286/386SX-33/386DX-40

/486DX2 All-in-one Slot

Board Computer A All-in-one EISA bus CPU

Card A Dual Drive RAM/ROM/FIASH

Disk A19" Rack-Mount Chassis with

14 Slots A6-Slots heavy-duty Node

Chassis

MfTAC @

MITAC Inc.

16TH FL., 51 SEC. 3.MING SHENG E. RD.,TAIPEI,TA1WAN,R.0.C TEL:886-2.501.5180 FAX:886-2-50M979

$ RHINO IU.S.A DISTRIBUTOR) „__„.,„„

101 N. ALLOY DRIVE FENTON.MI 48430,U.S.A TEL1-8O0-648-2248 FAX:313-750-1836

iQJEsaa

HALL 9-STAND B16

Computer Systems • Data Acquisition • Disk & Optical Drives

Rackmount Solutions

RACKMOUNT COMPONENTS - QTY 25 PRICING Rackmount Chassis 19x7,-x17" $183 Rackmount VGA Monitors $531 Rackmount Monitor Shelf $113 Rackmount Keyboard Shelf $88

RACKMOUNT PLATFORMS - Qty 1 Pricing RMS486-33EISAS1799 RMS386-40 $814 RMS486-33 $1443 RMS386SX-25 $693

1 J

200W Power Supply, Motherboard, 1.0MB Memory, IDE, FDC, 2-Ser, Par, 1.2MB or 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive, 1 Year Warranty

RACKMOUNT CHASSIS -15 Models up to 20 Board Slots SLOT CPU BOARDS - 486, 386. 386SX RACKMOUNT MONITORS - Super VGA and Monochrome RACKMOUNT CABINET - Modular from 21" to 96" high

HW MAUEY

TECHNOIOCY IMC.

- «l»JSMffiSS8B!S" aatt

2468 Armstrong Street, Livermore CA 94550

(510)447-2030 FAX: (510) 447-4559

Circle 370 on Inquiry Card.

FREE, 288 PAGE

DATA ACQUISITION CATALOG

IBM PC/XT/AT, PS2, MICROCHANNEL COMPUTERS AND COMPATIBLES

•A/D Boards

•Signal Conditioning •Communication •PC Instruments •Scientific Software

KEITH LEY

METRABYTE

I T I O N

«**£>>

SEND TODAY FOR YOUR FREE CATALOG OR CALL 1-800-348-0033, FAX: 508-880-0179

Circle 353 on Inquiry Card.

The Intelligent Solution For Data Acquisition

DAP2400e™ Data Acquisition Processor'

ANALOG I/O DIGITAL I/O

• Inputs to 312K samples per second •Outputs to 312K samples per second

• Simultaneous last input/output FFTanclFIR-flltering

Digital Signal Processing at 16 MIPS 20 MHz CPU with DRAM to 1024K 32 MHz DSP with SRAM to 96K DAPL™ Operating System

• 100+ standard commands MlCROSTAR

• Custom commands in C ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^W

Laboratories:/

_ „™ , , , 2265116th Avenue NE

Send for FREE catalog and demo diskette. Bellevue, WA 98004

Or call us at (206) 453-2345. FAX (206) 453-3199

Circle 354 on Inquiry Card.

H ^.p (ftrfftlpg

PS/2 50 50z 55sx 60 70 80 P70

INTERNAL DRIVES - May be used as a high performance replacement or to co-exist with original IBM drive. Compatible with DOS 3.3, 4.01. 5.0. OS/2 2.0 and Novell. Includes IDE or SCSI-2 mictochannel controller, hard drive, mounting kit. ribbon & power cable, manual, and hardware. 85mb, 17ms, Internal Western Digital IDE Drive Kit $449

125mb, 15ms, Internal Maxtor IDE / SCSI Drive Kit $543/5565

200mb, 15ms, Internal WD IDE/Maxtor SCSI Drive Kit 5669/5699

340mb, 13ms, Internal Maxtor IDE / SCSI Drive Kit $969/5979

512mb, 12ms Internal Fujitsu IDE / SCSI Drive Kit $i,3l3/$l,369

1.05gb, 10ms Internal Microplus SCSI Drive Kit $2,184

PS/2 Model 25, 30, 30-186 \ eternal SCSI doves available twm 125 mb to t.75gd. Includes 32mb/42mb Hard Drive Kit S207/S243 SCSI-2 controller external case '.villi drive installed and conligured. 85mb/t25mb Hard Drive Kit $329/$423 | 6'SCSI cable. Free drivers tor CD-Rom drives or Novell 286 & 386

i IVPTl I

■■iylfSJiili-li

1 -800-487-2538

Tel: (516) 981-9473 3g "Jf" Fux: (516) 981-5038 l°,"k°,"

•Itlfll/imMfrf

Circle 385 on Inquiry Card. Circle 386 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 237

I

m

I

Disk & Optical Drives • Diskettes/Duplicators

MiniSCSI^^-^

HIGH PERFORMANCE PARALLEL-TO-SCSI ADAPTER

"> Transform Your C Parallel Port

Connect up to 7 SCSI devices to your

parallel port and still

use your printer! Up to twice as fast as our original MiniSCSl.theMiniSCSI Plus lets you run a CD-ROM, tape drive, SCSI hard disk, SyQuest, Bernoulli or other SCSI device from almost any parallel port. For most notebook users, it's the only way to use SCSI CD-ROMs and tape drives. Plus, its integrated cable makes it a snap to move and share SCSI devices between desktops and notebooks.

Call For Details! 800-872-6867 (800-TRANTOR)

Tranlor Systems, Ltd.

5415 Randall Place

Fremont, CA 94538-3151

TEL: (510) 770-1400 • FAX: (510) 770-9910

<S> 1992 Trantor Systems Ltd MmiSCSI and MiniSCSI Plus are trademarks ot Trantor Systems L Id. All other product names are trademarks ot their respective companies.

Circle 369 on Inquiry Card.

m

STAND ALONE

DISKETTE DUPLICATOR

OVER 300 DISKS PER HOUR

5.25" and 3.50" Models

SIMPLE AND FAST FROM $1799 US

UOQAHIC

TEL: (416) 602-9270 FAX: (416) 602-9279

Circle 330 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 331).

238 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Keyboards • Laptops & Notebooks • Multimedia

Money Back Guarantee & 1 Yr. Warranty

Popular

Space-Saver

Keyboard

$98.00

Saves 609E desk space. Footprint 27.3 x 15.2 cm. 100 hilltravel tactilly responsive keys. Standard left-right spacing for easy touch typing. IBM XT/AT PS 2 compatible. Many language versions available.

Call Toll Free To Order: 1 -800-DATALUX

B^BB^BBS SBB'^B' 155 Aviation Dr.-Winchester, V A 22602

mm^m »^»»»^.^* Te] T.703-662-1500-FAX 1-703-662-1682

- VISA, MC, AmX - Auto-FAXed Specs FAX 1-703-662-1675

Circle 337 on Inquiry Card.

Universal Keypad for

Portable Computers

Available in Ivory or Black

Boost data entry speed, accuracy and convenience with Genovation's Micropad,™ the innovative numeric keypad for portable computers.

TO COMPUTER

A

▼ TO PRINTER

(800) 822-4333

17741 Mitchell, North Irvine. CA 92714 USA TEL (714) 833-3355 FAX (714) 833-0322

Is the unhandy numeric section of your portable computer's keyboard dragging you down?....Give your productivity a boost by using our Micropad. The ergonomically designed Micropad is ideal for spreadsheet and accounting applications that require fast and accurate entry of numeric data.

The Micropad attaches to the parallel port of any MS-DOS computer while providing a clean pass through connection to the printer. Power usage is negligible. Lightweight and compact, the Micropad is fully programmable and is also available with connectors to fit keyboard and serial ports.

GENOVATION

u

Circle 340 on Inquiry Card.

Desktop Video

Motion Capture

VGA-TV Converter

1 Real-time S motion video

capture 1 8, 16. 24-bit color 1 DOS S Windows support ' S-VHS & Composite input ' Free development kit • Sound Blaster compatible

USS299

Sharp & Flicker-free TV & Monitor display simultaneously S-VHS & Composite output Windows support MRVP/NTSC also tor Mac Hor. Over/Under-scan switch US$149 (MR VV Plus) US$349 (MR VP)

DISPLAY RESEARCH LABORATORY

^^^_ Capital Automation inc. VISA Tel.:1-800-CAPITAL

Fax: 704-596-9595

International inquiry:

lnt'ITel.:(852)420 1165 Int'l Fax:(852)415 2739

Circle 391 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 392).

Multimedia • Memory/Chips/Upgrades

Monitors & Terminals • Printers/Plotters

^ Make Your Image Fly !

...to Everyone Worldwide.

©

VIDEO Conferencing by VidCALL'

Conferencing via Modem. VideoBlaster & Camera Receive Motion Video Calls via Modem Only Full Support for Local-Area-Networks

\^

5,

» pwlr—i

. <r IMAGE PLUS Utility Software

^^ Capture and index Images within Any Applications Display Images upon Command & LAN Support

VGA/TVCONVE

«™ w

Brl HZ3

TOUCH SCREEN PANELS

For 14", 17" and 1 9" VGA Monitors w/Demo. Setup & Utility Software

H3,=o] OPTICAL DISK DRIVES

tmmSBP 650 Mbyte/19ms £.256 Mbyte/35ms

Magneto-Optical. Re-Writable Drives

CD-ROM MultiMedia Upgrade Kits t$y

540 MByte CD-ROM with MultiMedia IntefeK^ * Windows 3.1 & MPC Compatible ^V^

SOUND BLASTER PRO

OPL-3 stereo FM Music Synthesizi Digital-Ana log Mixer

^v

*

Video Blaster - Display & Image Capture Bo

Live Video, True Color, Windowing Display

Image Capture f. Sound Mixer, Developer Kit Available for S95

♦

m

Video Spigot - Live Video Display & Capture Boards

Full Motion Video Display w/Stereo Sound Mixer Live Motion Video Capture £. Storage Video Editing &. Presentation Utilities

Call Toll Free

for Orders or Catalogs ONLY

800-446-1967

d tr,Tir1eivimf-< ,-i

4MB X 9-80/70*** $110.00

4MB x 9-60 $114.00

256K x 9-80/70 $11.00

1 MB x 9-80/70 (9 chip) $34.50

1 MB x 9-80/70 (3 chip) $31.00

1MB X 36-70' S136.00

2MB x 36-70- $262.00

4MB x 36-70'*** $499.00

Call for best price an a 30-pin & 72-pin

Modules, 2. 4,8 & 16MB

'used in PS/2, Compaq, Dell &

other high-end systems (386 & -186)

'4 piece minimum

Canon 1MB $118.00

LBP 8II/8IIR/8IIT 4MB $190.00

Epson Action Laser 2MB $125.00

Action Laser II 2MB S138.00

HP LaserJet MP,ItPPIs.rII.IIID.MIP.II.1ID.Illsi

2MB $99.00 4MB $172.00

HP DeskJet 256K $78.00

Specialists in workstation products. Contact I us for current prices & new catalog.

VARs,

' Consultants & Dealers Welcome

EMPIRE COMPUTECH

9668 Hermosa Ave.

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91 730

Tel : 909-466-1400 Fax : 909-466-1409

Circle 379 on Inquiry Card.

Memory Superstore...

...For the absolute best prices on laptop, desktop anil workstation memory, call now! 800'800'705B.

Sun EPC/IPX* * * 16MB $470

Dell 486 16MB $495

IBM RS6000 16MB $620

HP Apollo 16MB $675

Silicon Graphics 16MB $620

Next 16MB $470

Apple Power Book* 4MB $230

AST Premium Exec. 4MB $160

AT&T Safari 4MB $345

Bondwell B310 1MB $136

Compaq LTE386S/20 1MB $82 4MB $259 LTELite/20.5 2MB $140 4MB $240

8MB $578 LTE/286 1MB $88 2MB $138

SLT/286 1MB $88 4MB $240

Goldstar GS520 4MB $330

HP 95LX, Papet PC, Grid Pad

SRAM Card 256K $122

512K $149

Flash Memory 1MB $238

2MB $309

Packard Bell, Magnavox, Mitsuba* **

2MB $150 4MB $290 Toshiba - T1 OOOSE/LE/XE.T2000SX, T1000LE,T2200-SX,T2000SXE

1MB $80 2MB $109 4MB $230 8MB $430

Toshiba - TI200XE 2MB $88

Toshiba -T4400 SX/SXC, T3300, T6400

2MB $182 4MB $329

6MB $469 8MB*$670

Zenith Masters SL 2MB $122

IBM 4029*** Sharp JX9500PS OKI Laser 0L40D OL800/820

Panasonic KXP4420, 4450I KXP4455 KXP4410

PS/2. 35SX/LS,40SX,50Z,55SX/LS,57SX, 65SX/LS.70.70A21 ,B21 ,B61,90,95

2MB S89 4MB S136 8MB $268

DeskPro386/20.E,25,S/16,N,SX20,33M

2MB $89 4MB S136 8MB S268

4MB $140.00

1MB $75.00

2MB $116.00

2MB $135.00

4MB S210.00

2MB $135.00

2MB $175.00

4MB $215.00

Memo

(800)800-7056 KKM

S COD

Circle 372 on Inquiry Card.

STAND-ALONE LCD MONITOR

New Touch Screen Option Available

$QQG I This 10" black on white monitor is easy-to-read, yet

333 | compact. Resolution is 640x480 lor sharp, flicker-free image. Fast response, high refresh rate twisted nemalic technology with backlighting provides a bright low radiation screen with a wide viewing angle. The adjustable monitor base is only 29x14 cm. It lets you mount the LCD monitor on vertical surfaces or fold for transport. Comes with 1.5 m cable and controller card. No external power required. IBM AT compatible.

$.| M qp I New Touch Screen Option. Capacitive technology I jtJ/O I from MicroTouch™. Provides high resolution, fast response, all glass scratch proof optically clear touch sensor. Complete with controller and software. DOS Windows compatible.

To Order Call Toil-Free: 1300-DATALUX

■. __H _ ggmmjr Tel: 1-WM62-1900

S-S^kS S JZS i^mS S .JS FAX: 1-703-062-1682

AutoFAXed Specs: 155 Aviation Drive • Winchester, VA 22602 1-703-662-1675

Circle 336 on Inquiry Card.

PRINTER BUFFER

Nobody waits!

Allows automatic sharing of printer(s by several computers.

•simultaneous input on all ports

• compatible with all printers, Lasers and CAD plotters

•Pop-up Menus

• Free Technical Support

• 30 day money-back guarantee & full-year limited warranty

STANDARD 1 MB memory • memory sizes thru 8 MB • Fast-data rates to 100 KB/S • multiple copies • multiple outputs

1 MB 6-Port Parallel

95

*199

9-Port Parallel $249.95

12-Port Parallel $299.95

l-Port Serial + 3-Port Parallel $269.95

16-Port Serial + 3-Port Parallel $399.95

Single User Parallel

$99

95

512 KBytes- unit is expandable to 4 MB

Serial or Converting buffers available

Other Models also available - Call!

Extra Memory: $50 per Megabyte

Y S T E (VI 51 U-u44-^2tO\j • FAX 644-2232 Made in USA

204 EAST FOURTH STREET, MARYSVILLE, OHIO 43040

Receive FAX Info On-Demand: (805) 650-3299 - Item # 700

Circle 360 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 361).

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 239

I

m

Programmable Hardware

Ji

High speed scan rate at a fraction oj the cost"

HARDWARE:

DIGITAL CONTROLLER * 8 optically isolated digital Inputs at 12 to 24 VDC ■ 8 isolated relay outputs

rated up to 3A continuous at 120 VAC with a 10 A surge • timers • counters • pulsars • data storage

• sequencers • serial communications optional RS485 or RS232 • up to 1 ms per K of Boolean logic

• ANALOG CONTROLLER • 8 10 bit analog inputs* 4 analog outputs * 2 digital inputs * 2 relay outputs

• 2 transistor outputs • RS485 on board • PIO loops • 8K RAM * OPERATOR INTERFACE • 24 character by 2 line display * 4 by 4 keypad • 8K RAM • easy to use keyboard and display functions • RS485 on board, SOFTWARE:* programmable with IBM XT/AT/386/486 compatible and EPROM programmer

• easy to uss ladder logic compiler with text annotation and Integrated editor • Software package ,: ■* ■ Includes functions for all systems.

DWC hPLC Digital controller $139.00 DWC uPLC RS485 interface (59.00

OWC Analog controller $269,00 DWC pftC BS232 Interface $59.00

DWC Operator Interface $259.00 DWC Network Node $199,00

jj DWC llddsr Logic Compiler software $39.00

DWC EEPROM programmers development adapter $10.00 . Special offer for first time buyers software $49.00 with any purchase of above.

800-668-2707 tel: (519) 850-0637 lax: (519) 660-1602 IE

lVISON - WORTH

Circle 383 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 384).

ONE OF THE CHEAPEST PLCs IN THE WORLD!

HARDWARE: tl6 oplo-isolaled digital inputs, »$ relay outputs 9125 VAC, §1/0 status indicator LED's, 'Watch-dog and power failure circuits, fslandard RS232 interface, tsingle 5/12/24 VAC/VDC power supply (under 3W). *24 Kb battery back-up SRAM, tllOxi/O mm. PROGRAMMABLE with any compatible PC thru RS232 in ladder logic using " ' our powerful remoIER program. tReal lime variables debug, »C, BASIC compilers and assemblers available. SOFTWARE DRIVERS enable your PC applications to remote control PICOIOG I/O thru RS232. EXTENSION MODULES AVAILABLE

^Ekkkal

Phone 39 742 451987 ITALY

Fax 39 142 451988 BBS 39 742 453765

Circle 382 on Inquiry Card.

^ For Your Development Needs!

MODEL 9000 EPROM PROGRAMMER

■ QuickPulse and intelligent algorithms.

■ Programs Eproms (up to 4Mb), EEproms & MPU's.

■ Upto57Kbaud.

■ Ultra Fast!

ORDER TOLL-FREE

800-282-4835

OEM & Dealer Inquiries Welcomed! ^IHjjm—^^ DEVELOPMENT HARDWARE* SOFTWARE

P.O. Box 2310 • Bay SI. Louis, MS 39521-2310 U.S.A. F K mc Fax: 601-467-0935

" Mississippi & Technical Support 601-467-8048

Circle 343 on Inquiry Card.

IEEE 488/Serial

Converters & Controllers

I Connect IEEE 488 (HP-IB/CPIB) and serial (RS-232 or RS-422) computers, plotters, and instruments

lOtech, Inc. • 25971 Cannon Road • Cleveland, Ohio 44146

(216)439-4091 • Fax (216) 439-4093

240 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 347 on Inquiry Card.

Programmable Hardware

EMBEDDED COMPUTERS

Everything you want ....

□ Powerful Hitachi H8/532 16-bit processing

□ Drives graphics LCDs and keyboard

□ Collects 10-bit analog data from 8 channels

□ Stores information on PCMCIA Cards

□ I6K Forth and ready-made solution library

□ High level interrupts and multitasker

□ $325 qty 10+ S249 qty 100+ .... to make life easier

For more information contact:

The Saelig Company Tel (716) 425-3753 Fax (716)425-3835

Outside USA & Canada: Triangle Digital Services Limited

223 Lea Bridge Road. London Tel 081-539 0285 Fax 081-558 8110

Circle 362 on Inquiry Card.

UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMER, EMULATOR, & TESTER TUP-400 $745.00 NEW

TUP-300 $575.00

■ New Improved hardware and software.

■ The most complete PC-based Universal Programmer, Programs PLD (PAL, GAL, FPL, EPLD, PEEL, MAX, MACK..), E(E)PROM, (up to 16Mbit), Flash EPROM, BPROM, Special PROM, MPU (87XX, 68XX, Z8, PSD301, PIC16XX, TMS320EXX, UPD75PXXX, HD637XXX...).

■ Covers DIP, PLCC, QFP, SOP, and PGA with 8 to 84 pins. Gang Progamming adapters available also.

■ EPROM EMULATION' capability,

■ Tests digital ICs and DRAMs (SMM/SIP adapter available).

■ Free software updates and new device added upon request.

■ 1C Manufacturers' approval.

■ 1-year warranty, 30-day money-back guarantee.

CALL TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION. Distributors are welcome!

X-700 UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMER SYSTEM NOW AVAILABLE. CONNECTS TO ANY PC XI /AI7386/4S6/LAPTOP THRU Tl IE PARALLEL PRINTER PORT.

Tribal Microsystems Inc. Tel (510) 623-8859

44388 S. GRIMMER BLVD., FREMONT, CA 94538 FAX (510) 623-9925

Circle 363 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 364).

SUPERPRO® $549

Universal Programmer

Over 2,000 devices, desktop programmer for your IBM PC with high speed & reliability

• Easy to use menu driven Software.

• Universal programming for E(E)PROM, Flash E(E)PROM, Bipolar PROM, PAL, FPL, PEEL, GAL, E(E)PLD, 8c Microcontroller, etc

• Test TTIXMOS logic ICs, & memory (DRAM/SRAM).

• Life time free Software updates on BBS & technical support.

• 1 year Hardware warranty & 30 day money back guarantee.

• Developed & made in U.S.A.

• Call for demo disk. Distributors are welcome!!

E{E)PROM programmer to 4-Mbit

• ROM MASTER: $149 E(E)PROM programmer 4 gang version

• ROM MASTER/4: $239

757 N. Pastoria Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

(408)524-1929

FAX (408) 245-7084 BBS (408) 245-7082

XEIXEK

Circle 367 on Inquiry Card.

# Little PLC ;195! Program It In C

New Little PLC™ measures only 4.33 x 2.85 inches and costs $195! This miniature controller includes 8 optically isolated inputs, 8 relay driver outputs, two RS-485 serial ports, battery backed memory and time/date clock, programmable timers, and watchdog. Low cost expansion cards increase digital and analog I/O. With easy to use Dynamic C™$195 development system, you can write programs in an hour or develop major applications with 20,000 lines of C language.

Z-World Engineering (916) 757-3737

1724 Picasso Ave., Davis, CA 95616 • FAX: (916) 753-5141 24 hr. Data Sheet Retrieval from YOUR fax: (916) 753-0618

Circle 368 on Inquiry Card.

Tape Drives

9 Track/3480 Tape Subsystems 1/4" DAT 8mm Optical

New Windows Software Available

• Best Quality

• Lowest Prices

800/1600/3200/6250 BPI

CALL 1-800-859-8856

Laguna Data Systems

23151 Alcalde Drive, Suite B-3, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Tel: 714-586-3010, Fax: 714-586-5538

Circle 352 on Inquiry Card.

FOR ALL YOUR TAPE NEEDS

3480 M 9-Track■ 1/4" ■ 4mm ■ 8mm

Tape to Tape Copy

Tape Backup/Restore

Conversion

Data Interchange

NovaStor Corp.

30961 Agoura Rd., Suite 109 Westlake Village, CA 91361

Phone (602) 396-3616

or 818-707-9900 • Fax: 818-707-9902

Circle 373 on Inquiry Card.

9-Track for PCs

Mainframe to PC data interchange

Rock solid solutions, rock bottom prices.

Direct from the manufacturer. 1600 & 6250 bpi.

Subsystems includ/ drives and software.

800-729-8725

OVERLFMD DFim

See us at CeBIT '93 Tel: 619-571-5555 • FAX: 619-571-0982 I Europe: Tel: (+49) 6172-35027 • FAX: (+49) 6172-35028

Since 1980

3480 Now with IDRC!

Ask about 3480 tape drives too

Circle 356 on Inquiry Card.

Desktop 9-Track Tape Subsystem

#1-selling 9-track system on desktop.

Qualstar's low cost 1/2-inch 9-track Streaming tape systems bring full ANSI data interchange to IBM AT, PS/2 or Macintosh, giving your micro the freedom to exchange data files with nearly any mainframe or minicomputer in the world.

Systems include DOS or Xenix compatible software, coupler card and cables. High reliability 1600 or 6250 BPI capability may be used for disk backup as well as data interchange.

FlUFILSTFIR,

9621 Irondale Ave.,

Call us today! For details and to order: Fax (818) 882-4081 Phone (818) 882-5822

Chatsworth CA 91311

©1989 Qualstar Corp.

All product and company names and trademarks are the exclusive properly of their respective owners.

Circle 358 on Inquiry Card.

Business • CAD/CAM • Engineering Scientific

Electronic archiving/ retrieval software!

• Stores scanned images & existing files

• Designed for multiuser networks

• Supports desktop and E-sIze scanners ' Safe, secure, protected

• Multiple optical drives (either 5.25" or 12")

V.OJ.CE outperforms the competition in cost & features!

VjO.LCE was designed specifically for monitor, V.O.I.C.E. archives and retrieves multiuser networks like Novell end scanned images, drawings, Word Perfect,

Lantastlc. Use V.O.I.C.E. with any IBM AutoCad, and Lotus 1-2-3 electronic files,

compatible PC with a VGA or EGA and has multiple levels of security.

Place an order by calling:

340 South Oak Street West Salern, Wl 54669 USA

1-800-843-9377

A'. t!:n;;;i!',y and product

Circle 345 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 346).

Program Your Business For Success

Micri

AUTOMATE YOUfl

▼ vni

COMPUTERIZE YOUR

BUSINESS & WATCH

YOUR PROFITS GROW!

' Increase Control

• Increase Profits & Sales

• Work smarter, not harder

■ Lower Costs & Reduce Inventory

We Provide Software That Is: 800-637-8268

Main Phone: (914)425-9500

Fax: (914)425-4598

BBS: (914) 425-6440

Fax an demand: (914) 426-6064

• Unparalleled In Technical Support Dealers welcome: soo-sell-pos

• Affordable & Functional

• Easy to use

• Tested & Stable

WEEm

^lAL

Circle 387 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 388).

W1NTEK

(800) 742

Wintek Corporation

1801 South Street Lafayette, IN 47904

-6809

HiWIRE II Schematic and PCB Software

With support for expanded and extended memory, HiWIRE II can handle your most demanding schematic and PCBdesigns. Theunique HiWIRE II editor allows you to display and edit schematics and PCBs simultaneously, using the same commands for each. HiWIRE II isS995, and is guaranteed. Call (800) 742-6809 or (317) 448-1903

Circle 366 on Inquiry Card.

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Circle 374 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 375).

MARCH 1993

BYTE 241

Engineering/Scientific • Data Acquisition

Database • Mathematical/Statistical • Programming Languages/Tools

If you work with DATA. DADiSP is for you!

Collect, analyze, and display

data in a multi-window graphical

environment

Point and Click menu driven

operation

Data reduction and editing

Series and scalar math

Matrix math

Statistics

Peak analysis FFTs and Convolutions Digital filtering XY plots 3-D/4D graphics Spreadsheet environment to create programs and templates, without any programming

DADiSP is currently in use in engineering, laboratory data collection, matrix processing, manufacturing, science, signal processing, chemical and mechanical applications in automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, and other industries.

CALL 1-800-777-5151

for your free DADiSP Trial Kit for SUN, HP, IBM, NeXT, DEC, Concurrent, and Silicon Graphics workstations, and of course, PCs under Windows1".

A Wv/\ dsp

v ^Hulfl^r Development ^H^B^r Corporation

One Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02139

tel: 617-577-1133 fax: 617-577-8211

Circle 339 on Inquiry Card.

IEEE 488 and VXIbus Control, Data Acquisition, and Analysis

1993

....pi •» «■■■

I

Data Acquisition and Instrument Control

Free 1993 catalog of measurement and instrumentation products for PCs, workstations, and more. Features new LabVIEW software for Windows and Sun, and LabWindows. Describes IEEE 488.2 interfaces, plug-in data acquisition boards, VXIbus controllers, DSP hardware and software, and signal conditioning accessories. Training classes also detailed. Includes tutorials and glossary.

National Instruments

6504 Bridge Point Parkway, Austin, TX 78730

(512) 794-0100

(800) 433-3488 (U.S. and Canada)

Fax (512) 794-8411

242 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Circle 355 on Inquiry Card.

dBASE Data Entry

7

B

9

CLEM1

F1

F2

4

5

6

DELETE

F3

F4

1

2

3

J-lii'

F5

F6

S1

0

S2

L

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The TransTerm 5 is a work station data entry/display terminal for on-line shop floor data collection into PC/AT/PS-2 systems. The unit is one of a family of such terminals which feature LC displays for operator prompting and data entry via sealed touch keys or an optional barcode scanner or badge reader (Code39,UPC+). A multi-terminal network controller (up to 250 stations) and a dBASE IV compatible software package are also available. System costs start below $300 per station. Options include display backlighting, barcode scanning, counter inputs, control output.

computerwise:

302 N. Winchester • Olathe, KS 66062 913-829-0600 • 800-255-3739 • FAX 913-829-0810

Circle 335 on Inquiry Card.

PCTfcX

Typesetting Software

/"

Xvzdt X-tY

=£

-rV

This complete typesetting system makes

your books, manuals, articles, & math formulas

look their best!

For a FREE CATALOG & DEMO DISK, call 415/388-8853

Personal Tr*, Inc. 12 Madrona Street Mill Valley, CA 94941 Fax: 415/388-B865

Circle 357 on Inquiry Card.

BASIC Compiler 8051/52 & Derivatives

BXC Version 4.0 New Release!

• 100% BASIC-52 compatible & in line assembly

• Full floating point, integer, byte and bit variables

• Compatible with any RAM or ROM memory mapping

• Compile BXC program into CALLable subroutine

• Compile program to coexist with BASIC-52 interpreter

• DS/5000 chip support and extensions

• Dynamic length variables and many string functions

• Advanced run-lime error trapping & buffered serial I/O BXC51 $295

Call now! 508-369-9556 or FAX 508-369-9549

[1

Binary Technology, Inc.

P.O. Box 541 • Carlisle, MA 01741 2

Circle 332 on Inquiry Card.

Programming Languages/Tools • Utilities • Windows II Windows

J^P\j Complete APL system $60.

J Ken's new APL for teaching and research. Shareware and documentation $24. Source $90.

NEW! True Windows 3.1 versions. GUI programming for APL and J

Iverson Software Inc.

33 Major St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2K9 Phone (416) 925-6096 Fax (416) 488-7559

y

Circle 378 on Inquiry Card.

PC Diagnostics and System Information

QAPIllS Over 3 Million users

□ New Version 4.7 now includes Reachout Host remote control software and Novi" Scan virus detection software

□ Both novices and expert PC users can quickly solve common computer problems

□ Reports hardware configuration, interrupts, perfonnance benchmarks and more

□ Includes LAN features for networked PC support and management

For More infonnation call: 1-800-DIAGSOFT

Also from DiagSoffc QAP/ksAVDV for tuning and troubleshooting Windows' and QAPlus/FE" for power-users and sendee/support professionals.

Available from r'.ii^lri'.id Disatunt Softvv.iru, t omp USA, 15iz Marl, Try's l-'kvtn inics and oilier line resellers.

DiagSoft, Inc., 5615 Scotts Valley Drive, Suite 140, Scotts Valley, California 95066 ■ 1-408-438-8247- FAX 1-408-438-7113

' Suggested Retail: $159.95

Circle 338 on Inquiry Card.

Programming for Microsoft Windows doesn't have to be a Pane fw

object-Menu provides an object-oriented architectural framework for your C++ application with a dazzling look and feel. Seamlessly port your product between DOS graphics and Microsoft Windows using our interface objects. Our intuitive architecture and natural programming syntax increase your productivity more than you ever thought possible. Our goals are to simplify GUI design for the novice while providing the power and flexibility needed by an expert.

7 Mountain Rd, Burlington MA 01803 Tel: (617)273-0421 Fax (617)270-4437 . BBS (617)270-9552

Ella Edit Iools Objects Orjllor

Toolbar contains tools

for creating real-time I

display screens with animated graphics

Charts and graphs show

changing data as (he

changes occur

Knobs and buttons allow operator* interface and control

^llllB^Bi^||^,

Privycr Sp»«<

■ XL.

& To Shipping 3fc

Units In atocK

Real time means you see changes as they occur, not after the fact. VISION provides you with the real-time information needed for success in

today's quickly changing business climate.

VISION includes all software needed to immediately start monitoring PC performance, network performance, and changes in dBase files.

VISION displays dynamic data from DDE-enabled Windows applications. Examples include:

• Microsoft Excel

• Lotus 1-2-3

• Borland Quattro Pro

• Visual BASIC

• databases

• accounting packages

List Price Intro Realtime VISION $395 $99

Developer's Edition $995 $495

(for royalty-free distribution of applications)

1-800-TRY-LABTECH

(508) 657- 5400 FAX (508) 658-9972

Circle 351 on Inquiry Card.

IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?

Nominee Compute Choice Award Best Adult Discovery Software WINDOWS VERSION

o Dr. Schueler's Home Medical Advisor gives updated info on diseases, injuries, medical tests, drugs, poisons, nutrition, diets, fitness, and health/ travel tips.

• Q/A format analyzes your symptoms, shows you anatomical displays, and makes over 400 diagnoses.

• Hypertext and SCAN features make finding any topic FAST.

• Low cost updates to all registered users.

• Developed by over 40 physician specialists.

Available in WINDOWS or DOS versions $99.95 Retail WINDOWS Special: $79.95 DOS Special: $69.95

To order, Call: 1-800-788-2099, Dept. B

or see your software dealer

PIXEL PERFECT ▼ IMC.

10460 S. Tropical Tr. Merritt Island, FL 32952

WMP I ©

Circle 348 on Inquiry Card (RESELLERS: 349). Circle 371 on Inquiry Card.

MARCH 1993

Y T E 243

THE BUYER'S MART

A DIRECTORY OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

THE BUYER'S MART is a unique classified section organized by product category to help readers locate suppliers. Each ad has Inquiry numbers to aid readers requesting information from advertisers. AD FORMAT: Each ad will be designed and typeset by BYTE. Do NOT send logos or camera-ready artwork. Advertisers should furnish typewritten copy. 2"x1'/e" ads can include headline (23 characters maximum), descriptive text (300 characters is the maximum recommended) plus company name, address, tele

phone and fax number. 2"x2Vb" ad has more space for descriptive text (850 characters is the maximum recommended).

DEADLINE: Ad copy is due approximately 2 months prior to issue date. For example: November issue closes on September 8. Send your copy and payment to: THE BUYER'S MART, BYTE Magazine, 1 Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458. For more information call: Margot Gnade at 603-924-2656. FAX: 603-924-2683.

RATES (Jan. 1993)

3-5

6-11

12

13

issues

issues

issues

issues

2"xiy."

1 ad

$663

$636

$557

$530

2 ads/issue

530

504

3 ads/issue

504

477

V'tVh"

1 ad

$1,326

$1,272 $1 !

$1,060

2 ads/issue

1,060

1,008

3 ads/issue

1,008

954

ACCESSORIES

BAR CODE

BAR CODE

RADIOACTIVE?

Plot it on your PC with The RM-60 RADIATION MONITOR Serial or printer port. Delects: ALPHA ■ BETA • GAMMA • X-RAY.

MicroR, 1000 times the resolution of standard geiger counters.

Excellent for tracking RADON GAS. Find sources. New: Version 2.9

+ WINDOWS. Plot: • Background • Cosmic Rays • Clouds • Foods

Call/Write (or PC MAGAZINE review. • TSR • GM Tube

VISA/MC/EURO Phone orders. Not satisfied? Full refund.

800-729-5397 or Tel/Fax: (302) 655-3800 Aware Electronics Corp.

P.O.Box 4299. Wilmington. DE 19807 $1 49.50

KEYBOARD, VIDEO, MOUSE, AUDIO

Extend signals from PC with EXTENDER Split signals with COMPANION/PC EXPANDER Switch signals among PCs with COMMANDER

Boosts signals up to 600 feet. Control up to 96 PCs

with one keyboard, monitor and mouse.

CYBEX CORPORATION

2800H Bob Wallace Ave.. Huntsville, AL 35805 Phone: 205-534-0011 Fax: 205-534-0010

Bar Code Readers

For PC, XT, AT, PS/2, Macintosh and Serial Terminals

>■ Attaches as 2nd Keyboard or to any ADB port

>- Reads 2of5, 128, UPC/EAN, Code 39, etc.

>■ External or internal attachment on PC

>■ Wand, CCD, Slot Badge, Magstripe or Laser

> Two Scanners per Reader

> 100+Configurable Options

>• 2 Year Warranty, 30 Day $ Back Guarantee

>- Direct From Manufacturer

>■ Top Rated by Independent Review

V Complete with Laser Scanner-$1399

>■ Complete with Stainless Steel Wand - $399

Worthington Data Solutions

Swiss Office 3004 Mission Street

Rijtistrasse 6 Santa Cruz, CA 95060

CH 9050, Appenzell Switzerland 408-458-9938 071 87 51 17 FAX

071 87 51 15 Phone 800-345-4220

BAR CODE PRINTING SOFTWARE

• MS/PC DOS Systems • Import/Export ASCII tiles • 9 & 24 pin dot matrix • H-P LaserJet/Plus/Series II ■ Menu-driven or Memory Resident • Most Label Sizes

• Multiple Densities • Variable Graphic Heights • Code 39, I 2/5, UPCA/E, EAN 8/13, 128, 93,11, MS1/PLESSEY, POSTNET (ZIP+4).

AMERICAN MICROSYSTEMS

2190 Regal Parkway, Euless, TX 76040 (800)648-4452 (817)571-9015 FAX (817) 685-6232

BAR CODE "SPECIALS"

Wedges/Portables/Multi On-Line readers with HP wands Spectra-Physics lasers S899. PSC & Symbol in stock 3" CCDs S468. Mag stripe encoders/readers S1485 Software: print bar codes S99 & read bar codes S159 P.O.S. - cash drawers S199/receipt printers $399... 30-day $S Back /1 Year Warranty "Spanish Dept. available OEIWVAR/Dealer discounts

BARCODE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS

9190 Palm Canyon Drive, Corona, CA 91719 (7141 277-1917 • (800) 653-4252 • FAX: (714) 277-1005

Inquiry 701.

Inquiry 703.

CUSTOM KEYBOARDS AND TERMINALS

Engineering, Development and Production

• Point-of-Sale • Special purpose • Harsh environment

• Access control • Data collection • Operator input

• Unique • Industrial • Any interface, key style or size

• No minimum quantity required

GENOVATION, Inc.

17741 Mitchell North, Irvine, CA 92714 (800) 822-4333 (714) 833-3355 FAX (714) 833-0322

Inquiry 702.

BAFKCODE

Labeling Software

On EPSON, IBM, OKI, or LaserJet. Easy WYSIWYG design. Any format/size. Up to 120 fields per label. 18 text sizes to 3" -readable at 100', AIAG, KMart, Sears, MIL-STD, Pennys, 2of5, 128, UPC/EAN, Code 39. File Input & Scanned PCX graphics - $279. Other programs from $129.

Worthington Data Solutions

(408) 458-9938

800-345-4220

I. T. S. Bar Code Solutions

Bar codes are easy using our FULL line of readers & printers. They plug and play with your existing CPU/printer/terminals/ software systems in your otfice. store, truck, factory or warehouse. ITS' bar code DOS programs print on matrix or laser printers. 30 day refund. 1 year warranty. OEM/VAR/ Deafer discounts.

International Technologies & Systems Corp.

655-K North Berry St., Brea, CA 92621 - Western USA 13 Welwyn Court, Richmond, VA 23229 - Eastern USA (800)228-9487 (714)990-1880 (804)741-6725 (FAX) 990-2503

Inquiry 704.

Portable Reader

Simple, Powerful, Easy-to-use

>■ AA Battery Operated, with backup coin battery

>■ 2 x 16 Supertwist LCD Display

>- 32 Raised Rubber Keys

> Real-time Clock Built-in for Date/Time Stamps >■ 2 Built-in Inventory Programs

>■ 3 User Defined Programs, & 3 User Data Files >- Wand, CCD, or Laser Scanner Input >■ Doubles as Non-Portable Reader

> Serial Interface and Keyboard Interface

>- Reads 2of5, UPC/EAN, 128, Code 39, etc. >- Uploads with furnished Programs or Xmodem >- 64K Complete with Steel Wand - $799

Worthington Data Solutions

Swiss Office 3004 Mission Street

Rutistrasse 6 Santa Cruz, CA 95060

CH 9050, Appenzell Switzerland 408-458-9938 071 87 51 17 FAX

071 87 51 15 Phone 800-345-4220

BAR CODE READERS

Keyboard emulation for PC/XT/AT & PS/2s, all clones and any RS-232 Terminal. Transparent to your operating system. Available with Steel wands, Lasers, Slot & Magstripe Readers. Same day shipping. 30-day money-back guarantee. One-year warranty. Reseller discounts available.

AMERICAN MICROSYSTEMS

2190 A Regal Parkway, Euless, TX 76040 (800)648-4452 (817)571-9015 FAX (817) 685-6232

PORTABLE BAR CODE READER

Battery operated, handheld reader with 64K RAM, 54 key keyboard, real-time clock, 2X16 LCD display, and built-in calculator. Supports WAND, CCD, and LASER. Built-in program generator supports multiple programs and data files. Interfaces to PC & PS/2 keyboards. RS-232 terminals, and HAYES compatible modems. 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE.

AMERICAN MICROSYSTEMS

2190 A Regal Parkway, Euless, TX 76040 (800)648-4452 (817)571-9015 FAX (817) 685-6232

EASY BAR CODE PRINTING

The leader in PC Postal bar coding software now provides

same easy & flexible barcoding for Code 39.

n BARZ_OUT - PC memory resident wilh easy menu

select & load. Use with your current programs. D MAKE_BARZ - Easy menu creation of bar code labels. Save $70 - Limited Time Offer - Both S129 30 day SSBACK (Call about UNIX, WINDOWS, Other Codes.)

POSTSAVER SYSTEMS

2731 S. Adams Rd. STE 102, Rochester, Ml 48309-3103 (800) 879-6820 (313) 299-5050 FAX (313) 299-5052

Inquiry 705.

PC BAR CODE SPECIALISTS

Bar code readers designed for fast, reliable, costeffective data entry. They emulate your keyboard, so data looks just like it was typed in! Choose from stainless steel wand, laser gun, CCD, and magnetic stripe scanners. Also, powerful label printing software. Great warranty. Generous reseller discounts. 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE.

Seagull Scientific Systems

15127 N.E. 24th, Suite 333, Redmond, WA 98052

1-800-758-2001 206-451-8966

244 BYTE • MARCH 1993

BAR CODE

COMMUNICATIONS

DATA RECOVERY

DATA INPUT DEVICES

Bar Code, Magnetic Stripe Readers & SmartCard Encoder/ Reader for microcomputers & terminals, including IBM PS/2 & others, DEC. Macintosh, AT&T, CT, Wyse, Wang. All readers connect on the keyboard cable & are transparent !o all software. UPC & 39 print programs, magnetic encoders, & portable readers are also available.

TPS Electronics

4047 Transport, Palo Alto, CA 94303 415-856-6833 Telex 371 -9097 TPS PL A 1-800-526-5920 FAX: 415-856-3843

Inquiry 706.

VARIANT MICROSYSTEMS

BAR CODE READERS DELIVER

WAND/LASER/MAGNETIC CARD CONNECTIVITY

• Keyboard wedges (Internal/External) lor IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/2, and portables

• RS232 wedges for WYSE, Link, Kimtron terminals

• Bar code and label printing software

• Full two-year warranty

• 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

• Extensive VAR/Dealer Discounts

46560 Freemont Blvd., Suite 206/ Freemont, CA 94538/(510) 440-2870 800-666-4BAR FAX: (510) 440-2873

Inquiry 707.

X.25, HDLC, SDLC, BSC

SDLA card and software provides 'plug-in' synchronous link support for PCs which is inexpensive, easy to use and robust.

Coprocessor architecture ensures reliable communications under any operating system at line speeds to 180kbps. Packages include protocol analyser, test and development software. OEM enquiries welcome.

Full function SNA emulation packages also available.

Sangoma Technologies Inc.

(416) 474-1990 1-800-388-2475

Inquiry 712.

COMPUTER BOOKS

COMPUTER BOOKS at a discount

We specialize in ADVANCED books for developers, programmers, computer professionals, and academics. 15% discount. Latest books from over 50 publishers. Free catalog. UPS & international shipping. Personal service. MC/VISA/AMEX. CompuServe' 70007,1333. GO CBK Windows, C++, O/S 2 2.0, UNIX, Mac, OOP

CompuBooks

Rt. 1, Box 271 -D, Cedar Creek, TX 78612 USA 800-880-6818, 512-321-9652 voice & FAX

Inquiry 713.

COMPUTER INSURANCE

Ontrack

DATA RECOVERY

• Professional service recommended by major hard drive manufacturers • Expertise in virtually every operating system & media storage device • 24-hour support with weekend, priority, & on-site service available • For fast, successful results, call: CA: 1-800-752-7557 • MN:1-800-872-2599

2400 Main Street, Suite ZOO, Irvine CA 92714 6321 Bury Drive, Eden Prairie MN 55346

Inquiry 718.

Now vs^e're

Ontrack in

London, too.

ONTRACK DATA RECOVERY EUROPE, LTD.

0800-24-39-96 • 44-81-974 5522

Surrey House. 34 Eden St.. Kingston upon Thames. Surrey KT1 1ER U.K.

Inquiry 719.

PCB & SCHEMATIC CAD-$195

"EASY-PC" for single-sided and multilayer boards to 17"x17" with up to 1500 ICs including surface mount. Phenomenally fast and easy to use. Over 13,000 copies sold. Needs PC/XT/286/386 HERC/CGA/ EGA/VGA. Output to laserjet/inkjet/dot matrix printer, pen-plotter, photo-plotter and NC Drill. Not copy protected. V1SA/MC/AMEX welcome. For full info circle inquiry # or contact us directly.

NUMBER ONE SYSTEMS LTD.

Harding Way, St. Ives, Huntingdon, Cambs, England, PE17 4WR

Tel: 011-44-480-61778 Fax: 011-44-480-494042

Inquiry 708.

INSURES YOUR COMPUTER

SAFEWARE Computerowner's coverage provides replacement of hardware, media and purchased software. As little as $49 a year covers accidents, theft, power surges and more. One call does it all.

TOLL FREE 1-800-848-3469

SAFEWARE, The Insurance Agency Inc.

PO Box 02211. 2929 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43202

Inquiry 714.

CAD/CAM

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

TAPE DATA RECOVERY

DC2000 • 1/4" Cartridge (AS/400)

TEAC ■ 4mm DAT

8mm EXABYTE ■ DEC TKxx media

1/2" Tape ■ 3480 8,3490

Whatever the Hardware, Software & Problem...

if there is data on a tape we will recover it.

TEL 1800-392-5373 FAX: 405-321-2741

TEL 44+ (0) 734-890042 FAX: 44+ (0) 734-890040

Vogon Enterprises Ltd.

Unit 5, Forrest Court, Oaklands Park, Fishponds Road,

Wokingham, Berks., RG11 2FD, England

Inquiry 720.

DATA/DISK CONVERSION

CONTOURING MOTION CONTROL

FROM A PRINTER PORT! *„ .Q

Indexer LPT" software 5>jt*ry

NEW VERSION 3 visa/mc

• Controls up to six step motors simultaneously.

• Linear and Circular Interpolation.

• New features to accommodate machine control.

• Easy-to-use DOS device driver. Super Manual.

• CAD-CAM interface available.

_ Corporation. 1422 Arnold Ave.

Ability Systems ^v, pa 19001 (215) 657-4338

' J FAX: (215) 657-7815

Inquiry 709.

CAT-SCANNERS

LOW- LOW- LOW

Computer Systems/Notebooks/Network Solutions

IBM-Apple-Compaq-AST-A LR-Eve rex-Sot hers SURAH 386/486 ISA/EISA-AMI/Mylex Motherboards

• CD ROMS • Tape Backup • Pocket FAX Modem LAN Cards * Hard Drives/Floppy Drives ■ Memory/upgrades

• DRAMS, SIMM Modules • Laser Printers/Scanners

• Plotters & Digitizers • Software

OIIDAU !n/s 44912 Osgood Road. Fremont CA 94539 i/S/1 OUnAn InC. Phone:(510)651-5101 Fax:(510)651-5241

1-800-543-1001 Nationwide Orders

Inquiry 715.

CROSS ASSEMBLERS

THE#1 CHOICE

in disk & tape conversion

for many leading corporations, government agencies, law firms, and companies in every industry-world-wide.

Free test • Satisfaction guaranteed

Graphics Unlimited Inc.

3000 Second St. North, Minneapolis, MN 55411

(612)588-7571 FAX: (612) 588-8783

1-800-745-7571

Inquiry 721.

INPUT SLIDES & NEGATIVES with FOTOVIX lll-S

New high-resolution S-video version of Tamron's popular 35mm film to video converter. Perfect for input of film to any computer equipped with a video capture board. Crop 35mm images with 3x zoom. Color balance and exposure correction controls. List price S929.00

Tamron Industries Inc.

99 Seaview Blvd., Port Washington, NY 11050

1-800-827-8880

Inquiry 710.

CD-ROM

Cross Assemblers $50

Simulators $100

Disassemblers $100

PseudoCorp

716 Thimble Shoals Blvd. Newport News, VA 23606 (804) 873-1947 Fax (804) 873-2154

Inquiry 716.

DATA CONVERSION

IBM PC-^TO -f HP FILE COPY

/ New Interface / BDAT2ASCII

Allows IBM PCs, PS/2, compatibles to interchange files with Hewlett-Packard Series 70, 80, 200, 300, 1000, (LIF media). Oswego Software

Box 310 708/554-3567

Oswego, IL 60543 FAX 708/554-3573

CALL FOR A FREE DEMO!

Inquiry 722.

Slmtel MSDOS Shareware CDROM, 640 Meg, Dec. 92 ..$24.95

CICA MS Windows Shareware CDROM, Nov. 92 $24.95

OS/2 Shareware CDROM. Nov. 92 $24.95

Source Code CDROM, 600 Meg, Mar. 92 $39.95

INFO-MAC Macintosh SW. 4000+ files, Aug. 92 $39.95

CDROM Caddies $4.95

WALNUT CREEK CDROM

1547 Palos Verd.es Mall, Ste 260, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (800) 786 9907 (510) 947 5996 FAX: (510) 947 1644

Inquiry 711.

TAPE CONVERSION & DUPLICATION

• DC2000 ■ 1/4" Cartridge (AS/400)

• TEAC • 4mm DAT

• 8mm EXABYTE ■ DEC TKxx media ■ 1/2" Tape • 3480 S 3490

Mainframe. Mini or Micro - popular or obscure.

Fixed price quote by return. Standard turnaround 24 Hours.

TEL 1 800-392-5373 FAX: 405-321-2741

TEL 44+ 10) 734-890042 FAX: 44+ (0) 734-890040

Vogon Enterprises Ltd.

Unit 5, Forrest Court, Oaklands Park, Fishponds Road.

Wokingham, Berks.. RG11 2FD, England

Inquiry 717.

CONVERSION SERVICES

Convert any 9-track magnetic tape to or from over 5000 formats including 316", 5/.", 8" disk formats & word processors. Disk-to-disk conversions also available. Introducing CD-ROM conversions. Call for more info.

Pivar Computing Services, Inc.

165 Arlington Hgts. Ftd., Dept. #B Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (800) Convert

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 245

THE BUYER'S MART

DATABASE

FINANCIAL SOFTWARE

GRAPHICS SOFTWARE

> FOR ft

SUPERBASE 2 *°

800-448-NERD

Inquiry 723.

BrainMaker:

"The most fascinating computer software I've ever seen.. .learn about this stuff." John Dvorak, PC Mag. Predicts stocks, bonds, sales, inventories. Comprehensive manual. Menus. 12,000 sold. PC or Mac. Still only S195!

Free Flyer: 800/284-8112,916/477-7481 California Scientific Software

Inquiry 728.

FLOWCHARTS

3D Render Lib for Windows

3D Graphics Dynamic link library

- More than 300 functions callable from MSC and BC++

- Wireframe. Flat, Phong and Gouraud shading - Renders in any window or creates own windows - Unlimited number oi colored Point. Direction and Spot lights - Clipping planes and Doublebuffering - Hierarchical object oriented data storage - 350 pages long manual.

$450.00 (S1450.00 royalty free distribution)

3rd Floor Graphics Software

P.O. Box 4105, 9701 EC Groningen, The Netherlands fax: (+31) (0)50 184190

Inquiry 732.

HARDWARE

dBASE, Fox & Clipper from Visual Basic

Get complete database management power and dBASE, FoxPro and Clipper file compatibility from VB Win and VB DOS. Get CodeBasic! Fully multi-user and only $195. Comes with a 90 day money-back guarantee. FREE demo available.

Sequiter Software

#209, 9644-54 Ave., Edmonton, AB. Canada T6E 5V1 Tel (403) 437-2410 Fax (403) 436-2999

Inquiry 724.

DIAGNOSTIC

FLOW CHARTING 3

• High resolution print outs... dot matrix or laser

• Multi-page charts... portrait or landscape

• Import/export capabilities

• 35 shapes, 10 fonts, 4 line styles Call for free demo disk!

PATT0N & PATT0N aoo.52MO82ext.1317

Software Corporation 485 Cochrane Dr., Morgan Hill, CA 95037 See our ad on page 82

Inquiry 729.

Pre-0wned Electronics, Inc™

THE Independent Provider, serving the Dealer,

Professional, Corporate, Government, and

Educational Buyer since 1985

APPLE II & MACINTOSH'

SYSTEMS • PARTS » EXCHANGE REPAIRS

Call for a Catalog 800-274-5343 INT'L: 617-275-4600 • FAX: 617-275-4848

205 BURLINGTON ROAD • BEDFORD, MA 01730

Inquiry 733.

"..PINPOINT ANY PC FAILURE."

John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine 6/30/92

Top-rated PocketPOST Power On Sell-Test card with diagnostic software for ISA/EISA/MicroChannel. 180-page book. Hones your trouble shooting skills. CALL NOW.

DATA DEPOT, Inc.

1710 Drew Street #5, Clearwater. FL 34615

1-800-275-1913

813-446-3402

FAX 813-443-4377

Inquiry 725.

DISK DRIVES

WINDOWS FLOWCHARTER $129

RFFlow 2.0 is a professional drawing tool for flowcharts & org. charts. Requires Microsoft Windows. 100 shapes auto adjust in size. Diagonal lines and curves. Auto line routing and re-routing. Click on a shape to bring up a sub-chart. Move charts to other apps. via the Clipboard. Call for free trial disk.

RFF ELECTRONICS

1053 Banyan Court, Loveland, CO 80538 Phone: (303) 663-5767 FAX: (303) 669-4889

FRAMEWORK/FRED

HEWLETT PACKARD

Buy - Sell - Trade

LaserJet ColorPro

DeskJet DraftPro

RuggedWriter DraftMaster

Electrostatic Plotters

• Monochrome and Color

HP 9000 Workstations and Vectras also available.

T. E. Dasher & Associates

4117 Second Ave.. S. Birmingham, AL 35222 Phone: (205) 591-4747 Fax: (205) 591-1108 (800) 638-4833

Inquiry 734.

HARDWARE/COMPUTERS

21MB 3.5" Floptical Disk Drive for $399!

EchoDrive SCSI Floptical disk drive not only reads and writes to 21MB 3.5" Floptical diskettes but also:

• reads and writes to 720K and 1.44MB (loppy diskettes

• runs under DOS, Windows, or on the Macintosh

• is available as an external or internal drive

• provides amazing floppy speed! WOW!

• It's GREAT tor backup, tile archival, and transporting files.

SeCOnd Wave, Inc. • 9430 Research Blvd. 11-260 Austin, TX 78759 ■ (512) 343-9661 • FAX: (512) 343-9663

Inquiry 726.

The Framework Magazine

Framework enhancement programs, 12 issues S29.90 Unlimited Framework and FRED support. Access undocumented powers of Framework & FRED.

fBase for Framework $190.90

The fastest disk database access in existence. dBase file Index optimization and compression.

Selections & Functions, Inc.

(617)826-1553

25 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339

SC/F0X™ EMBEDDED COMPUTERS

PC Parallel Coprocessor Plug-in Boards: 15 MIPS avg 50 MIPS burst.

using the SC32 32-bil CPU or the 16-bit Harris RTX 2000™.

VME Master/Slave System Controller SBC: 18 MIPS avg 70 MIPS burst.

uses RTX 2000 cpu. SCSI. 2 ser. 1 ptr ports, to 640K bytes.

Stand-Alone Single Board Computers: 18 MIPS avg 60 MIPS burst, 3U

or 100x100mm Eurocard-size using either SC32 or RTX 2000.

Ideal for embedded real-time control, data acquisition, robotics, and signal

processing. OEM software development system included.

SILICON COMPOSERS INC ma 322-8753

208 California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306

EDUCATION

GRAPHICS

Inquiry 735.

INDUSTRIAL COMPUTING

LEARN COMPUTERS!

BUILD SOLID COMPUTER USER SKILLS

Approved home study. At last-understand the PC! Learn word processing, database, spreadsheets, data communications. Free Literature.

Call Today: 800-223-4542

School of Computer Training, Dept. KB691 2245 Perimeter Park, Atlanta, Georgia 30341

Inquiry 727.

ELECTRONIC MAIL

JK FOR O

HARVARD GRAPHICS ***

800-448-NERD

Inquiry 730.

Complete RealTime Operating System For your 386/486 PC only

$995 I

• POSIX Compliant • Realtime Tasks

1 Full Networking • Development Tools

• X Windows • Source Available

RTMX-UniFLEX Call: 1-919-493-1451

800 Eastowne Dr., Ste 111 • Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Inquiry 736.

LANS

ELECTRONIC MAIL-Novell MHS

• Stand alone computers, Laptops, Netware, Lantastic ■ Set up your own hub

• International network

• Workgroups, privacy, use your regular phone line

• S100.00 per computer station - unlimited phone support and design assistance.

Selections & Functions, Inc.

Call for a brochure (617)826-1553

25 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339

Sirlin's CAD++ENGINE

' Read and Write AutoCAD DWG and DXF files. 1 Object oriented, modular, database-like access

to CAD data. 1 View, Print (rasterize), Plot (vectorize), and

Pick (interact) modules, i Available for C/C++ for DOS, Extended DOS,

Windows, Sun and other Unix systems.

Sirlin Computer Corporation

25 Orchard View Dr., Ste 14, Londonderry, NH 03053 Phone: (603) 437-0727 • Fax: (603) 437-0737

Inquiry 731.

LANLINK PROFESSIONAL * PC-MOS

* Use ethemet and/or serial/parallel ports for LAN connections

* Connect DOS, Windows 8 PC-MOS clients & servers

* Share one PC with up to 33 users with PC-MOS multiuser DOS

* LAN as low as S99 per node, PC-MOS as low as S33 per user

THE SOFTWARE LINK

3577 Parkway Lane, Norcross, GA 30092 1-800-766-LINK" (404) 448-5465

Inquiry 737.

246 BYTE* MARCH 1993

LANS

PROGRAMMERS TOOLS

SECURITY

The $25 Network

Try the 1st truly low-cost LAN

• Connect 2 or 3 XTs, ATs,386s, 486s

• Uses serial ports and null modem cable

• Runs at 115K baud - approx 8500 bytes/sec

• Runs in background, totally transparent

• Share disks and printers, etc. •Needs only 15Kof RAM

Little Big LAN

The most flexible network

• Peer to Peer LAN to 250 nodes

• $75 total software cost, not per node!

• Link via serial, parallel, or Arcnet

• Link via Ethernet or Modems soon

• Mixed mode routing

• Typically only 35K of RAM

Skeptical? We make believers!

Information Modes

P.O. Drawer F, Denton, TX 76202

Tech 817-387-3339 Orders 800-628-7992

Hours 1 -5 Mon/Wed, 9-5 Tue/Thu/Fri CST

Inquiry 738.

INCORPORATE SOUND BUSTER S ADLIB INTO YOUR SOFTWARE

The W0RX programmers toolkit will allow you to easily incorporate sound and music into your software without having to struggle with low level code and compatibility problems. Plays back standard MIDI files and V0C sample files fully in the background. This toolkit is a linkable library which takes less than 32K of code, and requires no driver or TSR. Autodetects Sound Blaster configuration. Mo royalties, and updates are always free. WORX 1.6 for Turbo C, Pascal and Microsoft C: S49 Resource manager (or WORX (C only): $29

MYSTIC SOFTWARE

1504 Encinal Avenue, Ste D, Alameda, CA 94501 Voice: (510) 865-9189 Demos/BBS: (510) 865-3856

Inquiry 743.

Boost Your BASIC with ProBas!

or ProBas5 adds 938 new commands to QB/PDS US' Written in assembly for speed eg Gives your programs a professional look «r Easy to use, money back guarantee, S195 w Other add-ons for BASIC, C & Visual Basic avail. FREE DEMO Disk AND BOOKLET

TeraTech (800) 447-9120 xi 030

Dept 1030, 100 Park Ave., Suite 360, Rockville, MD 20850 Int'l+1(301) 424-3903 Fax (301)762-8185 BBS (301) 762-8184

Inquiry 744.

Cop's CopyLock II

The professional software protection with TRUE Machine Install. Option Board safe. OS/2, Networks, Windows, and Trace 1020.

LINK Computer

Int'l: + 45 31232350 Fax: + 45 31238448

US/CAN: 800-344-2545 FAX: 408-923-7061

KEY-LOK SECURITY

Piracy survival over 10 years proves effectiveness of powerful multilayered security. Algorithmic response. Programmable memory. Very economical. Device transparent to PARALLEL/SERIAL port, Counters/RealTime-Clock, Multi-product/feature licensing. DOS/UNIX/ VMS/etc. Also, access control system and diskette drive locks.

MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS

3167 E. Otero Circle, Littleton, CO 80122 (303)770-1917

Inquiry 749.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS

SHAREWARE

USED COMPUTERS

MAJOR BRANDS - WIDE SELECTION IBM - COMPAQ & OTHERS

Computers from $99 Color Printers $199

Mono Monitors from $25 CGA Color Monitors $129

IBM 5140 LAPTOP $349

IBM PCjr S CONVERTIBLE PARTS & ACCESSORIES

HARD-TO-FIND ITEMS FOR OLDER PCS

FREE CATALOG COMPUTER RESET

P.O. Box 461782. Garland, TX 75046 Phone (214) 276-8072 & FAX BBS (214) 272-7920

Inquiry 739.

LAPTOP PERIPHERALS

Structograms

Software Documentation made quick ami easy with PANORAMA

■ Structograms (Nassi-Shneidermann) automatically from the source code in a flash

■ Hlerarchle-trees of modules, procedures

■ Headers of modules, procedures

■ Software-Metrics: McCabe complexity, LOC and more Available for: Turbo Pascal, C, Modula-2, Fortran-77, PUM, dBase PANORAMA Standard (Pascal, C, Modula-2): $495

panorama Lite: $295 Wuest Informatik AG

Schuetzenstrasse 11; CH-8245 Feuerthalen; Switzerland Int'l (+41 53) 29 31 32 FAX: (+41 53) 29 31 43

Call or Fax tor inlormation and free demo.

Inquiry 745.

NEW NEW NEW

Rocket "93" HQ CD ROM

600 megs of High Q. Shareware $39.95+ Latest Shareware on floppies $1.98 ea.+ Lowest Prices - Highest Quality Catalog Available

ROCKET SHAREWARE 1-612-934-4775

Inquiry 750.

PROJECT BILLING

LAPTOP PERIPHERALS

NEW LOW PRICES ON: Battery Powered Printers Portable Hard Drives Laptop Expansion Systems Backlites AND MORE!

Call for free catalog

AXONIX CORPORATION

(800) 866-9797

Inquiry 740.

Client Project

A Time and Billing System that accounts for charges to over 100,000 projects (or matters). Regular price $299, current price with limited time discount $159, demo available.

Micro Billing Systems, Inc.

117 W. Harrison, Ste# 624M, Chicago IL 60605 Tel: (312) 939-1869 Fax: (312) 939-1351

Inquiry 746.

FREE SOFTWARE FOR IBM /CLONES

Try us! Get 5/5.25" or 3/3.5" disks full of the latest software - FREE! Choose from General Interest, Games, Windows , Kid's, Clip Art or Fonts. Pay only a small sen/ice charge of $2.95 per package. Credit Cards only. CALL TODAY!

SOFTWARE OF THE MONTH CLUB (619) 931-8111, EXT. 511

SECURITY

Inquiry 751.

SOFTWARE/ACCOUNTING

Auto Adapters

■ 12V battery systems

• Small package with high efficiency

• Plugs between computer and lighter receptacle

• $99 to $129 • Designed and made in USA!! In stock for Apple PowerBook (10-30V input), Canon BJ printer, Commodore, Everex Tempo LX, IBM, Kodak Diconix printer, Sanyo, Sharp, Toshiba, Zeos

Custom adapters designed for OEMs. Serial interface cards for Toshiba and Sanyo.

EMPIRE ENGINEERING

California USA

tel 805/543-2816

lax 805/543-2820

Inquiry 741.

LOCALIZATION

FIGHT PIRACY!

• EVERLOCK3.0 * SOFTWARE COPY PROTECTION

New Option Board Sate-New Remote Registration New CPU LOCK-CD ROM LOCK and more • EVERKEY HARDWARE LOCKS •

Az-Tech Software, Inc.

Call for a 201 East Franklin, Richmond, MO 64085

FREE (816)776-2700

Demo (800) 227-0644 fax (816) 776-8398

Inquiry 747.

dBASE BUSINESS TOOLS

•GENERAL LEDGER

PURCH ORD/INVNTORY

• ORDER ENTRY

ACCOUNTS RECVABLE

•JOB COSTING

JOB ESTIMATING

• BILL OF MATLS

SALES ANALYSIS

• PAYROLL

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

S99/S198ea.+ S&H

dATAMAR SYSTEMS

Cred. Card-Check-COD

6969-D Corte Santa Fe, San Diego, CA 92121

(619)452-0044

(800) 223-9963

Inquiry 752.

SOFTWARE/BUSINESS

Software Developers! Localization Managers!

Now you can manage software translation more efficiently and simply, with IDOC's new XL8™ software. Call for a demo disk today.

ID0C, an International Documentation Company

1-800-336-9898, ext. XL8

Inquiry 742.

THE ULTIMATE SOFTWARE SECURITY

• STOPCOPY family - UNCOPIABLE copy protection

• STOPVIEW software encryption

• NETLIMIT network license metering

• DOS, Windows, Macintosh, OS/2, support

• No source code changes required ■ for ANY of our products in ANY environment

• Our products destroy ALL of our competition

• Call for FREE demo disk, or to discuss our products'

MANYoptions

EBI Computer Systems, Inc.

14105 Heritage Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20906 800/TRY-ABBI • 800/879-2224 • 301/871-1094 • FAX:301/460-7545

Inquiry 748.

DATA ENTRY SOFTWARE

Full featured, heads-down data entry

with two-pass verification, edit language,

operator stats, much more! Designed tor

the PS/2'1', PC, XT, AT or compatibles.

PCs from $395 LAN version available

FREE 30 day trial

Computer Keyes

21929 MakahRd., Woodway, WA 98020

Tel Fax: USA

206/776/6443 206/776-7210 800/356-0203

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 247

THE BUYER'S MART

SOFTWARE/DATA ANALYSIS

SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS

SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC

ADVANCED DATA ANALYSIS... at a click!

CLICK-X™ software, the most user friendly data analysis - ever! • Edit Graph/Data • Analyze • Advanced Math / Regression / Engineering / Statistics • Import/Export. FREE demo disk. Custom software available.

SoloSoft

P.O. Box 2548, Stamford, CT 06906-0548 Phone: (203) 977-8161 Fax: (203) 977-8237

Inquiry 753.

SOFTWARE/DATA GRAPHICS

"The Ultimate CAD/CAM/CAE Programming Engine"

Slash your development time, Willi your CAD programming companion. TG-Professional v.4.0, Ihe most complete C/C++ toolbox of 2D & 3D geometric routines available lodayl Over 800 routines including NURBS, DXF, Graphics, Surfacing, Hidden Line, Transforms, Perspectives, Polygon (Int/Union/Diff), Clipping, Tangenls and more. Routines for drawing using BGI or MSC Graphics. Full source & 30 day guarantee. USA $500.00. Use MSC, Borland C/C++. WATCOM C/386 or Metaware High C/C++. Call 1-800-635-7760 or Fax/Phone 214423-7288 for free 30 page technical paper.

Disk Software Inc.

109 S. Murphy Rd„ Piano, TX USA 75094

Inquiry 758.

Volume Visualization

VoxelBox is a volume Tenderer for Windows. Volume rendering is the most direct method of visualizing 3D data. VoxelBox is fast, powerful and easy to use. It features raytracing, color/alpha mapping, lighting, keyframe animation support and much more. Price S495

Jaguar Software, Inc.

573 Main St. Suite 9B, Winchester, MA 01890

(617)729-3659

Inquiry 764.

SOFTWARE/GUI

OPTICAL GRAPH RECOGNITION (0GR) SOFTWARE

SCAN-X™ software imports, converts and manipulates data from scanned plots, pictures, graphs on paper, or captured screens into data files for comparing/analyzing/plotting/exporting. FREE demo disk. Service available.

SoloSoft

P.O. Box 2548, Stamford, CT 06906-0548 Phone: (203) 977-8161 Fax: (203) 977-8237

Inquiry 754.

SOFTWARE/ENGINEERING

GUI TOOLKIT ONLY $249

Full source code included

TEGL Windows Toolkit lets you create DOS based GUI apps that are completely standalone. Over 500 functions. Menus, mouse & keyboard support, dialogues, and more. Includes TEGL graphics interface which has drivers for most popular video modes. Supports most C and Pascal compilers. Protected mode version is only S499. No royalties.

TEGL Systems Corporation

P.O. Box 580, Stn. A, Vancouver B.C. V6C 2N2 (604) 669-2577 FAX (604) 688-9530

Inquiry 759.

SOFTWARE/MATHEMATICS

NEW! MathViews™ for Windows

MATLAB compatible interpreter for Windows

• Matrix and Array Algebra

• Complex Numbers and Signal Processing

• 2D and 3D Graphics with Clipboard Support ■ Written in C++/Available for OEM

• Affordable at S295.00

The MathWizards (619) 457-2971 FAX (619) 458-5849

Trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Inquiry 765.

Mixed Mode Simulation

• NEW IsSpice 3 with • Schematic Entry Analog/Digital simulation • Extensive Model Libraries

• Draws waveforms as the • Waveform Analysis simulation runs • Full SPICE programs starting

• PC and Macintosh Versions at $95. Complete systems

• Filler Design from $990.

Call for your Free Demo and Information kit. P.O. Box 710, San Pedro, CA 90733-0710 /»•*» tcf\tt

310-833-0710. FAX: 310-833-9658

Inquiry 755.

OPERATIONS RESEARCH @ $149 for your IBM or Compatible

LP88-Linear Programs up to 3000 by 15000. BLPBB-Linear Programs with Bounded Variables. MILP88-Mixed-lnteger Linear Programs. MXLP88-Large Model Mixed-Integer LP. TSA88-Transportation/Transshipment Problems. NLPBS-Nonlinear Objective Programs. Student/Oemo-Reduced capacity versions lor students. Turbo Pascal Units-Object modules for developers.

Eastern Software Products, Inc.

P.O. Box 15328, Alexandria, VA 22309 (703) 360-7600, Fax (703) 360-7654

Inquiry 760.

SOFTWARE/PACKAGING

VTEx Scientific Desktop Publishing

• Equations • Tables • Graphics • Scalable Fonts • Supports most printers • WYSIWYG previewer • Foreign Languages • Special Symbols • Font Effects • Indices • Only $299 "T^X of Tomorrow'-Notices ofAMS, March 1991. Call now for a FREE DEMO DISK

MicroPress, Inc.

68-30 Harrow Street, Forest Hills, NY Tel (718) 575-1816 Fax (718) 575-8038

Inquiry 766.

SAUNA: 3D THERMAL ANALYSIS

■ Models: PCFJs, plates, heatsinks, enclosures, multiboard enclosures. • All heat transfer modes: convection, radiation, conduction • Interactive menudriven • Thermal parameters library • Fast "what if": dimension, mat'l, finish, analyses • Easy to learn & use ■ IBM PC & Macintosh II

Call for free evaluation program

Tatum Labs, Inc.

1287 N. Silo Ridge Drive, Ann Arbor, Ml 48108 313-663-8810

Inquiry 756.

SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS

FREE SOFTWARE PACKAGING CATALOG

Everything you will neod to Package, Distribute, and Ship Youi Software!! From manuals and binders to mailers and shippers

LABELS • LABELS • LABELS

For your diskettes, plain or custom printed dot matrix or laser printer... free samples

•••FREE CATALOG"' Hice & Associates

8586 Monlicello Dr., West Chester. OH 45069 Phone/Fax: 513-777-8586

Inquiry 761.

FREE CATALOG

A great selection of scientific software products for plotting, non-linear curve fitting, chemical equilibrium, simulation, statistics, symbolic algebra, and more. Prices from $150. Call:

1-801-943-0290

MicroMath, Salt Lake City, UT 84121-0550

Inquiry 767.

SOFTWARE/SORT

TIFF, PCX, TARGA, GIF, DIB, BMP, DCX, EPS, WMF, WPG, PICT, JPEG

AccuSoft Image Format Library 3.0

"The most comprehensive raster support library on the market" Import, export, convert, display, and print all above formats! DOS 81 Windows versions included in one package. No royalties. Includes several sample programs with source code. Supports all languages, Format compatibility guaranteed! G3, G4, TIFF-F, multi-page images etc. Rotate, scale, color reduction, sharpen etc. 30 day satisfaction guarantee. S495

AccuSoft Corporation

160 E. Main St., P.O. Box 1261, Westboro, MA 01581 (800) 525-3577 (508) 898-2770 FAX (508) 898-9662

Inquiry 757.

STOCK PACKAGING

to help you market your software

ask for catalog 92 S

Call 708 390-7744

or fax 708 390-9886 PolyQuick Co.

1243 Rand Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016

Inquiry 762.

SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC

OPT-TECH SORT/MERGE

Extremely tast Sort/Merge/Select utility. Run as an MSDOS command or CALL as a subroutine. Supports most languages and file types including Btrieve and dBASE. Unlimited file sizes, multiple keys and much more! MS-DOS,Windows $149. OS/2, XENIX, UNIX $249.

(702) 588-3737 Opt-Teeh Data Processing

P.O. Box 678 - Zephyr Cove, NV 89448

Inquiry 768.

SOFTWARE/VOICE/FAX

Develop CAD/CAM, GIS, A/E/C Products ON TIME and UNDER BUDGET with the

"CAD/CAM Developer's Kit" Series

The CCDKs are libraries of C functions which support routines (or DXF input/output, graphical display, line/ arc/ellipse/NURB spline construction/editing, and much more than can be described here.

Building Block Software, Inc.

371 Moody Street. Waltham, MA 02154

Voice (617) 899-4350 Fax (617) 899-4399

COOK EXCEL SPREADSHEETS

XSolver optimizes spreadsheet models using simulated annealing. It can iind the best solutions to "what if" problems with multiple solutions. Requires Windows 3.x and Microsoft Excel 4.0 tor Windows. Only $150.

Exatech Software

6547 N. Academy Blvd. Suite 527. Colorado Springs, CO 80907 (719)599-8727

248 BYTE • MARCH 1993

Inquiry 763.

MULTI-VOICE'TOOLS

Multi-Voice Tools is a complete development Toolkit for Pascal or "C" to access all Ihe features for most speech processing boards available today. It helps you write MULTI-LINE VOICE APPLICATION systems in minutes. A number of programming examples are provided. All programs and libraries are delivered with source code. Dialogic. Rhetorex, Pika, VBX: S599. Watson (Single Line): S99. ALSO AVAILABLE: Fax Programmer's Toolkit ($199). Based on CAS specifications. Visa/MC accepted.

ITI Logiciel

4263 Cristophe-Coiomb, Montreal. Quebec. Can. H2J 3G2 TEL (514) 597-1692 FAX (514)526-2362

STATISTICS

The AIM Estimator™

Outperforms Neural Nets & Regression!

AIM combines the best of neural nets & regression to automatically learn polynomial networks that ESTIMATE or PREDICT any numeric value, such as: prices, probabilities, fuzzy values, inventories, sensor readings, control settings, and costs. AMYONE can learn AIM within 30 minutes and quickly achieve more accurate results.

Order $20 Demo Package Today! AbTech Corporation

508 Dale Ave. Charlottesville. VA 22903

Tel £04-977-0686 Fax:804-977-9615

Inquiry 769.

NCSS 5.x Series-$125

Easy-to-use menus & spread sheet. Multiple regression. T-tests. ANOVA {up to 10 factors, rep. measures, covariance). Forecasting. Factor, cluster, & discriminant analysis. Nonparametrics. Cross Tabulation. Graphics: histograms, box, scatter, etc. Reads ASCII/Lotus. Many new add-on modules.

NCSS

329 North 1000 East, Kaysville, UT 84037

Phone: 801 -546-0445 Fax: 801 -546-3907

Inquiry 770.

PsychStot MAX 2.2 - $59.95

Frequency • descriptives • chi-square • Fisher's exact test • ttests • multiple regression • weighted & unweighted ANOVAs • correlation • repeated measures • intraclass corr • ANCOVA • right-wrong & Likert item analysis • Cronbach's Alpha • point-biserial ■ corrected item-total • coprocessor support • ASCII • 25500 variables • satisfaction or money back.

PsychStot

1003 Justin Lane 2118 Austin, TX 78757 512-451-8152

Inquiry 771.

UTILITIES

PEN PLOTTER EMULATOR

FPLOT turns your printer into an HP pen plotter. Fast hi-res, no jagged lines. Vary line width, color. Screen preview - zoom, pan. Works with most CAD programs. Supports most printers. Requires DOS 2.1 or higher. S119+S3 S&H. VISA/MC/Chk/MO.

FPLOT Corporation

24-16Steinway St., Suite 605, Astoria, NY 11103 718-545-3505

Inquiry 772.

VOICEMAIL/FAX

FAX-ON-DEMAND

Voice Mail System/Applications Generator

d* C Q C List price for complete Hardware/Software V-Mail AuJu andF O.D. solution. Dealer inquiries welcomed. Voice/Fax/Modem card. Windows 3.1 application. Background operation. Intuititive GUI. Multi-level tree structure configured and displayed on screen. Configure for Auto-Attendant/Message Center. F.0.D7Information Center, message forwarding/paging, fax-scanner, voice/fax auto-detection, and much more. Call our F.0.0. line to receive more information instantly by fax.

Edens Technology Corp.

309 W. Beaufort, Suite 8, Normal IL 61761 TEL (309) 862-17D4 FAX/F.Q.D. Demo (309) 862-1804

Inquiry 773.

WINDOWS

HyperPhoto_db - A Hyperlmage/document management system under MS-Windows™ 3.x

Displays multiple windows of images and documents in true color or with color matching, Associates text info, images or symbols to any pixel inside an image. Easily switches from image to image through successive levels of detail. Finds a point inside an image by entering its name e.g. address, Organize images and files in a network/relational database. Users can design their own information templates and search with multiple keys. Include a powerful editor, File security S Treesearch, Link to clipboard. Pan and zoom within images. Work with PCX. BMP, I IF, GIF, Postscript file Formats. Network Vers. Avail. Introductory otter - $185.

Friendly Information Systems, Inc.

34 Bow Avenue, Dedham, MA 02026 (508) 486-0003 or (617) 329-1620

Inquiry 774.

BYTE BACK ISSUES FOR SALE

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

IBM

IBM

Outlook '92

Windows

Portability

January

February

March

April

May

Issues _

Available June

July August

September October

November

December Special

Issues

Windows - Portability U.S. Delivery $3.00, Foreign Delivery $4.00

1988 thru 1989 U.S. Delivery $3.00, Foreign Delivery $4.00

1990 thru 1992 U.S. Delivery $6.00, Foreign Delivery $8.00, Canada &

Mexico $6.50

European customers please refer to Back Issue form in

International Advertising section of book.

Please indicate which issues you would like by checking (V) the boxes. Send requests with payment to:

BYTE Back Issues, One Phoenix Mill Lane Peterborough, N.H. 03458 (603)924-9281

□ Check enclosed Charge: □ VISA □ MasterCard

Card*

Exp. Date. Signature .

Name

Address

City.

State

Zip

All orders must be prepaid. Please allow four weeks delivery.

MARCH 1993 -BYTE 249

YOUR DIRECT LINK

ADVERTISER CONTACT INFORMATION

To order products or request FREE information, call advertisers directly or send in the Direct Link Card by mail or fax! Let them know you saw it in BYTE!

Inquiry No.

Page No. Phone No.

Inquiry No.

Page No. Phone No.

61-62 ABACUS SOFTWARE 95

186-189 ABC COMPUTER 226

401-402 ACER INCORPORATED 88IS-2-3

376-377 ACI/ ACQUIRE 235

190-191 ADVANCED COMPUTER PROD 225

65 ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 14-15 63 ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYS 86 403 ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYS 208ISI-2 175-176 ALLMICRO 93

66 AMERICAN POWER CONV 135

67 AMERICAN SMALL BUSI COMP 131 571 APPRO INTL INC 224MW-4 566 APPRO INTL INC 224SO-3 330-331 AXIOMATIC 238 184 AXIS COMMUNICATIONS 255

B

332 BINARY TECHNOLOGY INC

68-69 BITWISE DESIGNS INC

450 BIX

171-172 BLINK INC

465-466 BOCA RESEARCH INC (INTL)

70-71 BORLAND INTL

" BYTE SUB MESSAGE

404 B&C MICROSYSTEMS

242 192 180 109 CHI 13

182 128IS-4

800-451-4319

310-325-6369

886-3-489-3188

186-2-760-2154"

714-558-8813

800-222-9323

800-223-4277

800-223-4277

800-653-4933

800-800-4APC

Depl. A2

918-825-4844

408-732-6091

408-732-6091

416-602-9270

+46-46136130"

508-369-9556 800-367-5906 617-491-3342 804-355-4444 407-997-6227 800-336-6464 ext. 5202

408-730-5511

405

406

460-461

206

73-74

75

407-408

77

76

78

333

410

334

192

335

186-187

390

79

456

455

170

193-194 411-412

183 81-82 337 336

337 336

413 414

415-416 383-384

551 555 562 565

CATHAY COMPUTER & TECHNOLOGY 196IST-12 +886-2-506-8929"

CHERRY MIKROSCHALTER

GMBH (INTL) CHICONY CITITRONICS

COLORADO MEMORY SYS COMMODORE COMPEX INC COMPUTER ASSOCIATES COMPUTER ASSOCIATES COMPUTER FRIENDS COMPUTER MODULES COMPUTER QUICK COMPUTER SYS ARCHITECT COMPUTERLANE UNLTD COMPUTERWISE CONSENSYS CORP CONTROL CONCEPTS COREL SOFTWARE CPS COMPUTER

DISTRIBUTION GMBH CPS COMPUTER

DISTRIBUTION GMBH CREATIVE LABS INC CURTIS INC CYBERDYNESYSTEMS/

COMPUTERS UK CYBEX CORP CYBEX CORP (INTL)

178-179

196IST-3

228

43

21

120IS-3

38-39

122

54

235

120IS-4

235

223

242

104

235

47

+49-964-318-262" +886-3-323-5743" 818-855-5688 800-346-9881 800-66-AMIGA 714-630-7302 800-CALL-CAI 800-CALL-CAI 800-547-3303 408-496-1881 415-861-6330 800-753-4CSA 800-526-3482 800-255-3739 416-940-2903" 703-876-6444 800-836-SCSI

164IS-4 +49-40-656-7969"

172IS-4 27

182

188IS-2 224

CIV

+49-40-656-7969" 800-998-LABS 612-631-9512

+49-6174-24749" 205-534-0010" 205-534-0010"

338 417

DALLAS SEMICONDUCTOR 106 800-258-5061

DATA ACCESS CORP 203 800-451 -FLEX

DATALUX CORP (INTL) 238 +44-306-876718

DATALUX CORP (INTL) 239 +44-306-876718

DATALUX CORP (N.A.) 238 800-DATALUX

DATALUX CORP (N.A.) 239 800-DATALUX

DATAMANLTD 180IS-2 +44-0300-21012"

DATAPRO INTL 172IS-1 +44-0628-773628"

DATATRONICS TECH 196IST-11 +886-2-782-0305"

DAVISON-WORTH CORP 240 800-668-2707

DELL COMPUTER CORP (N.A.) CHI 800-626-8260

DELL COMPUTER CORP (N.A.) CIV 800-626-8260 DEXPO/

MILLER FREEMAN. INC 224MW-2 800-87-DEXPO DEXPO/

MILLER FREEMAN. INC 224NE-3 800-87-DEXPO DEXPO /

MILLER FREEMAN, INC 224PC-4 800-87-DEXPO DEXPO/

MILLER FREEMAN, INC 224S0-4 800-87-DEXPO

DIAGSOFTINC 243 800-DIAGSOFT

DIETRICH POS EQUIPMENT 172IS-4 +49-761-5-68-81"

DIGITAL VISION 74 800-346-0900

DISPLAY RESEARCH LAB 238 +852-877-8810"

195-196 DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECH 216 407-830-5522 418 DRHUGGLE8

PARTNERGMBH 180IS-1 +49-241-403117"

185 DSP DESIGNS INTL / NASCOM 130 508-975-4392

339 DSP DEVELOPMENT CORP 242 800-777-5151

444 ECG 128IS-2 +31-4937-96808"

419 ELIASHIM MICROCOMP 208ISI-9 +972-4-528613" ELONEX 72IS-2-3 +44-81-452-6422"

382 ELSIST 240 +39 142 451988"

225-226 EMBARC/MOTOROLA (N.A.) 121 800-EMBARC4

exl. 350 379 EMPIRE COMPUTECH 239 800-446-1967

420 EUTRON 120IS-4 +39-35-692-229" 554 EVOLUTION COMPUTING 224NE-1 800-874-4028 561 EVOLUTION COMPUTING 224PC-2 800-874-4028

421 FAST ELECTRONIC GMBH

441-442 FIRST INTL COMPUTER 197-198 FIRST SOURCE INTL

188IS-3 +49-89-533-401"

196IST-5 +886-2-717-4500"

230 714-588-9866

422-423 FUTURESOFT ENGINEERING 128IS-4 713-496-9400

386

84-85

340

424 86-87

341 425 342 343

GATEWAY 2000 GATEWAY 2000 GENERAL TECHNICS GENOA SYSTEMS GENOVATION, INC GFKHAMBURG GLENCO ENGINEERING GMM RESEARCH CORP GREY MATTER LTD GTEK INC GTEK INC

800-846-2000

800-846-2000

800-487-2538

408-432-9090

800-822-4333

+49-40-231-789"

800-562-2543

714-752-9447

188IS-4 +44-0364-53071"

236 800-282-4635

240 800-282-4835

011,1

62-63 237

125

238

188IS-1

141 236

H

88 HAUPPAUGE COMP WORKS 426 HONEYWELL KEYBOARD DIV

89 HUMMINGBIRD

COMMUNICATIONS

115 800-443-6284 180IS-3 800-445-6939

91 IBM-THINK PAD

110-111 IBM-THINK PAD

345-346 INDUS

389

457

92

427

93

347

INFINICON

INFOMEDIA

INTEGRAND RESEARCH

INTEGRIX INC

INTERFACE GROUP

IOTECH 94 IOMEGA

346-349 ISLAND SYSTEMS 445 ITALIAN SAV AGENCY

220-221 ITERATED SYSTEMS 378 IVERSON SOFTWARE, INC

JAMECO ELECTRONICS JDR MICRODEVICES JNL OF OBJ ORIENT

10-11 33-36

241

236

2Q8ISI-8

210

128IS-4

66-67

240

22-23

243

120IS-2

196

243

800-IBM-2YOU

800-IBM-2YOU

X213BYTE

800-843-9377

800-374-3880

+972 52 507 490"

209-651-1203

805-375-1055

216-439-4091 800-777-4045 617-273-0421 +39-323-925208" 404-840-0633 416-925-6096

117 233

PROGRAMMING

K

353 552 557 564 569 350

KEA SYSTEMS LTD 76

KEDWELL SCIENTIFIC 172IS-3

KEITHLEY METRABYTE 237

KENOSHA COMPUTER CTR 224MW-1

KENOSHA COMPUTER CTR 224NE-2

KENOSHA COMPUTER CTR 224PC-3

KENOSHA COMPUTER CTR 224SO-2

KILA 237

351 LABTECH 243

352 LAGUNA DATA SYSTEMS 241 97 LAHEY COMPUTER SYSTEMS 133 148-149 LANDMARK RESEARCH

INTL CORP 103

204 LODE STAR COMPUTER 214-215

428 LOGIC PROGRAMMING

ASSOCIATES 212 LOGICAL CONNECTION

800-831-4242 800-538-5000

212-274-0640

800-663-8702 603-433-4777 508-880-3000 800-255-2969 800-255-2989 800-255-2989 800-255-2989 303-444-7737

800-879-5228 800-859-8856 800-548-4778

800-683-6696 800-875-7568

180IS-1 +44-81-874-0449" 231 800-238-9415

Inquiry No.

100-101 LOGITECH INC

Page No. Phone No.

M

463

459 103 104-105

106

429

372

430

108-109

387-388

344

207-208

107

200

201

354 567-566

440 458

431

121

385

112

437-436

452-453

462

113

MAGIC/MSE MANNESMANN TALLY MATHSOFT INC MAYNARD, AN ARCHIVE CO MCGRAW HILL NRI (N.A.) MEDIA CYBERNETICS MEGADATA

MEMORY SUPERSTORE MICRO DESIGN INTL

164IS-1 128IS-3

171

159 164A-B

190 180IS-1

239 72IS-4

MICRO SOLUTIONS COMP PROD 77

MICROBIZ

MICROFIELD GRAPHICS, INC

MICRO-INTERNATIONAL, INC

MICROPOLIS CORP

MICROPROSE SOFTWARE

MICROPROSE SOFTWARE

MICROSOFT CORP

MICROSOFT CORP

MICROSTAR LABORATORIES

MICROTECH COMPUTER

MICROWAY

MICROWAY

MINICOM LTD

MINISTRY OF

INDUSTRY AND TRADE MINOLTA GMBH MINUTEMAN MITAC

MKS/MORTICE KERN SYS MOTOROLA UDS MOXA

241

235

222

99

227

229

17

28-29

237

224SO-5

186

211

208ISI-10

208ISI6-7

72IS-1

75

237

193

180IS-4

196IST-11

MULTIVENTURE MYLEX CORP

196IST-7 18-19

+972-3-751-1901"

+44-0628-527782"

800-628-4223

800-755-0535

800-992-HALO 516-589-6858" 800-800-7056 407-677-8333 815-756-3411 800-637-8268 503-626-9393 800-967-5667 800-395-3748 800-879-PLAY 800-879-PLAY 800-426-9400 800-682-2000 206-453-2345 800-342-6508 508-746-7341 508-746-7341 +972-2-637576"

+972-2-669-388" +49-511-779089"

214-446-7363 +886-2-509-0979"

519-884-2251 +33-1-4117-4130" +886-2-910-1231" +886-2-703-1380"

510-796-6100

N

215-216 NAGA SYSTEMS CORP 114-115 NANAO USA CORP (N.A.)

232

116 355

117 199

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 9

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 242 NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 128IDRC1-2

NEC - LAPTOPS 69

NEVADA COMPUTER 221

116-119 NEWGEN SYSTEMS CORP 163

373 NOVASTOR CORP 241

120 NSTL 189

800-568-6242 310-325-5202 800-433-3488 600-433-3488 512-794-0100" 800-NEC-INFO 800-654-7762 714-436-5100 602-396-3616 215-941-9600

213-214 OCEAN OFFICE

AUTOMATION LTD OLIVETTI ONTIMEMKT/ KARSTEN PETERSEN OVERLAND DATA INC OXFORD ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING

467 443

356 432

+852-305-1800

219 164IS2-3

172IS-4 +49-40-435-196" 241 800-729-6725

88IS-1 +44-865-56646"

122

123-124

125-126

127

553

558

570

357

128

129-130

371

131 464 556

PACIFIC DATA PRODUCTS PATTON & PATTON

PC POWER 8, COOLING PERCEPTIVE SOLUTIONS PERSOFT INC PERSONAL SOLUTION COMP PERSONAL SOLUTION COMP PERSONAL SOLUTION COMP PERSONAL TEX PHAR LAP SOFTWARE INC PINNACLE MICRO PIXEL PERFECT/ MEDICAL ADVISOR PKWARE INC

POLYWELL COMPUTERS. INC POLYWELL COMPUTERS. INC PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE PROGRAMMER'S SHOP PROGRAMMER'S SHOP PROGRESS SOFTWARE

Q

QMS

153

619-625-3593

82

B00-525-0082

exl. 112

49

800-722-6555

150

800-486-3278

204

800-368-5283

224MW-3

800-685-3981

24NE-5

800-685-3981

224SO-1

800-685-3981

242

415-388-8853

85

617-661-1510

6-7

714-727-3300

243

800-788-2099

206

414-354-8699

188IS-2

800-999-1278

224NE-6

800-999-1278

55

800-445-7699

56-57

800-445-7899

78-79

800-421-8006

80

800-421-8006

207

800-4PROGRESS

139

800-422-2769

exl. 2997

250 BYTE • MARCH 1993

YOUR DIRECT LINK

ADVERTISER CONTACT INFORMATION

Inquiry No.

134

QNX/QUANTUM S/W SYS

136 QUA TECH INC

358 QUALSTAH CORP

QUANTUM CORP (INTL.) 446-447 QUANTUM CORP (INTL) 135 QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYS

137 RAIMA CORP

138-139 RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES

209 RALIN WHOLESALERS

202-203 RECORTECINC

140 RETIXINC

141 ROSE ELECTRONICS

223-224 374-375

142

143

380-381

144

434

435

222

145

146

SCEPTRE TECHNOLOGIES SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING SEQUITER SOFTWARE INC SIGMA DATA SIGMA TECH SOFTWARE S'NW ELECTRONICS SOFTLINE CORP SOFTWARE SECURITY INC STARTECH INT'L STATSOFT

STORAGE DIMENSIONS STRADAAUTOTECH. INC

*eNo.

Phone No.

Inquiry

No. Page

No.

Phone No.

191

800-363-9001

147

STRATEGIC MAPPING

194

800-442-8887

ext. 101

174

SUNSOFT

2-3

800-227-9227

212

800-553-1170

173

SUPRA CORP

107

800-727-8647

241

818-882-5822

150-151

SYSTAT INC

81

708-864-5670

198 199

+41-38-337722 +41-38-337722

433

SZKI RECOGNITA CORP (INTL)

89

+361-201-7607"

101

310-392-9851

T

359

TALKING TECHNOLOGY INC

236

800-685-4884

360-361

TECHNOLOGIC SYSTEMS

239

513-644-2230

800-852-8569 800-752-9512 800-729-7654 800-255-2333 800-333-9343

436

TECHPOWER COMPANY LTD 196IST-8

+886-2-753-1940"

231

217

151

8

152 153 155

TEKTRONIX 53 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 83 TEXAS MICROSYSTEMS 104A-B

800-835-6100 800-527-3500 800-627-8700

154 451

TEXAS MICROSYSTEMS 105 TOPTEK 196IST-9

800-627-8700 +886-2-961-9586"

156

TOSHIBA AMERICA INC

50-51

800-457-7777

210-211

TRANSCEND INFORMATION INC

220

909-598-5500

45

800-788-2878

369

TRANTOR SYSTEMS LTD

238

800-872-6867

241

517-339-9859

370

TRI VALLEY TECHNOLOGY INC

237

510-447-2030

119

403-437-2410

362

TRIANGLE DIGITAL SERVICES

240 +44-81-558-8110"

87

800-446-4525

363-364

TRIBAL MICROSYSTEMS

240

510-623-8859

236

54

818-368-6132 800-874-1235

157

TRITON TECHNOLOGIES

143

908-855-9440

88IS-4

718-438-6057

u

128IS-1

203-329-8870

234

619-278-2600

559-560

ULTA COMPUTERS 224NE-4

800-755-7518

175

918-583-4149

158

UNIPALM LTD

154 +44-0223-426868"

147

800-344-4323

UNIXWORLD 148A-B

800-257-9402

235

UNIXWORLD

149

800-257-9402

Inquiry No.

160 VALITEKINC

177 VIDEO MAKER / VITEC

365 VIDEX. INC

161-162 VIEWSONIC

563 VORTEX COMPUTERS

w

439 WALKER, RICHER & QUINN

163 WATCOM PRODUCTS INC

366 WINTEK CORP

166-168 WOLFRAM RESEARCH 205 WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGIES

367 XELTEK

218-219 XLICORP

164-165 XVT SOFTWARE INC

448-449 ZECKS

ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS 169 ZEOS INTERNATIONAL

368 Z-WORLD ENGINEERING

178-179 ZYXELUSA

ge No.

Phone No.

84

800 VALITEK

127+33-146-29-03-04"

236

503-758-0521

31

714-869-7976

224PC-1

800-548-7839

120IS-1

206-324-0407

25

800-265-4555

241

800-742-6809

155

800-441-6284

S 216

800-457-6937

240

408-524-1929

160-161

617-932-9199

195

800-678-7988

96IST-12

+886-2-280-1351"

72A-H

800-523-9393

70-71

800-423-5891

240

916-757-3737

145

714-693-0808

* Correspond directly with company. " Indicates FAX Number

BYTE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF

Liz Coyman, Inside Advertising Sales Director, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458, Tel. (603) 924-2518

NEW ENGLAND

SOUTHEAST

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ME, NH, VT. MA, Rl, CT, ONTARIO

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KY, DC, MD, VA.WV

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Roy J. Kops (415) 513-6861

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

(617) 860-6344

MaryAnn Goulding (404) 843-4782 Jennifer Walker (214) 701-8496

Joseph Mabe (603) 924-2662

Beth Dudas (714) 753-8140

Patricia Payne (603) 924-2654

Barry Echavarria (603) 924-2574 Larry Levine (603) 924-2637

SILICON VALLEY, HI. WA, AK,

Joseph Mabe (603) 924-2662

McGraw-Hill Publications

McGraw-Hill Publications

McGraw-Hill Publications

W. CANADA

McGraw-Hill Publications\

24 Hartwell Avenue

4170 Ashford-Dunwoody Rd.

Suite 520 14850 Quorum Dr.

Suite 380

Bill McAfee (415) 513-6862

15635 Alton Pkwy., Suite 290

Lexington, MA 02173 FAX: (617) 860-6899

Atlanta, GA 30319

Dallas, TX 75240

Jonathan Sawyer (603) 924-2665

Irvine. CA 92718

FAX: (404) 252-4056

FAX: (214)991-6208

SILICON VALLEY, NV

FAX: (714) 753-8147

Barbara Holmes (415) 513-6945

EAST COAST

MIDWEST

SOUTH PACIFIC: Los Angeles, CA

Barry Echavarria (603) 924-2574

NY, NYC, NJ, DE, PA Kim Norris (212) 512-2645 Jonathan Sawyer (603) 924-2665

1 McGraw-Hill Publications

1221 Avenue of Americas—28th Flo i New York, NY 10020

IL. MO, KS, IA, NO, SO, MN.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, AZ, NM,

McGraw-Hill Publications

Wl. NE, IN. Ml, OH

AlanEIFaye(213)

480-5243

1900 O'Farrell Street, #200

KurlKelley (312) 616-3328 Ed Ware (603) 924-2664

Larry Levine (603) 924-2637

McGraw-Hill Publications

San Mateo, CA 94403 FAX: (415) 513-6867

McGraw-Hill Publications Two Prudential Plaza

3333 Wilshire Boulevard #407 Los Angeles, CA 90010

180 North Stetson Ave.

FAX: (213) 480-5249

FAX: (212) 512-2075

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Seoul 137-030, Korea

50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Third Wave Publishing Corp. :

Germany

Wimbledon, London SW19 3RU

Tel: +972 52 586246

Tel:+82 2 5458001

Tel: +60 3 2624592

2ndFI., No. 19-1, Lane 231

Tel:+49 69 71407 140

England

FAX: +972 52 585685

Tel: +82 2 5458002

FAX: +60 3 2624591

Fu Hsing North Road

FAX:+49 69 71407 147

FAX: +44 81 5456294

FAX: +82 2 5498861

Taipei 10445, Taiwan

TELEX: 892191

AUSTRALIA

THAILAND

R.O.C.

SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES

Rod Tremain

SINGAPORE

Jack Hu

Tel:+886 2 7136959

Zena Coupe

ITALY

Rod Tremain Media

Derek Ng

Sahaviriya OA Group

FAX:+886 2 7151950

A-Z International Sales Ltd.

Zena Coupe, Amanda Blaskett

45 Pymble Ave.

Stephen Tay

28/1 Prapawit Bldg., Surasak Rd.

I 70 Chalk Farm Road

A-Z International Sales Ltd.

Pymble 2073, Sydney

Third Wave Publishing Corp. Silom, Bangkok 10500

London NW1 SAN

70 Chalk Farm Road

Australia

1123Serangoon Road

, #03-01 Thailand

i England

London NW1 BAN

Tel: +61 2 9983339

Singapore 1232

Tel: +66 2 2360295

Tel:+44 71 2843171

England

FAX: +61 2 9883424

Tel: +65 296 6166

FAX: +66 2 2365960

FAX:+44 71 2843174

Tel:+44 71 2843171

FAX: +65 298 7551

FAX:+44 71 2843174

JAPAN

TAIWAN

Masaki Mori

HONG KONG

Llwen Lee

Transworld Media Inc.

Candice Lo

Third Wave Publishing Corp

4th Floor, 1-26-6Kamimeguro

Third Wave Publishing

Corp. 2ndFI..No. 19-1, Lane 231

Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153, Japan

Unit 2, 6F Hing Wah Center Fu Hsing North Road

Tel:+81 3 57210761

82-84 To Kwa Wan Road Taipei 10445, Taiwan

FAX:+81 3 57210762

Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852 764 3830 FAX: +852 764 3857

R.O.C.

Tel:+886 2 7136959

FAX:+886 2 7151950

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 251

YOUR DIRECT LINK

PRODUCT CATEGORY INDEX

For FREE product information from individual advertisers, circle the corresponding inquiry numbers on Your Direct Link Card! To receive information for an entire product category, circle the category number on Your Direct Link Card!

Category No.

Category No.

Category No.

Inquiry No.

Page No.

Inquiry No.

Page No.

Inquiry

No.

Page No.

HARDWARE

553

PERSONAL SOLUTION COMPUTERS

224MW-3

14

MAIL ORDER

558 570

202-203 436

PERSONAL SOLUTION COMPUTERS PERSONAL SOLUTION COMPUTERS RECORTEC INC TECHPOWER COMPANY LTD

224NE-5

224SO-1

217

196IST-8

190-191

206

192

ADVANCED COMPUTER PRODUCTS

CITITRONICS

COMPUTERLANE UNLIMITED

i

ACCESSORIES/SUPPLIES

225

228 223

417 111 459 448-449

DIETRICH POS EQUIPMENT IBM-THINK PAD MANNESMANN TALLY ZECKS

172IS-4

36

128IS-3

196IST-12

155 154 370

TEXAS MICROSYSTEMS TEXAS MICROSYSTEMS TRI VALLEY TECHNOLOGY INC

104A-B 105 237

95

552 557

JAMECO ELECTRONICS JDR MICRODEVICES KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER

117

233

224MW-1

224NE-2

362

TRIANGLE DIGITAL SERVICES

240

564

KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER

224PC-3

ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS

72A-H

569

KENOSHA COMPUTER CENTER

224SO-2

2

ADD-IN BOARDS

169

ZEOS INT'L

70-71

204 199

LODE STAR COMPUTER NEVADA COMPUTER

214-215 221

376-377

465-466

404

407-408

333

ACI/ACQUIRE BOCA RESEARCH INC (INT'L) B&C MICROSYSTEMS COMPEX INC COMPUTER MODULES

235

cm

1281S-4

120IS-3

235

6

353 354

DATA ACQUISITION

KEITHLEY METRABYTE MICROSTAR LABORATORIES

237 237

209 144 222 559-560

RALIN WHOLESALERS S'NW ELECTRONICS STARTECH INT'L ULTA COMPUTERS

231

54

234

224NE-4

334

COMPUTER SYSTEM ARCHITECT

235

*

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 128IDRC1-2

390 455

CONTROL CONCEPTS 235 CPS COMPUTER DISTRIBUTION GMBH 172IS-4

136

QUA TECH INC

212

15

MEMORY/CHIPS/UPGRADES

456

CPS COMPUTER DISTRIBUTION GMBH 164IS-4

65

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES

14-15

80

CURTIS INC

182

7

DISK & OPTICAL DRIVES

206

CITITRONICS

228

417

DIETRICH POS EQUIPMENT

172IS-4

80

CURTIS INC

182

197-198

FIRST SOURCE INT'L

230

195-196

DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING TECH

218

386

GENERAL TECHNICS

237

424

GFK HAMBURG

188IS-1

84-85

GENOA SYSTEMS

125

104-105

MAYNARD, AN ARCHIVE CO

159

95

JAMECO ELECTRONICS

117

424

GFKHAMBURG

188IS-1

430

MICRO DESIGN INT'L

72IS-4

372

MEMORY SUPERSTORE

239

88

HAUPPAUGE COMP WORKS

115

108-109

MICRO SOLUTIONS COMP PROD

77

210-211

TRANSCEND INFORMATION INC

220

95

JAMECO ELECTRONICS

117

107

MICROPOLISCORP

99

205

WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGIES

216

344

MICROFIELD GRAPHICS. INC

235

118-119

NEWGEN SYSTEMS CORP

163

452-453

MOXA

196IST-11

129-130

PINNACLE MICRO

6-7

113

MYLEX CORP

18-19

*

QUANTUM CORP (INT'L)

198

16

MISCELLANEOUS HARDWARE

125-126

PERCEPTIVE SOLUTIONS

150

446-447

QUANTUM CORP (INT'L)

199

444

ECG

128IS-2

136

QUA TECH INC

212

222

STARTECH INT'L

234

92

INTEGRAND RESEARCH

210

143 359

SIGMA DATA

STRADA AUTOTECH. INC

TALKING TECHNOLOGY INC

87 235 236

369

TRANTOR SYSTEMS LTD

238

100-101 222

LOGITECH INC STARTECH INT'L

167 234

451

TOPTEK

196IST-9

8

DISKETTES/DUPUCA TORS

330-331

AXIOMATIC

238

17

MODEMS/MULTIPLEXORS

3

BAR CODING

78 415-416

COMPUTER FRIENDS DATATRONICS TECHNOLOGY

54 196IST-11

459 365

MANNESMANN TALLY VIDEX, INC

128IS-3

9

FAX BOARDS/MACHINES

*

JDR MICRODEVICES

233

236

437-438

MOTOROLA UDS

180IS-4

437-438

MOTOROLA UDS

180IS-4

209

RALIN WHOLESALERS

231

4

401-402

COMMUNICATIONS/NETWORKING

ACER INCORPORATED 88IS2-3

10

GRAPHICS TABLETS/MICE/PEN INPUT

173 178-179

SUPRA CORP ZYXEL USA

107 145

184

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS

255

83

DIGITAL VISION

74

•

ELONEX

72IS2-3

426

HONEYWELL KEYBOARD DIV

180IS-3

18

MONITORS & TERMINALS

225-226 341

342 389

EMBARC / MOTOROLA (N.A.) GMM RESEARCH CORP GTEK INC INFINICON

121 236 236 236

11

406

KEYBOARDS

CHERRY

336

114-115 223-224

DATALUX CORP (N.A.)

ELONEX

NANAO USA CORP (N.A.)

SCEPTRE TECHNOLOGIES

239

72IS-2-3

89

45

429

MEGADATA

180IS-1

MIKROSCHALTER GMBH (INT'L)

178-179

161-162

VIEWSONIC

31

440

MINICOM LTD

208ISI-10

337

DATALUX CORP

238

437-438

MOTOROLA UDS

180IS-4

141 380-381

ROSE ELECTRONICS SIGMA TECH SOFTWARE

8 236

12

LAN HARDWARE

19

MULTIMEDIA

359

TALKING TECHNOLOGY INC

236

193-194 411-412

CYBEX CORP CYBEX CORP (INT'L)

224 CIV

455

CPS COMPUTER DISTRIBUTION GMBh

172IS-4

360-361

TECHNOLOGIC SYSTEMS

239

456 170

CPS COMPUTER DISTRIBUTION GMBF CREATIVE LABS INC

164IS-4 27

5

566 571

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

APPRO INTERNATIONAL INC APPRO INTERNATIONAL INC

224SO-3 224MW-4

212

104-105

440

123-124

LOGICAL CONNECTION MAYNARD, AN ARCHIVE CO MINICOM LTD PC POWER & COOLING

231

159

208ISI-10

49

391-392

379

88

97

100-101

DISPLAY RESEARCH LAB EMPIRE COMPUTECH HAUPPAUGE COMP WORKS LAHEY COMPUTER SYSTEMS LOGITECH INC

238 239 115 133 167

405

CATHAY COMPUTER & TECHNOLOGY 19EIS r-12

152

TEKTRONIX TOPTEK

53

196IST-9

127

75

COMMODORE

21

13

LAPTOPS & NOTEBOOKS

451

454

CYBERDYNE SYSTEMS/ COMPUTERS UK

188IS-2

188-189 68-69

ABC COMPUTER BITWISE DESIGNS INC

226 192

177

VIDEO MAKER/VITEC

DELL COMPUTER CORP (N.A.)

cm

460-461

CHICONY

196IST-3

444

DELL COMPUTER CORP (N.A.) ECG

CIV

128IS-2

441-442 340

FIRST INT'L COMPUTER GENOVATION, INC

196IST-5 238

20

PRINTERS/PLOTTERS

ELONEX

72IS-2-3

91

IBM - THINK PAD

10-11

417

DIETRICH POS EQUIPMENT

172IS-4

*

GATEWAY 2000

CII.1

110

IBM-THINK PAD

34-35

212

LOGICAL CONNECTION

231

*

GATEWAY 2000

62-63

207-208

MICRO-INTERNATIONAL, INC

222

459

MANNESMANN TALLY

128IS-3

*

IBM-THINK PAD

33

462

MULTIVENTURE

196IST-7

431

MINOLTA GMBH

72IS-1

110

IBM-THINK PAD

34-35

117

NEC - LAPTOPS

69

*

PACIFIC DATA PRODUCTS

153

427

INTEGRIX INC

128IS-4

467

OLIVETTI

164IS2-3

98-99

QMS

139

350

KILA

237

464

POLYWELL COMPUTERS, INC

188IS-2

360-361

TECHNOLOGIC SYSTEMS

239

207-208

MICRO-INTERNATIONAL, INC

222

556

POLYWELL COMPUTERS, INC

224NE-6

152

TEKTRONIX

53

567-568

MICROTECH COMPUTER

224SO-5

144

S'NW ELECTRONICS

54

218-219

XLI CORP

160-161

385

MITAC

237

153

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

83

215-216

NAGA SYSTEMS CORP

232

156

TOSHIBA AMERICA INC

50-51

120

NSTL

189

563

VORTEX COMPUTERS

224PC-1

21

PROGRAMMABLE HARDWARE

213-214

OCEAN OFFICE AUTOMATION LTD

219

*

ZENITH DATA SYSTEMS

72A-H

413

DATAMAN LTD

180IS-2

123-124

PC POWER & COOLING

49

169

ZEOS INT'L

70-71

383-384

DAVISON-WORTH CORP

240

252 BYTE • MARCH 1993

YOUR DIRECT LINK CARD

For free product information, maii your completed card today. For quicker response, fax to 1-413-637-4343!

1. Circle the Numbers on Your Direct Link Card

Circle the numbers which are found on ads and articles in this issue or circle the product category number and receive information on all advertisers listed in that category.

2. Print Your Name and Address

Answer questions "A" through "E" and mail or fax card to 1-413-637-4343.

3. Product information will be rushed to you from the selected companies!

BVTE»

nati

[ Yes, 1 want

infon

on on the folk

>wing products!

Fill out this coupon carefullv. Please Print.

A. What is your primary job

D. What operating systems are you

function/principal area of

currently using? (Check all that apply)

responsibility? (Check one)

12 Q PC/MS-DOS 15 a Unix

1 □ MIS/DIP

13 Q DOS*Windows !6QMacOS

I iNarne

2 ^l Programmer/Systems Analyst

14 QOS2 17 □ VAXJVMS

3 3 Adminstration/Management

E. For how many people do you

1 line

4 ^1 Sales/Marketing

5 □ Engineer/Scientist

influence the purchase of hardware or software?

: Company

6 □ Other

18 □ 1-25 20 Q 51-99

B. What is your level of manageme responsibility?

7 □ Senior-level 9 Q Professional

nt 19 Q 26-50 21 QlOOormore

Address

□ Please send me one year of

8 □ Middle-level

BYTE Magazine for S24.95 and

;

no,.

State

Z

: "1

C. Are you a reseller (VAR, VAD,

bill me. Offer valid in U.S. and possessions only.

; Phnnp

Fax

Dealer, Consultant)?

10 O Yes 11 □ No

March 1993 | 86 96 99 \

Product Category

Disks & Optical Drives 7

Multimedia 19 Educational

30 Shareware 42

Information

Diskettes/Duplicators 8

Printers/Plotters 20 Engineering/Scientific 31 Software Duplication 43

Circle the numbers below for

Fax Boards/Machines 9

Programmable Hardware 21 Entertainment

32 Spreadsheets 44

information on the entire cateqory

Graphics Tablets/Mice/

Scanners/OCFt/Digitizers 22 Graphics

33 Unix 45

of products you're interested

n.

Pen Input 10

Taj

e Drives 23 Macintosh

34 Utilities 46

Hardware

Keyboards 11

UPS

24 Mail Order

35 Windows 47

Accessories/Supplies Add-in Boards

1

2

LAN Hardware 12 Laptops & Notebooks 13

Software

Business

Mathematical/Statistical 36 Word Processing 48 55 Miscellaneous Software 37 General

Bar Coding

Communications/Networking Computer Systems Data Acquisition

3

Mailorder 14

CAD/CAM 26 On-Line Services

38 Books/Publications 49

4 5

Memory/Chips/Upgrades 15 Miscellaneous Hardware 16

Communications/Networking 27 Operating Systems 39 Recruitment 50 Data Acquisition 28 Programming Languages/ _ Misce||aneous 51

6

Modems/Multiplexors 17

Database

29 Fools

40

Monitors & Terminals 18

Security

41

Inquiry Numbers 52-233 1

1 Inquiry Numbers 409-590 1

1 Inquiry Numbers 766-947 j

1 Inquiry Numbers 1123-1304

52 78 104 130 156

182

208

409 435 461 487

513

539

565

766 792 818 844 870 896

922

1123 1149 1175 1201 1227 1253 127.

i 53 79 105 131 157

183

209

410 436 462 488

514

540

566

767 793 819 845 871 897

923

1124 1150 1176 1202 1228 1254 1280

| 54 80 106 132 158

184

210

411 437 463 489

515

541

567

768 794 820 846 872 898

924

1125 1151 1177 1203 1229 1255 1281

! 55 81 107 133 159

185

211

412 438 464 490

516

542

568

769 795 821 847 873 899

925

1126 1152 1178 1204 12X 1256 1282

i 56 82 108 134 160

186

212

413 439 465 491

517

543

569

770 796 822 848 874 900

926

1127 1153 1179 1205 1231 1257 1283

I 57 83 109 135 161

187

213

414 440 466 492

518

544

570

771 797 823 849 875 901

927

1128 1154 1180 1206 1232 1258 1284

I 58 84 110 136 162

188

214

415 441 467 493

519

545

571

772 798 824 850 876 902

928

1129 1155 1181 1207 1233 1259 1285

j 59 85 111 137 163

189

215

416 442 468 494

520

546

572

773 799 825 851 877 903

929

1130 1156 1182 1208 1234 1260 1286

! 60 86 112 138 164

190

216

417 443 469 495

521

547

573

774 800 826 852 878 904

930

1131 1157 1183 1209 1235 1261 1287

• 61 87 113 139 165

191

217

418 444 470 496

522

548

574

775 801 827 853 879 905

931

1132 1158 1184 1210 1236 1262 1288

: 62 88 114 140 166

192

218

419 445 471 497

523

549

575

776 802 828 854 880 906

932

1133 1159 1185 1211 1237 1263 1289

| 63 89 115 141 167

193

219

420 446 472 498

524

550

576

777 803 829 855 881 907

933

1134 1160 1186 1212 1238 1264 1290

i 64 90 116 142 168

194

220

421 447 473 499

525

551

577

778 804 830 856 882 908

934

1135 1161 1187 1213 1239 1265 1291

! 65 91 117 143 169

195

221

422 448 474 500

526

552

578

779 805 831 857 883 909

935

1136 1162 1188 1214 1240 1266 1292

: 66 92 118 144 170

196

222

423 449 475 501

527

553

579

780 806 832 858 884 910

936

1137 1163 1189 1215 1241 1267 1293

i 67 93 119 145 171

197

223

424 450 476 502

528

554

580

781 807 833 859 885 911

937

1138 1164 1190 1216 1242 1268 1294

| 68 94 120 146 172

198

224

425 451 477 503

529

555

581

782 808 834 860 886 912

938

1139 1165 1191 1217 1243 1269 1295

| 69 95 121 147 173

199

225

426 452 478 504

530

556

582

783 809 835 861 887 913

939

1140 1166 1192 1218 1244 1270 1296

I 70 96 122 148 174

200

226

427 453 479 505

531

557

583

784 810 836 862 888 914

940

1141 1167 1193 1219 1245 1271 1297

1 71 97 123 149 175

201

227

428 454 480 506

532

558

584

785 811 837 863 889 915

941

1142 1168 1194 1220 1246 1272 1298

: 72 98 124 150 176

202

228

429 455 481 507

533

559

585

786 812 838 864 890 916

942

1143 1169 1195 1221 1247 1273 1299

: 73 99 125 151 177

203

229

430 456 482 508

534

560

586

787 813 839 865 891 917

943

1144 1170 1196 1222 1248 1274 1300

I 74 100 126 152 178

204

230

431 457 483 509

535

561

587

788 814 840 866 892 918

944

1145 1171 1197 1223 1249 1275 1301

i 75 101 127 153 179

205

231

432 458 484 510

536

562

588

789 815 841 867 893 919

945

1146 1172 1198 1224 1250 1276 1302

: 76 102 128 154 180

206

232

433 459 485 511

537

563

589

790 816 842 868 894 920

946

1147 1173 1199 1225 1251 1277 1303

77 103 129 155 181

207

233

434 460 486 512

538

564

590

791 817 843 869 895 921

947

1148 1174 1200 1226 1252 1278 1304

Inquiry Numbers 234-408 |

1 Inquiry Numbers 591-765 |

1 Inquiry Numbers 948-1122 I

1 Inquiry Numbers 1305-1479

234 259 284 309 334

359

384

591 616 641 666

691

716

741

948 973 998 1023 1048 1073

1098

1305 1330 1355 1380 1405 1430 1455

■ 235 260 2B5 310 335

360

385

592 617 642 667

692

717

742

949 974 999 1024 1049 1074

1099

1306 1331 1356 1381 1406 1431 1456

• 236 261 286 311 336

361

386

593 618 643 668

693

718

743

950 975 1000 1025 1050 1075

1100

1307 1332 1357 1382 1407 1432 1457

: 237 262 287 312 337

362

387

594 619 644 669

694

719

744

951 976 1001 1026 1051 1076

1101

1308 1333 1358 1383 1408 1433 1458

: 238 263 288 313 338

363

388

595 620 645 670

695

720

745

952 977 1002 1027 1052 1077

1102

1309 1334 1359 1384 1409 1434 1459

: 239 264 289 314 339

364

389

596 621 646 671

696

721

746

953 978 1003 1028 1053 1078

1103

1310 1335 1360 1385 1410 1435 1460

: 240 265 290 315 340

365

390

597 622 647 672

697

722

747

954 979 1004 1029 1054 1079

1104

1311 1336 1361 1386 1411 1436 1461

■ 241 266 291 316 341

366

391

598 623 648 673

698

723

748

955 980 1005 1030 1055 1080

1105

1312 1337 1362 1387 1412 1437 1462

i 242 267 292 317 342

367

392

599 624 649 674

699

724

749

956 9B1 1006 1031 1056 1081

1106

1313 1338 1363 1388 1413 1438 1463

I 243 268 293 318 343

368

393

600 625 650 675

700

725

750

957 982 1007 1032 1057 1082

1107

1314 1339 1364 1389 1414 1439 1464

: 244 269 294 319 344

369

394

601 626 651 676

701

726

751

958 983 1008 1033 1058 1083

1108

1315 1340 1365 1390 1415 1440 1465

i 245 270 295 320 345

370

395

602 627 652 677

702

727

752

959 984 1009 1034 1059 1084

1109

1316 1341 1366 1391 1416 1441 1466

i 246 271 296 321 346

371

396

603 628 653 678

703

728

753

960 985 1010 1035 1060 1085

1110

1317 1342 1367 1392 1417 1442 1467

i 247 272 297 322 347

372

397

604 629 654 679

704

729

754

961 986 1011 1036 1061 1086

1111

1318 1343 1368 1393 1418 1443 1468

i 248 273 298 323 348

373

398

605 630 655 680

705

730

755

962 987 1012 1037 1062 1087

1112

1319 1344 1369 1394 1419 1444 1469

: 249 274 299 324 349

374

399

606 631 656 681

706

731

756

963 988 1013 1038 1063 1088

1113

1320 1345 1370 1395 1420 1445 1470

1 250 275 300 325 350

375

400

607 632 657 682

707

732

757

964 989 1014 1039 1064 1089

1114

1321 1346 1371 1396 1421 1446 1471

! 251 276 301 326 351

376

401

608 633 658 683

708

733

758

965 990 1015 1040 1065 1090

1115

1322 1347 1372 1397 1422 1447 1472

: 252 277 302 327 352

377

402

609 634 659 684

709

734

759

986 991 1016 1041 1066 1091

1116

1323 1348 1373 1398 1423 1448 1473

: 253 278 303 328 353

378

403

610 635 660 685

710

735

760

967 992 1017 1042 1067 1092

1117

1324 1349 1374 1399 1424 1449 1474

: 254 279 304 329 354

379

404

611 636 661 686

711

736

761

968 993 1018 1043 1068 1093

1118

1325 1350 1375 1400 1425 1450 1475

; 255 280 305 330 355

380

405

612 637 662 687

712

737

762

969 994 1019 1044 1069 1094

1119

1326 1351 1376 1401 1426 1451 1476

i 256 281 306 331 356

381

406

613 638 663 688

713

738

763

970 995 1020 1045 1070 1095

1120

1327 1352 1377 1402 1427 1452 1477

: 257 282 307 332 357

382

407

614 639 664 689

714

739

764

971 996 1021 1046 1071 1096

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1328 1353 1378 1403 1428 1453 1478

258 283 308 333 358

383

408

615 640 665 690

715

740

765

972 997 1022 1047 1072 1097

1122

1329 1354 1379 1404 1429 1454 147

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PRODUCT CATEGORY INDEX

For FREE product information from individual advertisers, circle the corresponding inquiry numbers on your Direct Link Card! To receive information for an entire product category, circle the category number on your Direct Link Card!

Category No.

Inquiry No.

382

ELSIST

421

FAST ELECTRONIC GMBH

343

GTEK INC

347

IO TECH

*

JDR MICRO-DEVICES

362

TRIANGLE DIGITAL SERVICES

363-364

TRIBAL MICROSYSTEMS

367

XELTEK

368

Z-WORLD ENGINEERING

22

SCANNERS/OCR/DIGITIZER.

567-568

MICROTECH COMPUTER

433

SZKI RECOGNITA CORP (INT'L)

23

TAPE DRIVES

73-74

COLORADO MEMORY SYSTEMS

352

LAGUNA DATA SYSTEMS

104-105

MAYNARD, AN ARCHIVE CO

373

NOVASTOR CORP

356

OVERLAND DATA INC

358

QUALSTAR CORP

160

VALITEK INC

24

UPS

66

AMERICAN POWER CONVERSION

121

MINUTEMAN

123-124

PC POWER & COOLING

240

188IS-3

240

240 233 240 240 240 240

224SO-5 89

43 241 159 241 241 241

84

135 75 49

SOFTWARE

25

BUSINESS

76 COMPUTER ASSOCIATES

345-346 INDUS

457 INFOMEDIA

106 MEDIA CYBERNETICS

387-388 MICROBE

432 OXFORD ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING 122 PATTON & PATTON

147 STRATEGIC MAPPING

433 SZKI RECOGNITA CORP (INT'L) 362 TRIANGLE DIGITAL SERVICES

122

241

208ISI-8

190

241

88IS-1

82

194

89

240

26 CAD/CAM

67 AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESS COMP 131

554 EVOLUTION COMPUTING 224NE-1

561 EVOLUTION COMPUTING 224PC-2

366 WINTEK CORP 241

27 COMMUNICATIONS/NETWORKING

185 DSP DESIGNS INTERNATIONAL/ NASCOM 130

225-226 EMBARC / MOTOROLA (N.A.) 121

422-423 FUTURESOFT ENGINEERING 128IS-4

Category No. Inquiry No.

30

EDUCATIONAL

61-62 ABACUS SOFTWARE 93 INTERFACE GROUP

MCGRAW HILL NRI (N.A.)

Page No.

95

66-67

164A-B

31 ENGINEERING/SCIENTIFIC

175-176 ALLMICRO

418 DR HUGGLE & PARTNER GMBH

339 DSP DEVELOPMENT CORP

220-221 ITERATED SYSTEMS

148-149 LANDMARK RESEARCH INT'L CORP

103 MATHSOFT INC

443 ON TIME MKT/KARSTEN PETERSEN

374-375 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING

166-168 WOLFRAM RESEARCH

32 ENTERTAINMENT

200 MICROPROSE SOFTWARE

201 MICROPROSE SOFTWARE

33 GRAPHICS

79 COREL SOFTWARE

106 MEDIA CYBERNETICS

114-115 NANAO USA CORP (N.A.)

152 TEKTRONIX

35 MAIL ORDER

63 ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

410 COMPUTER QUICK

425 GREY MATTER LTD

* PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE

102 PROGRAMMER'S PARADISE

PROGRAMMER'S SHOP PROGRAMMER'S SHOP 434 SOFTLINE CORP

MATHEMATICAL/STATISTICAL

36

357 PERSONAL TEX

145 STATSOFT

150-151 SYSTATINC

166-168 WOLFRAM RESEARCH

93

180IS-1

242

196 103 171 172IS-4 241 155

227 229

47 190

120IS-4

188IS-4

55

56-57

78-79

80

88IS-4

242 175 81 155

440

MINICOM LTD

208ISI-10

134 135

127

PERSOFT INC

204

140

RETIX INC

151

157

TRITON TECHNOLOGIES

143

40

158

UNIPALM LTD

154

439

WALKER. RICHER & QUINN

120IS-1

332

171-172

81-82

28

DATA ACQUISITION

418

116

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

9

425

355

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

242

378

NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

128IDRC1-2

428

29

DATABASE

•

70-71

BORLAND INT'L

13

112 443

77

COMPUTER ASSOCIATES

38-39

335

COMPUTERWISE

242

128

418

DR HUGGLE & PARTNER GMBH

180IS-1

445

ITALIAN SOFTWARE AGENCY

120IS-2

*

463

MAGIC / MSE

164IS-1

132-133

137

RAIMA CORP

65

163

142

SEQUITER SOFTWARE INC

119

164-165

37 MISCELLANEOUS SOFTWARE

443 ON TIME MKT/KARSTEN PETERSEN 172IS-4

38 ON-LINE SERVICES

450 BIX 180

39 OPERATING SYSTEMS

428 LOGIC PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATES 180IS-1

QNX/QUANTUM SOFTWARE SYSTEMS 191

QUARTERDECK OFFICE SYSTEMS 101

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/TOOLS

BINARY TECHNOLOGY INC

BLINK INC

DATA ACCESS CORP

DR HUGGLE & PARTNER GMBH

GREY MATTER LTD

IVERSON SOFTWARE, INC

KEDWELL SCIENTIFIC

LOGIC PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATES

MICROWAY

MICROWAY

MKS / MORTICE KERN SYSTEMS

ON TIME MKT / KARSTEN PETERSEN

PHAR LAP SOFTWARE INC

PROGRAMMER'S SHOP

PROGRAMMER'S SHOP

PROGRESS SOFTWARE

WATCOM PRODUCTS INC

XVT SOFTWARE INC

Category No. Inquiry No.

Page No.

41

SECURITY

63

ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

86

403

ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

208ISI-2

175-176

ALLMICRO

93

406

CHERRY

MIKROSCHALTER GMBH (INT'L)

178-179

454

CYBERDYNESYSTEMS/

COMPUTERS UK

188IS-2

183

DALLAS SEMICONDUCTOR

106

419

ELIASHIM MICROCOMPUTERS

208ISI-9

420

EUTRON

120IS-4

421

FAST ELECTRONIC GMBH

188IS-3

86-87

GLENCO ENGINEERING

141

138-139

RAINBOW TECHNOLOGIES

61

435

SOFTWARE SECURITY INC

128IS-1

43 SOFTWARE DUPLICATION

330-331 AXIOMATIC

45 UNIX

186-187 CONSENSYS CORP

89 HUMMINGBIRD COMMUNICATIONS

112 MKS/MORTICE KERN SYSTEMS

174 SUNSOFT

166-168 WOLFRAM RESEARCH

46 UTILITIES

63 ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

403 ALADDIN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

175-176 ALLMICRO

454 CYBERDYNE SYSTEMS/

COMPUTERS UK

338 DIAGSOFT INC

148-149 LANDMARK RESEARCH INT'L CORP

131 PKWARE INC

146 STORAGE DIMENSIONS

47 WINDOWS

61-62 ABACUS SOFTWARE

425 GREY MATTER LTD

89 HUMMINGBIRD COMMUNICATIONS

348-349 ISLAND SYSTEMS

96 KEA SYSTEMS LTD

351 LABTECH

MICROSOFT CORP

114-115 NANAO USA CORP (N.A.)

432 OXFORD ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING

127 PERSOFT INC

371 PIXEL PERFECT/MEDICAL ADVISOR

147 STRATEGIC MAPPING

48 WORD PROCESSING/DTP

* MICROSOFT CORP

432 OXFORD ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING

433 SZKI RECOGNITA CORP (INT'L)

GENERAL

104 205 193 2-3 155

208ISI-2 93

188IS-2 243

103 206 147

95

188IS-4

205

243

76 243

17

89

88IS-1

204

243

194

28-29

88IS-1

89

Li,

242 109

49

BOOKS/PUBLICA TIONS

203

61-62

ABACUS SOFTWARE

95

180IS-1

414

DATAPRO INT'L

172IS-1

188IS-4

94

IOMEGA

22-23

243

*

JNLOFOBJ

172IS-3

ORIENT PROGRAMMING

128IDRC1-2

180IS-1

*

UNIXWORLD

148A-B

186

*

UNIXWORLD

149

211

193

172IS-4

85

51

MISCELLANEOUS

«

BYTE SUB MESSAGE

182

78-79

555

DEXPO / MILLER FREEMAN,

INC

224NE-3

80

562

DEXPO / MILLER FREEMAN,

INC

224PC-4

207

551

DEXPO / MILLER FREEMAN,

INC

224MW-2

25

565

DEXPO / MILLER FREEMAN,

INC

224S0-4

195

458

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

208ISI6-7

MARCH 1993 • BYTE 253

EDITORIAL INDEX

For more information on any of the companies covered in articles, columns, or news stories in this issue, circle the appropriate inquiry number on Your Direct Link Card. Each page number refers to the first page of the article or section in which the company name appears.

Inquiry No.

Page No.

Action Technologies

90

1115 Adept Scientific

68

Micro Systems

Adobe Systems 90,

173

Aetna Life and Casualty

90

Alfalfa Software

136

1079 Alpha Microsystems

58

1091 Alpha Systems

59

AMD

26

1224, Apple Computer 40

,90,

1165 173,177

183

1088 Applied Engineering

59

Approach Software

32

Arthur D, Little

90

Asterix

136

1169 AST Research 26,52

AT&T 32,90

129

1086 Atto Technology

59

B

Banyan

90

1157 Bay Ware

73

Bellcore Labs

24

1093 Best Data Products

60

Beyond

90

1087 Bolder Systems

59

Borland International 26, 90

British Columbia 112 Ministry of Forests

c

Calcomp 156

Campbell Services 90

Canon 156

1273 cc:Mail 136

CCOM Information 90 Systems

1271 CE Software 136

1228 ChipSoft 165

Collaborative 112 Technologies

1223 Compaq Computer 169

Computer Mail Services 136

1117 Computervision 68

Connectix 173

1159 Creative Labs 73

Creative Strategies 90 Research International

Cyrix 26

1272 Da Vinci Systems

Dan Technology 1163 Dariana 1116 Data Description 1229 Dataproducts

Datapro Research

90,

112,136

26

73

68

156

90

DEC 26,37,90,123

Dell Computer 112

Deloitte & Touche 90

Inquiry No.

Page No.

Oelrina Technology 90

1077 Diamond Technologies 58

Dolphin Server Technology 24

1118 Dynacomp 68

E

Educational Testing 90

Service

Electronic Book 32

Technologies Electronic Mail Association 90

Elonex 26

1168 EO 52

Equipment/Plexus 90

Everex Systems 30

F

Ferris Networks 90

1094 Fifth Generation Systems 60

FileNet 90

Finansa 90

Fort Howard 90

1076 4P s.r.l. 58

General Electric 197

Gentek 177

1114 Golden Software 68

Grand Junction Networks 123

Group Solutions 129

H

HBO 1230 Hewlett-Packard

Honeywell

24

37, 90,

156,209

37

IBM 26,30,90,112,129,

136,169,187,197

1132 Imagine That 177

1092 Intel 26,30,37,60,

187,197

Intelligent Resources 24

InterConsult 32

1227 Intex Solutions 165

Inventa 90

1141 IQ Software 72

J

JetForm

90

K

Kalpana 123

Keyfile 90

1156 Knowledge Adventure 73

Kodak 197

L

Lannet 123

LANshark Systems 90

LaserData 90

LaserMaster 156

1231 Lexmark International 156

Lotus Development 30, 37, 46,90,112

Inquiry No. Page No.

M

1140 Mark of the Unicorn 72

1225 Meca Software 165

Meckler 24

1104 Microlex 64

1153 MicroProse Software 73

1131, Microsoft 24,26,32,37,73, 1162, 90,112,136,173,

1274 197,209 MIT Center 112

for Coordination Science MIT Press 190

1106 Motorola 37,64,187,183

N

National Center 123

for Supercomputing

Applications

1078 NEC Technologies 58

1155 Network Cybernetics 73

Next Computer 24,136

NHK Broadcasting 24

Nippon Telegraph & 112

Telephone

Northern Telecom 129

Notable Technologies 112

1275 Novell 90,136,216 Nu-Mega 187 N.V.Philips 197

0

Olivetti 37

Ono-Sendai 129

On Technologies 112

Open Systems Advisors 90

1226 Parsons Technology 165

Patricia Seybold 90 Office Computing Group

1095 Performance Technology 60 Periscope 187 PictureTel 129 Pitney Bowes 177

Strategic Information

PowerCore 90

Proteon 123

1096 Proxim 60

Q

1232 QMS 156

1089 Quantawave 59

1154 Quantum Quality 73

Productions

1158 Quarterdeck Office 73

Systems

1102 Quinn-Curtis 64

Inquiry No. Page No.

R

Radius 183 1143 Rational Data Systems 72

RCA 197

1075 RDI Computer 58

Reach Software 90

1276 Retix 90, 136

Samsung Electronics 30

Seeq Technology 123

Sense8 129

Siemens Nixdorf 30

Silicon Graphics 32,129

Social Security 90

Administration

Softswitch 90, 136

Software Publishing 32

1142 Solea Systems 72

Sony 197 Sony Advanced Systems 24

SRI 123

Starlight Networks 123

1103 StratosWare 64

1167 Sun Microsystems 26,48,

Computer 129

Supermac Technologies 24

1090 Symmetric Research 59

Technological Partner 24

Texaco 90

Texas Instruments 26,169

1160 Trantor Systems 73

U

1105 UniPress Software 64

Unisys 37

Unix System Laboratories 32

V

Ventana 112,129

1161 Ventura Software 73 Video Telecom 129 The Virtual Reality 129

Institute

W

Wohl Associates 90

Woods Wire Products 112 1277 WordPerfect 32,90,136

WorkGroup Technologies 112 Workhorse 90

X

Xante Xerox

Y

The Yankee Group Young & Rubicam

z

Z-Code Software

156

112,123

90 90

136

254 BYTE • MARCH 1993

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MARCH 1993 • BYTE 255

STOP BIT

CLIFFORD A P I C K O V E R

Fractal Fantasies

Fractals can create an infinite playing field for board-game designs

Computer-generated fractal patterns are everywhere these days. From squiggly designs on computerart posters to illustrations in the most serious of physics journals, interest continues to grow among scientists, artists, and designers. Mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot coined the word fractal in 1975 to describe an intricate-looking set of curves, many of which were never seen before the advent of computers, with their ability to quickly perform massive calculations. Fractals often exhibit self-similarity, which means that various copies of an object can be found within the original object at smaller scales. The detail continues for many magnifications, like an endless nesting of Russian dolls within dolls. Some of these shapes exist only in abstract geometric space, but others can be used as models for complex natural objects like coastlines and blood-vessel branching. Interestingly, fractals provide a useful framework for understanding chaotic processes and for performing image compression. The dazzling computer-generated images can be intoxicating, motivating students' interest in math more than any other mathematical discovery in the last century.

When most people hear the word fractal they rarely think of applications beyond the kinds just mentioned. Recently, however, I found myself drawn to their use in game playing. You might like to program software to play it or simply use a board drawn on paper.

The board for the Fractal Fantasy game consists of a fractal nesting of rectangles within rectangles interconnected with wiggly lines, as shown in the artwork above. There are always two rectangles within the rectangles that encompass them, and the degree of nesting can vary. Beginners play with only a few nested rectangles, while grand masters play with many recursively positioned rectangles. One can imagine tournaments lasting for days, with breaks only for eating and sleeping. The playing board illustrated here is called a degree 2 board, because it has two different sizes of rectangles within the large bounding rectangle. Beginners usually start with a degree 1 board, and grand masters have been known to use a degree 20 board. One player uses white playing pieces (or stones); the other uses black. Each player starts with a number of stones equal to two less than half the number of vertices (i.e., dots) on the board. For the board here, each player gets 19 stones. With al

ternate moves, the players begin by placing a stone at points on the black dots that are empty. As they place stones, each player attempts to form a row of three stones along any one of the vertical sides of any square. This three-in-a-row assembly of stones is called a googol. When all the stones have been placed, players take turns moving a stone to a neighboring vacant space along one of the wiggly or straight connecting lines.

When a player forms a googol (either during the alternate placement of stones at the beginning of the game or during alternate moves along lines to adjacent empty points), that player takes any one of the opponent's stones on the board and removes it from the board. (In some versions of this game, an opposing stone can't be taken from an opposing googol.) A player loses when he or she no longer has any stones or cannot make a move.

Mathematicians and philosophers will no doubt spend many years pondering a range of questions, particularly for boards with higher nesting. Computer programmers will design programs allowing the board to be magnified in different areas, permitting the convenient playing at different size scales. They'll all wish they had fractal consciousness, allowing the contemplation of all levels of the game simultaneously.

Is there a best opening move or overall strategy? If the large bounding square has a side 1 foot in length, what is the total length of lines on the board? If an ant were to start anywhere on the board and walk to cover all the lines, what would be the shortest possible route on the board? How many possible board arrangements are there? How large would a degree 100 board have to be for the smallest squares to be seen? How many playing stones would be used? What length of time would be required to play such a bizarre game? I welcome comments and discoveries from readers. ■

Clifford A. Pickover is an IBM research staff member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York. His latest book is Mazes for the Mind: Computers and the Unexpected from St. Martin's Press. You can reach him on BIX do "editors" or on the Internet at cliff@watson.ibm.com.

Stop Bit is a forum for informed opinion on personal computing topics. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of BYTE. Your contributions and comments are welcome. Write to: Editor, BYTE, One Phoenix Mill Lane, Peterborough, NH 03458.

256 BYTE • MARCH 1993

DELL CUTS PRICES

IBM AND

COMPAQ

REACT

WITH A FEW

CHOICE

WORDS.

Th i3

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can give your system a

boost whenever you want.

E NEW DELL 466/ME 16 DX2 66 MHz SYSTEM

EASE:$lll/MO.

(MB RAM

170 MB (17 ms) HARD DRIVE

1 EISA EXPANSION SLOTS

I ISA EXPANSION SLOTS

JPGRADEABLE PROCESSOR

ACCELERATED LOCAL BUS VIDEO

WITH 1 MB VIDEO RAM

UP TO 29 MILLION WINMARKS)

JLTRASCAN" 14C MONITOR

14", 1024X768, .28mm, Nl)

DNE FLOPPY DRIVE (3.5" OR 5.25")

vtS-DOS 5.0

UP TO FOUR TIMES FASTER DATA TRANSFER THAN ISA.

You get a 32-bit EISA

expansion bus that transfers data

at up to 33 megabytes a second. To

understand what it does for your

computer, drink about eight million

cups of coffee.

GUARANTEED ACCOUNTABILITY.

We're the only computer company

to guarantee-in writing-compatibility,

fast response ro your questions, and

quick service.1 Two-thirds ot the

FORTUNE 500 companies rely on us.

So should you.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE POWER HUNGRY.

It's easy to upgrade to the top

486, the 66 MHz DX2. If

you're still power hungry, you

can add Pentium technology —

the next generation from Intel.

E NEW DELL 433/T (6 DX 33 MHz SYSTEM

.EASE: $91/MO. 4 MB RAM

230 MB (16 ms) HARD DRIVE 3 ISA EXPANSION SLOTS JPGRADEABLE PROCESSOR ACCELERATED LOCAL BUS VIDEO WITH 1 MB VIDEO RAM 'UP TO 19 MILLION WINMARKS) SVGA 10241 MONITOR 14", 1024X768, .28mm) DNE FLOPPY DRIVE (3.5" OR 5.25" VISDOS5.0

UP TO 18% FASTER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE.

Good thing you don't

have to worry about the

highway patrol.

33% MORE SLOTS.

With eight slots, you

can add the network and

communication cards you need

for a great low-cost server.

UP TO 86% MORE DISK CAPACITY.

Our floor-standing model

has a disk capacity of up to

three gigabytes. Talk about

mind-expanding performance..

•ach system is custom-built. With 18 different models in nur new 486 line — covering 25 MM:, « MHz, 50 MH:, and 66 Mil; ine of storage, memory, graphics and connectivity products, we can build over 15,000 different configurations.

:on6gure just the system you need. In fact, with out complete

DELL INTRODUCES THE WORLD'S EASIEST PC TO TAKE APART. THAT LETS YOU SAVE TIME. SAVE ENERGY. SAVE FRUSTRATION. AND AS ALWAYS, SAVE A TON OF MONEY.

The new Dell' 425s/L has embedded diagnostics that can identify a problem component just by pushing the reset button twice. Even if a major component like the monitor or hard drive isn't working, a video display or beepcode will show you the exact problem.

2 The new Dell 425s/L then comes apart W easily by first taking out two thumbscrews and removing the chassis cover. That's right, you don't need a hammer. Crowbar. Or a chainsaw.

Just push two buttons (you won't need an M.I.T. degree for this either), unplug two cables, and slide out your floppy drives for easy upgradeability. Service. Or to add a tape drive or CD-ROM drive.

4 Then all you do is remove one tiny, little screw and 4 pull out the entire card w cage to add different user upgrade options like video memory. You can also add cache. Add Pentium" technology. Change the processor. Or even swap out the systemboard. A child could do it. Or even your boss.

If you want to get to your hard drive fo: easy maintenance or for an upgrade, just take out another screw, unplug two cables, and snap it out. And if there's a problem call us and we guarantee within five minutes you'll be talking to a trained specialist* A service which has helped make us a FORTUNE 500'' company in seven short years. It's really that simple. Almost as simple as picking up the phone. So call us.

THE NEW DELL 425 s/L i486mSX 25 MHz SYSTEM

NEW LOW PRICE

$1,499

• LEASE': S55/MO.

• 4 MB RAM

• 170 MB (17 ms) HARD DRIVE

• 3 ISA EXPANSION SLOTS

• UPGRADEABLE PROCESSOR

• ACCELERATED LOCAL BUS VIDEO WITH 512 KB VIDEO RAM

(UP TO 11 MILLION WINMARKS) •SVGA 10241 MONITOR (14", 1024X768, .28mm)

• ONE FLOPPY DRIVE (3.5" OR 5.25

• MS-DOS* 5.0

ALSO AVAILABLE WITH 33 MHz i486 SX, 33 MHz i486 DX AND 50 AND 66 MHz i486 DX2 AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER CONFIGURATIONS.

D0LL

800-365-9977

WHEN CALLING, PLEASE REFERENCE #11EC3.

HOURS: 7AM-9PM CT MON-FR1, 8AM-4PM CT SAT, 10AM-3PM CT SUN.

IN CANADA, CALL 800-668-3021. IN MEXICO CITY, 228-7811.