Софтпанорама 1993, No.3 (37) ***** NEWS ***** Составитель Н.Н.БЕЗРУКОВ ======================================================================== Бюллетень распространяется как Shareware. Правила регистрации см.в README ************************************************************************ Часть материалов предоставлена Антоном Шелестом. ╔═╗ ╔═╗ ╚═╬═════════════════════════════════════╬═╝ ║ П А Н О Р А М А Н О В О С Т Е Й ║ ╔═╬═════════════════════════════════════╬═╗ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ************************** Краткая информация *************************** Ж е л е з о Intel представит P5 в мае, но ожидается, что как коммерческий продукт Пентум вступит в игру только со следующего года. Пока чип довольно медленен и кроме того не решена проблема перегрева. Пос- кольку сейчас ускорение составляет примерно 30% по сравнению с 486-66, создается впечатление, что внедрение пойдет медленно и ус- пех его определяет последующие модификации P5, а не стартовая. В текущем году INTEL выпустит примерно 30 млн. 486 или вдвое больше прошлогодней цифры. У 486dx-33 есть шансы попасть в книгу Гиннеса как самому распространенному микропроцессору в истории выч.техники. Ожидается, что стоимость материнских плат 386dx-40 ближайшие два-три месяца упадет до $150 (386sx-33 уже сейчас можно купить за $100), а стоимость мегабайта SIMM понизится с $25 до $20. Винты приближаются к цене $1 за один мегабайт. Western Digital Corp. начала отгрузку своих новых винчестеров серии Caviar AC2250 емкостью 256M по цене $395. Телефонные линии возможно обретут второе дыхание и смогут кон- курировать с оптоволокном - разработан протокол V.fast, позволяю- щий достичь скорости 28800 bps на обычных линиях. О п е р а ц и о н н ы е с и с т е м ы NeXT умер, да здравствует операционная система NextStep для 486-компьютеров !!! UNIX неожиданно получает сильный козырь в борьбе за пользователей. (Стив Джобс прекратил выпуск компьютеров, продав его фирме Canon и будет пытаться захватить часть рынка опе- рационных систем для PC своей знаменитой операционной системой NextStep). OS/2 2.1 оценена пользователями очень хорошо и даст толчок вы- пуску продуктов для нее многими фирмами. LOTUS выпустил 1-2-3 и FREELANCE для OS/2. Ожидается скорый выпуск Wordperfect для OS/2. Кстати появился Norton Commander for OS/2. Windows NT все еще пребывает в состоянии pre-BETA, по отзывам весьма и весьма слабой. MS-DOS 6.0 многими вообще рассматривается как провал. Эйфория по поводу Windows 3.1 похоже окончилась. Вместо преиму- ществ все чаще говорят о недостатках. Но дальнейшая судьба этой заплаты для MS DOS пока неясна и во многом зависит от результатов борьбы трех основных конкурентов: OS/2 - Windows NT - NextStep. К о м п а н и и IBM покатилась под гору. Возможно рассыплется на несколько фирм. C начала этого года IBM уволила свыше 25,000 человек. Общее число сокращений рабочих мест возможно достигнет 40,000 или больше. Микрософт стала крупнейшей компанией в компьютерной индустрии, оставив позади IBM. Взлет Микрософт, которая в 1980 насчитывала всего 220 сотрудников возможно свидетельствует о начале перелома, в ходе которого разработка программного обеспечения станет более доходной отраслью, чем разработка аппаратуры. Билл Гейтс похоже вышел сухим из воды: Federal Trade Commission прекратила дело о нарушении Microsoft Corp. антитрестовского зако- нодательства после встречи Гейтса со членами комиссии. Stac подала в суд на Microsoft за несанкционированное использо- вание патентованного метода сжатия в MS DOS 6.0 Novell приобрела фирму AT&T's Unix System Laboratories примерно за 360 млн. долларов и вроде собирается построить следующую версию Netware на базе UNIX -- тогда шансы на успех Билла Гейта с Windows NT существенно понижаются. Фирма COMMODORE потерпела убытки $77.2 млн. в последнем кварта- ле и похоже дышит на ладан. Джон Кемени, один из создателей Бейсика умер в возрасте 66. ******************** Филипп Кан о 1995 и 2000 годе ******************** Похоже в своей речи на Comdex'92 Филипп Кан постарался замаскировать смелыми предсказаниями явно неудачный для него год. По мнению Кана в 1995 году типичный PC будет основан на процессоре P5 работать на частоте 100 Mгц иметь 24M RAM и 1G винчестер. Относительно 2000 года он настроен еще более радикально: 500 Мгц 2 Гигабайт и 10G вин- честер. Вместе с тем темпы развития PC настолько стремительны, что поневоле задумаешься, что же нас ждет в 2000 году, если "стандартная персоналка образца 1988 г." из XT 4 Mгц с 20М винчестером и 640K памяти превратилась в AT/486-33 с 200M винчестером и 8M памяти в 1993 г. Фактически тактовая частота, оперативная память и объем винчестера увеличились в 10 раз за 5 лет. Что же будет дальше ? Б.Н.Н. ************** Visial Basic 2.0 - Билл Гейтс поставил своей целью ******** * реанимировать Васик и благодаря сделанному сильному ходу * возможно добъется своего В данной версии Бейсик сохраняет все преимущества интерпретируемого языка и в то же время приобретает черты профессионального пакета, по край- ней мере для создания мелких утилит и препроцессоров для dBase приложе- ний. Гейтс нашел интересный и очень сильный ход, правда пока продемостриро- ванный только в MS_WORD - все макроязыки, выпускаемых Microsoft продуктов + язык командного процессора операционной системы будут основаны именно на Бейсике - одно это способно буквально заставить человека освоить и пользоваться Бейсиком. Если Гейтс добъется, что в Exel, Ms-Word и FoxPro будет использоваться диалекты одного и того же языка, то боюсь, что Фи- липпу Кану придется тяжеловато. По крайней мере сейчас, когда я вижу бухгалтерские приложения написан- ные на "макроязыке" Quattro Pro или SuperCalc у меня создается впечатле- ние о Квик Бейсике как шедевре структурного программирования и я начинаю уважать тех бухгалтеров, которые потом пересчитывают распечатки на калькуляторе и счетах :-). Б.Н.Н. ************* SCSI - серьезный игрок на рынке интерфейсов *************** Становятся все более популярными устройства основанные на интерфейсе SCSI, который фактически добавляет дополнительную шину к компьютеру. Обычный PC уже имеет две шины: локальную, связывающую процессор с памятью и шину внешних устройств обслуживающую слоты расширения. CSCI уже стал стандартным интерфейсом для MAC и NEXT. К одному адаптеру CSCI можно подключить до самых разных устройств от винчестеров до лент. Б.Н.Н. *********************** Stack 3.0 - есть проблемы ************************ При работе с DV можно потерять часть данных из-за зависания, в особен- ности, если кэш работает в режиме с отложенной записью. По мнению Stac Electronics проблемы связаны с Desqview, однако пользователям от этого не легче. Б.Н.Н. ********* Everex уже банкрот, но еще не потерял доверие потребителей ****** Хотя компания входила в cемерку компаний, чаще всего называемых пользователями в качестве потенциальных поставщиков новых систем, изме- нившаяся экономическая ситуация привела к разорению компании менее чем за полгода. Жесткая конкуренция со стороны IBM и Compaq сильно снизивших свои цены фактически лишила Everex ее "экологической ниши" и тем самым не оставляет надежд на сохранение компании. Б.Н.Н. ************************ Netware 4.0 шаг к UNIX ************************** Novell приобрела фирму AT&T's Unix System Laboratories примерно за 360 млн. долларов и вроде собирается построить следующую версию Netware на базе UNIX -- тогда шансы на успех Билла Гейта с Windows NT существенно понижаются. Б.Н.Н. ******************* Quattro Pro продается дешевле $100 ******************* После неудачного для компании 1992 года, Филипп Кан опять нашел серию сильных ходов. Первым из них является снижение цен на QuattroPro, вторым покупка Arago dBXL и QuickSilver. Агрессивная цена вызвана относительной неудачей продажи for DOS Pro for windows как единого пакета. Это "смесь" грешного с праведным смущала пользователей и рассматривается аналитиками как крупная ошибка Борланд в продвижении своих продуктов. Б.Н.Н. ***** Borland слопал еще один dBase-клон - Arago dBXL и QuickSilver ******* Arago неизвестен на Украине, однако на Западе он конкурировал c FoxPro и Clipper. И разделил их судьбу - хотя Wordtech - компания производитель просто уходит из этого бизнеса - бизнеса последней независимой компании, выпускающей клоны dBase. dBXL имела достаточно приличный интерфейс класса FoxPro, QuickSilver это компилятор, конкурировавший с Clipper. Оба про- дукта были гораздо более совместимы с dBase IV, чем их конкуренты. Поскольку Борланд завалил сроки выпуска компилятора dBase IV, возможно этот покупка продиктована желанием выпустить QuickSilver под своим именем в очередной большой красной коробке. Возможно и Arago dBXL будет выпущен как dBase IV версия 3.0, однако несовместимость интерфейса препятствует такому решению. Вместе с тем, конкурировать с Microsoft FoxPro не приняв такое решение будет тяжелова- то. Особенно, если говорить о версии для Windows. Б.Н.Н. По материалам PC PLUS февраль 1993 *************** PKZIP 2.04g - исправлены мелкие ошибки ******************* *********************** МОЖНО РАБОТАТЬ ГОСПОДА !!! *********************** Please note that the only program that has functionally changed from version 2.04e to 2.04g is PKZIP.EXE, PKUNZIP.EXE and PKCFG.EXE. The other programs in this release have been changed to read version 2.04g for consistency. However, no functional changes have been made to them. The following changes have been made in version 2.04g of PKZIP.EXE from version 2.04e. 1) PKZIP's Quick format in an over-zealous effort to leave bad sectors marked as bad, could in some instances leave unallocated sectors (orphaned clusters) on the diskette. This has been fixed. The following changes have been made in version 2.04g of PKZIP.EXE from version 2.04c/2.04e. 1) Using the BACKUP= option in the PKZIP.CFG file would automatically turn on the SPAN option and cause PKZIP to generate a E27 or E28 error, or display the help screen when creating a .ZIP file on non-removable media. This has been corrected. 2) When Norton Utilities creates a volume label on a diskette, it stores trailing nulls rather than trailing spaces after the volume name, as DOS does (and expects). A volume label created by NU can not be changed by even the LABEL command in DOS. PKZIP uses the volume label when creating multi-disk .ZIP files, and could not change any volume label created by NU. PKZIP has been modified to be able to deal with and change volume labels created by NU. PKUNZIP -$ was also unable to restore volume labels over NU created labels. PKUNZIP has been modified to deal with NU volume labels as well. Материалы фирмы PKWARE ********************* HP CЛОПАЕТ ДЖОБСА ВМЕСТЕ С NEXTSTEP ? ************** Hewlett-Packard Co. is discussing the possibility of licensing NeXT Inc.'s software technology after it apparently ruled out a broader investment in the Redwood City, Calif., company, which is headed by Steve Jobs. --Charles Bowen ******************************* БРАВО IBM ******************************** ***** IBM OS/2 2.1 Beta Version заслужила аплодисменты пользователей ***** The beta-test version of IBM's OS/2 Version 2.1 has been available since Dec. 19 now, and users generally seem happy with its performance. However, some say they hope IBM makes sure this version goes out rock solid in order to silence OS/2 critics. ``Somehow IBM has gotten themselves into this position of people expecting a lot more from them than they ever did from Microsoft,'' said Larry Waibel, systems software technical specialist at the Cubic Automated Revenue Collection Group in San Diego. He said he hopes IBM makes this version of OS/2 bulletproof, though he conceded it is not quite there yet. ``I've had a couple hang-ups in the two months I've been using it, which is certainly better than anybody got in Windows,'' Waibel said. ``We're all on your side here -- we want OS/2 to succeed,'' said one developer on CompuServe. ``Another rush job is exactly what it doesn't need.'' Currently, beta-test users are still reporting problems with installation, applications that ran under OS/2 2.0 ``breaking'' under OS/2 2.1 and ``memory leaks'' that force users to reboot the machine every so often. However, reports of dramatic improvements are also cropping up. Waibel said the best features of the OS/2 2.1 beta-test version are improved graphics handling and support for higher resolutions and Windows 3.1. ************* КОММЕРЧЕСКИЙ ВЫПУСК OS/2 2.1 ОЖИДАЕТСЯ В МАЕ *************** Although beta testers of IBM's OS/2 2.1 generally favor the product, sources last week said they don't expect the final version to be available until May. IBM has pushed its delivery goal of the first quarter back another six to eight weeks to ensure fixes to a variety of minor but persistent bugs. Although it is doubtful the delay will seriously damage the product's chances against Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 3.1, it does increase the company's pressures to release a version that is rock solid. "We have looked at OS/2, but my worry is they [IBM] don't have a lot of time left," said Brian Moura, assistant city manager for the city of San Carlos, Calif. "They may need two or three more revs to get it all right, but they may not have that time," he said. With a May delivery, IBM may run up against Microsoft's mammoth marketing of Windows NT, which is set to begin in May at Windows World, sources said. However, the final version of Windows NT is not expected until June. "IBM needs to make something happen with 2.1, or it's facing the possibility of being a niche product for a very long time," said one developer who requested his name be withheld. The bulk of the OS/2 2.1 problems that are being addressed revolve around making it work better with Windows applications and improving the operating system's installation with lesser known or generic clones. One of the most important additions to Version 2.1 is complete support of Microsoft's Windows 3.1. Although there is not a rich array of applications that take full advantage of Windows 3.1, it is a strong requirement for some corporate buyers. Some developers said the delay is holding up their release of maintenance versions for existing OS/2 applications. "A slip in their schedule causes us grief because we are planning a maintenance release to fix things in our products," said another experienced OS/2 developer. "Now we might have to do another release to fix changes in their [OS/2 2.1] code. Still, as it stands now, it is much more complete than 2.0 was on the day it shipped," he added. An IBM representative declined to comment on the story. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ******************* DOS 6 BETA МНОГИМИ РАССМАТРИВАЕТСЯ КАК ПРОВАЛ ********* This one falls in the "for what it's worth category" but I read an article in "PC UPGRADE" that I thought was worth sharing with everyone. It is a Beta Test Report on DOS 6.0 The following are some excerpts of the article. "Based on beta test copies there appear to be some major problems in the offing for unwary users." "We see some major problems...the way MS is implementing DoubleSpace...will make the hard disk(s) of any user who installs this option incompatible with OS/2 and a number of otherwise compatible upgrade options such as Novell's DR DOS and multiuser systems such as the Software Link's PC-MOS." "Several developers...openly questioned the ethics and wondered out loud just who is next on MS's incompatibility hit list." "The preliminary documentation...gives explicit instructions on how to remove OS/2 from your hard disk." "Like DOS 5 before it...DOS 6 can restore your prior operating system if you want it. Once you let DoubleSpace take over your hard disk it's for keeps. Returning to your old system is not possible." "Another problem...appears when trying to create a bootable floppy after a hard disk is compressed. Transferring the system does not automatically let you access the hard disk if it has been compressed with DoubleSpace." "DOS INSTALL routine favors Windows users. Three of DOS 6's new main features are an anti-virus program, all-new backup program, and a slightly different Undelete. If you accept the defaults when installing DOS 6-most new users will-and you have Windows on your hard disk, these new DOS utilities will be installed in such a way that you can access them only from Windows-where DOS intalls them in their own private little group. Of course, if you go the custom installation route you'll find that you can also access them from DOS, or from DOS and Windows both. Few users dare to opt for custom installation." "We've seen very little to recommend this DOS. We do not usually react so negatively to new products. But there are clearly some major dangers looming here. Unless things change drastically between now and the time DOS 6 is released there are going to be an awful lot of very unhappy users out there. We feel that wary users should adopt a wait and see attitude until they can be sure that today's incompatibility does not become a major problem for them down the line." Материалы переданы Антоном Шелестом ****************** МИКРОСОФТ ОБРЕЗАЕТ УШИ У MS-DOS 6.0 **************** Microsoft Corp. has pulled network and mail functions from DOS 6.0 and has also removed some data compression features in an apparent response to a patent-infringement suit. The Microsoft Mail client and Workgroup Connection, which provides a link to Windows for Workgroups (WFW), have been removed from DOS 6.0, a Microsoft official said last week. Corporate users who already have other networks installed requested that Microsoft remove the network components so users would not "start messing around with a different network," said Brad Chase, Microsoft's general manager of MS-DOS. Both networking components had been promised for DOS 6.0 when it ships next month or in early April. The network software will be removed from the retail upgrade product, although users can still buy the functionality separately, Chase said. In addition, PC vendors who bundle DOS 6.0 may include the network portions. Meanwhile, an off-line feature of DOS 6.0's DoubleSpace data compression utility, called MaxCompress, has also been removed from the beta. The feature may still be included when DOS 6.0 ships, he said. Stac Electronics sued Microsoft last month over the DoubleSpace utility, alleging it infringes patents Stac holds on its data compression products. A source close to both companies said pulling the MaxCompress feature would not likely deter Stac from continuing its suit. The case is not expected to go to trial until late this year. Many users have said built-in data compression is a very important feature for DOS 6.0's success. As MaxCompress is an off-line feature meant to be run overnight, removing it will not impact DoubleSpace's effectiveness, Chase said. Some analysts suggested Microsoft's latest moves may be an effort to rethink its overall network marketing strategy. "InfoWorld" reported last week that WFW sales were dragging. "Customers seem to be willing to buy as many flavors of Windows as Microsoft wants to sell but are balking at buying more than one flavor of network," said Jeffrey Tarter, publisher of "SoftLetter." In a notice Microsoft sent out last week about its DOS 6.0 plans, it referred to the product as Release Candidate 4, a name that indicates the product will ship soon, observers said. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ****************** НОВАЯ СИСТЕМА ПЕЧАТИ НА ЛАЗЕРЕ ДЛЯ WINDOWS ************* Microsoft has announced the immediate availability of the Microsoft Windows Printing System. The software provides an easier and faster way for users of Windows 3.1 to print from PCs to Hewlett-Packard LaserJet Series II and III printers. The Windows Printing System provides speed, easy to use graphical printer controls, bi- directional communication between printer and PC and faithful what-you-see-is-what- you-get (WYSIWYG) support with TrueType fonts. Since the Windows Printing System brings Windows from the PC to the printer, the system no longer requires time- consuming translations between the PC and page description languages that reside on the printer. Microsoft says this translates into significantly faster printing that's up to five times faster than PCL and up to 10 times faster than PostScript. At the same time, notes Microsoft, the Windows Printing System makes it easier for users to both understand and access the printing process. Taking advantage of the graphical user interface capabilities of Windows, the Windows Printing System provides users with an on- screen graphical control panel. The panel includes animated images of whichever supported printer is connected to the PC, as well as icon-based printer and page configuration options, real-time visual error and printer status reporting, print time estimation and animated status of each printing job. The Windows Printing System has three components: software for the PC, including 79 TrueType fonts; software for the printer; and a cartridge that plugs into the printer's standard cartridge slot. Together, they link the printer to the PC to manage and enhance the printing process in real time. "There are 6.5 million installed Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers, and there is a tremendous amount of overlap between those printers and users of Windows," says Steve Shaiman, general manager of systems, peripherals and accessories group at Microsoft. "That creates a very large target market for the Windows Printing System, and we think the clear performance and ease- of-use benefits of the Windows Printing System make it a great printing solution under Windows." The Windows Printing System is currently available in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. through resellers for a suggested list price of $199 (U.S. only). Материалы переданы Антоном Шелестом **************************** 80486 - еще не вечер ************************* P5 bases computers I have seen were rather slow, about 30-40% faster than 486-66 for standard programs and about 70% faster for specially Pentium-optimized. Intel has a Pentium-compiler for high-effective Pentium optimisation and forces other companies to use it. However, MS said that the 1st retail version of Windows NT will be compiled for _standard_ 386/486 CPUs. Pentium optimisation doesn't make use of any 486+ based commands, but rearranges 386 command set so it runs the most effectively at Pentium. The difference is significant: 30%. On the other hand, P5 doesn't seem to be a CPU of the '93, and those P5-optimized programs will probably run \slower/ on regular chips. Материалы переданы Антоном Шелестом *********************** НАЧАЛСЯ БУМ ПРОЦЕССОРОВ OVERDRIVE **************** Intel says it is planning to build Overdrive processors for the Pentium Processor, planned for release in the second quarter of this year. The Pentium is the long-awaited next-generation microprocessor, which the public anticipated would be named the "586" until Intel announced the name change last year. The Overdrive Processors, introduced for i486 chips last year, are customer upgradeable processors with which, users can either replace the existing central processing unit (CPU), or insert into a socket originally reserved for the Intel 487 math coprocessor. These are different from the DX2 CPUs which are designed for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to put into existing system motherboards. Intel's End User Components Division Marketing Manager Harry Laswell said the Overdrive Processor is, "an integral part of our CPU architecture." The Overdrive and DX2 chips have the same objective, however, which is faster performance. The chips double the clock speed of the CPU they replace, allowing users and OEMs alike to get power boots without a system redesign. The Overdrive chips have been very successful and Intel estimates as many as 10 percent of 486-based PCs have upgraded with Overdrive Processors. However, new developments are ahead and users can expect to see a blue socket labeled "Overdrive Ready" in newer 486-based PC motherboards in the next few months. Intel says it anticipates OEMs will design the new PC 486 motherboards so users can upgrade right up to the Pentium. An Intel publication quotes Brian Manser, of PC manufacturer Zenith, saying his company is one of the OEMs planning that strategy. Supplies of the Pentium will be limited until production ramps up in 1994, Intel said. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS *** ПЕРВЫЕ ПРОЦЕССОРЫ OverDrive Pentium БУДУТ ОТГРУЖЕНЫ ТОЛЬКО В 1994 *** Users expecting to get the power of the Pentium this year with their current 486 systems that have a Pentium upgrade socket will be disappointed. Intel Corp. isn't expected to ship the OverDrive Pentium processor, code-named the P24T, until 1994. According to some PC makers, who included a Pentium upgrade socket with their latest 486 systems, Intel was supposed to roll out the P24T within a few weeks of the introduction of the full- scale Pentium this spring. But they said last week that Intel is telling them not to expect the chip until at least next year. Although systems have been sold since the second half of 1992 as "Pentium ready," manufacturers say the frustration of the delay will be tempered by Intel's plans to introduce a 486DX3/99 processor later this year that will help fill the gap. An Intel representative denied that there was any delay concerning the OverDrive processor, noting that OverDrive processors traditionally are announced after the main processor is announced. The first OverDrive processors, however, were introduced within 60 days of their 486DX2/50 and 486DX2/66 OEM counterparts. Intel is expected to formally introduce the Pentium on March 22, but in an unusual twist, Intel is requiring that PC makers keep their Pentium-based machines under wraps until May. "If I was Intel and I looked at how many 486 processors I was able to sell and the limited market for the Pentium initially, I would probably focus on the 486 this year as well," said Dean McCarron, a senior analyst for the market research firm InStat, in Tempe, Ariz. "The situation would have been different if [Advanced Micro Devices Inc.] had been able to ship its 486 clone early this year." At the Software Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif., this week, Intel and a host of other companies, including IBM and Microsoft Corp., will announce a number of tools designed to help develop 32-bit applications. They will also announce a new generation of compilers that will let software developers take advantage of the Pentium's superscalar capabilities. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ************** P5 - ПРОБЛЕМЫ ОТВОДА ТЕПЛА ЕЩЕ НЕ РЕШЕНЫ ***************** The new Pentium next-generation microprocessor does run hotter than the popular 486 presently available. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are going to have to design systems around the thermal issues, Intel said. Heat problems were an issue with the i486 central processing unit (CPU). Intel says the more transistors the CPU has, the more heat it will give off. The i486 has more transistors than both the i286 and the i386 and heat problems prompted third- party vendors such as Norman Bailey of Pcupid, inventor of the CPU Kooler, to develop special heat dispersing devices. Bailey told IDG the i486 was running too close to the maximum heat tolerances, which made the chip perform irrationally in some instances and fail in others. While the Intel specifications say the i486 chip should not be cooler than 32 degrees and not warmer than 185 degrees, the normal operating temperature for the i486 chip is about 170 degrees. Intel says the more transistors, the more heat. The Pentium has 3.1 million transistors - three times the number in the i486 CPU. Intel's Marketing Manager for the Pentium Processor Ronald Curry said: "People don't understand heat; they think something's wrong if it (the Pentium) puts off heat. Heat is a law of physics, this is a power dissipation issue." Intel says OEMs will have to redesign their systems to handle the heat from the Pentium. "Where you hear rumors of heat problems may be where an OEM tries to plug in a Pentium processor into a system made for an i386 or i486 CPU; it won't work, you won't be able to get the heat out," Curry said. IDG asked Elizabeth Kemper of Intel about the issue of an upper limit to how much heat circuit boards in contact with the Pentium can physically take. Kemper said Intel has known all along the Pentium would put out more heat than its predecessors and has plans to handle the extra thermal energy. "It's not putting out any more heat than we expected it to," Kemper said. The Pentium is expected to be available in May of this year in limited quantities, with full production ramped up to produce millions of Pentium CPUs by 1994. Initial prices of Pentium- based systems are expected to be in the $4,000 to $5,000 range, according to Intel sources, which is significantly lower than the $10,000-plus price tag the i486-based systems went for when that CPU was introduced. An Overdrive CPU for the Pentium, which is designed for users to plug into existing systems to speed up performance, is also expected to be available sometime in 1994. Intel is not talking about speeds or capabilities of the Overdrive CPUs other than to say they will be available. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ******** U.S. Trade Commission РЕШИЛА ПРЕКРАТИТЬ РАССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ********** *** О НАРУШЕНИИ ФИРМОЙ МИКРОСОФТ АНТИМОНОПОЛЬНОГО ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВА ******* The computer industry's ears perked up in anticipation this week after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it would soon make an announcement concerning a ``nonpublic investigation'' generally regarded as the Microsoft Corp. antitrust case. But instead of clearing the smoke, the FTC managed to fog the issue even more, after apparently deciding not to decide the case after two years of investigation. In a terse statement, the FTC indicated it would meet shortly to discuss the situation further. Reports had circulated that the FTC's lawyers recommended an injunction against Microsoft, possibly concerning its MS-DOS licensing practices. The FTC could have voted to accept that recommendation, deny it or extend the investigation. Previous speculation that the FTC might seek to split Microsoft into applications and operating systems segments have generally been disregarded. What happens now is anyone's guess. According to George Cumming Jr., a trial lawyer at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in San Francisco, the lack of a decision simply indicates that the FTC feels it needs more time. That time could be spent gathering more information, discussing the lawyer's recommendations more thoroughly, or possibly, working out a settlement with Microsoft attorneys. ``It's kind of difficult to read into the thing,'' Cumming said. For its part, Microsoft said it is continuing to cooperate with the FTC but that otherwise business is going on as usual. Novell, Inc., which is widely rumored to be preparing a class-action antitrust suit against Microsoft, said it will have no comment on the FTC investigation until a decision is rendered. Wall Street watchers said it seemed strange that the FTC would be unable to render a decision after more than two years. One possibility is that the FTC may be deadlocked. One of the five members of the investigating committee reportedly removed himself for conflict-of-interest reasons shortly before the decision was to be made public. That created a situation where a tie was possible. At least three of the five members would have to vote either in favor of or against any possible action. According to published reports this week, the FTC's vote ended in a 2-2 tie. *************** ЛУЧШИЕ МОНИТОРЫ Super VGA ЕЩЕ ДОВОЛЬНО ДОРОГИ ********* The March 16th issue of PC Magazine carries the results of the magazine's extensive laboratory tests of 58 14- and 15-inch Super VGA resolution monitors, the most popular size and resolution for today's business computers, so popular in fact that there have been reports of shortages in the supply lines. Five monitors received the coveted Editor's Choice ratings, two 14-inch and three 15-inch units. The ADI MicroScan 3E+ and Optiquest 1500D rated tops among the tested 14-inch monitors, based on quality and price. The $750 (list) ADI monitor comes with external DIP dual-inline-pin switches that allow the unit to be switched into service mode, while the $500 (list) Optiquest monitor only offers half the two- year warranty of the more expensive unit. Street prices for the two are nearly identical at around $400, which would seem to make the ADI monitor the best deal. PC Magazine rates the $899 (list) MAG MX15F tops among 15-inch monitors both for its fast 76 megahertz refresh rate and the exceptional front panel controls. The Nano Flexscan F340iW, which lists for $900 and has a street price of $725 or so, gets very high value ratings despite its high price. NEC's $760 (suggested street price) NEC MultiSync 4FG gets high ratings for sharpness and color alignment, but loses a few points for poor antiglare features. Detailed test results on all 58 monitors are included in the magazine. SuperVGA means that the monitors are all capable of a resolution of 1,024 x 768 pixels. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ******************** СВЕРХБЫСТРАЯ ОПЕРАТИВНАЯ ПАМЯТЬ ******************** NEC has released a super-fast dynamic random access memory, which is claimed to have almost four times the reading speed compared with conventional DRAM. The firm says it will start mass production of the chip soon. NEC's super-fast 16-bit DRAM chip is called the Synchronous DRAM and has a clock speed of 100 megahertz (MHz). The actual data accessing time is 10 nanoseconds (ns). Most of the existing 16-megabit DRAM have clock speeds of 25 MHz and an access speed of 40 ns. The Synchronous DRAM has a multiple pipeline architecture and a two-bank memory-cell structure. NEC has already started shipping the chip on a sample basis. The retail price of the 100 MHz chip is high , costing 60,000 yen ($500) a piece. The 33 MHz version costs 20,000 yen ($165). The 66 MHz version costs 30,000 yen ($250). The prices are expected to drop when the firm goes into mass production. NEC says it will start shipping 30,000 units of the chip per month beginning this June. By the end of the year, NEC will raise the production rate to 300,000 units per month. NEC claims that Synchronous DRAMs will dominate the DRAM market within two to three years. The firm will target the chip towards engineering workstations and advanced personal computers. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS **************** ПЛАЗМЕННЫЙ ДИСПЛЕЙ РАЗМЕРОМ МЕТР НА МЕТР **************** NEC claims to have developed the technology to realize a one meter by one meter large plasma screen. It is full-color and can be thin so that it can be hung on a wall. The company feels that it may will be used in televisions and computers in the future. NEC's display is based on its original plasma display technology. According to the company, it has applied bigger and brighter pixels, and has tried to stabilize the brightness on the screen. The firm's prototype color display) measures 47.5 centimeters (cm) by 47.5 cm. That translates to about a 19-inch screen. The display uses 240 by 320 units of hexagon-shaped pixels. Three electrodes controls the activity of the pixels. The company claims that the brightness of the screen has been improved due to the transparent electrodes and the beehive- layout of data electrodes placed on the bottom of pixels. Under these technologies, the brightness and the clearness have improved, but still it is inferior to those of LCDs (liquid crystal displays). The prototype screen has less pixels. So, the screen image is quite rough compared with that of regular televisions. However, NEC expects to develop commercial versions of the one meter by one meter color plasma screen within two to three years. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS *Hitachi ДОБИВАЕТСЯ УСПЕХА В РАЗРАБОТКЕ ЭКОНОМИЧНОЙ ОПЕРАТИВНОЙ ПАМЯТИ** Hitachi Europe Ltd., has announced a breakthrough by scientists from Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory that could lead to new memory chips with a vastly increased capacity, but which would draw no more power than present-day microchips. According to a Reuters report, a number of Hitachi-sponsored scientists and other British researchers have been working on an advanced memory chip since 1989. Present RAM, or even more expensive but lower-power CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductors) memory, would draw many amps to power a 1,000 gigabyte (GB) memory, far more than is practical for any portable or even most desktop computers. However, the newly developed "single-electron" memory would not only occupy about 100,000 times less space than conventional memory, it would also draw proportionally less power, making massive memories practical for even PCs. This is a basic scientific breakthrough, not a product, and it might well take a decade or more to actually produce such low- power memories. However, the way operating system and program memory requirements are soaring, the need for such a high-density memory is not just theoretical. If such memory became possible to mass produce at reasonable costs, it could eventually lead to a surge in interest in drive- less computers which depend on high-speed memory to store information in RAM disks. Such computers are now in use and in the past, when hard drives were expensive and slow, RAM disks were very popular. However, the cost and power demands of memories running into the hundreds of megabytes are not currently practical for most applications. As microprocessors increase in power, they place ever greater demands on data transfer rates and memory size, leading to an ever increasing requirement for massive and inexpensive memories. This latest development shows one way in which companies could meet the demands. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS *********************** ШИНА VESA НЕ ИМЕЕТ БУДУЩЕГО ****************** Dell Computer Corp., convinced that Intel Corp.'s PCI local bus is the wave of the future, appears to be trying to kill the VESA Local Bus. Dell sent out a letter February 12 informing systems manufacturers and board makers that their implementations of VESA Local Bus may violate a Dell patent, Dell confirmed. If Dell asks manufacturers to stop selling the systems, users may be forced to use Intel's technology to speed up graphics and other peripherals. Vendors who use the VESA technology could lose thousands in development costs and unsellable back stock. At the very least, months of litigation and possible licensing fees could halt the VESA Local Bus' momentum, giving PCI a chance to gain a dominant market share. When asked why Dell did not inform VESA of its patent before the specification was finalized, William Luther Martin Jr., Dell director of licensing and litigation, said, "We've had this patent for over a year. At the time [last year] we didn't think VL Bus was going to take off. But within the last two months, it has begun to appear that the VL Bus would pre-empt the Intel PCI standard, which was a surprise to us." However, a Dell representative denied Dell's intention is to kill off VESA Local Bus, but said Dell might ask some companies to cease selling the systems. Ironically, last year Dell approved the very specification it is now contesting. The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) is an association of vendors that develops graphics-related specifications. Dell has been a VESA member for about a year. In addition, "VESA has a policy that if you have a patent, you expose it," said Tom Ryan, VESA executive director. He refused to comment further, saying VESA does not yet have enough information to have chosen a course of action. "Given that Dell has had membership in VESA and made a tech demo at a VESA meeting at Comdex 91, it's peculiar that they would not have advised the VESA members that they had a patent application for such technology," said Jon Peddie, publisher of the "PC Graphics Report," in Oakland, Calif. ■ Courtesy of Bun's BBS ********* Digital ЛИДИРУЕТ ПО ВИНЧЕСТЕРАМ СВЫШЕ ОДНОГО ГИГАБАЙТА ********** Digital's announcement of a 2.1GB 3.5" as well as 3.5" 1" high 535MB, 1.0 and 1.3GB products will help to further establish the company as a leading supplier of OEM high performance disk drive products. We believe Digital's primary goal with respect to the new drive products is offering current and prospective customers a logical growth path to both higher capacity 3.5" products and visibility that the company intends to product high volume lower cost versions of currently manufactured drives. DSP3210 DSP3133L, 3170L, 3053L Capacity 2.1GB, 8 platter 1.33GB, 1.07GB, 535MB, 5/4/2 platter Seek Time <10ms <9.5ms RPM 5,400 5,400 Interface Fast/Wide SCSI Fast/Wide SCSI MTBF 500,000 hours 500,000 hours Warranty 5 years standard 5 years standard Volume Ship. CQ293 CQ393 IDG