Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (04/06/91)
Info-IBMPC Digest Wed, 3 Apr 91 Volume 91 : Issue 79
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
Murph's VAPORWARE Column for April 1991
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Date: Fri, 29 Mar 1991 12:40:18 EST
From: Murph Sewall <Sewall%UCONNVM.BITNET@YALEVM.YCC.Yale.Edu>
Subject: Murph's VAPORWARE Column for April 1991
VAPORWARE
Murphy Sewall
From the April 1991 APPLE PULP
H.U.G.E. Apple Club (E. Hartford) News Letter
P.O. Box 18027
East Hartford, CT 06118
Call the "Bit Bucket" (203) 569-8739
Permission granted to redistribute with the above citation
These are rumors folks;
we reserve the right to be dead wrong!
Pen-Based Portables with Keyboards.
This Fall's hardware for the Go (see last September's column) and
Microsoft Pen Windows (see February's column) operating systems will be
transitional machines which include fold down, detachable keyboards.
The motherboard and disk drives will be behind the LCD, pen input
screen so that the unit can be used in the field without the keyboard.
- InfoWorld 4 March
Not an April Fool's Joke.
NuTek expects manufacturers to begin shipping Macintosh clones based on
their chipsets (see last month's column) by the end of the year. Some
analysts believe that, by that time, a 68030 Mac compatible with hard
disk and color monitor will retail for less than $700. - MacWorld April
Two New PS/2s.
The 20 MHz 80386SX PS/2 Model 40 with an AT bus (see last November's
column) will debut in early June along with a 20 MHz version of the
current Model 55. The Model 40 has been in beta tests for more than
six months, but Big Blue doesn't want to introduce it until the new
Model 55 is ready. Executives fear the Model 40 would "cannibalize"
sales of the present version. Both new models might have a new 2.88
Mbyte "super" floppy drive (maybe, the super is deja vu -- see the
September 1990 and January 1991 columns). - PC Week 11 March
PS/3.
IBM's next generation will join Compaq (see last month's column) and
Apple (see the February and December 1990 columns) as a RISC computer.
The RISC PS/3 running the same operating systems (AIX-3 and OS/2
version 3) as the current RS/6000 PowerStations will be introduced in
late 1992 or early 1993. - InfoWorld 11 March
Unicode to Replace ASCII.
A coalition of both hardware and software vendors, including all the
major players, is backing an effort to replace the current 128
characters of ASCII. Unicode will be a 16-bit standard supporting more
than 27,000 characters (out of a possible 65,536). A computer system
based on the proposed standard would be able to display characters from
virtually every alphabetic and ideographic system on Earth.
Mathematical and typographical characters, such as dingbats, also will
be supported. None of the companies has announced a release date for
software based on the Unicode standard. - InfoWorld 25 February
XGA for Clones.
IBM has promised members of the Video Electronics Standards Association
that it will soon offer original equipment manufacturers the XGA chip
set. IBM also plans to introduce a version of XGA for EISA 80386
systems. - InfoWorld 25 February
Mac Accelerators.
Radius Inc. of San Jose and IIR Inc. of Cumming, Georgia both will be
announcing Motorola 68040 accelerator cards for the Macintosh II line
during the second quarter. The Nubus cards are expected to boost the
performance of the IIci past that the IIfx. - InfoWorld 18 February
40MHz i860 RISC Station.
Samsung Software America plans a June introduction for a 40 MHz
workstation based on the Intel i860 RISC chip which was originally
designed as a coprocessor for the i486 (see the February and March 1989
columns). Workstations based on the chip had been expected last year
(reported in the December 1989 column). If Samsung delivers, look for
an 8 Mbyte system with a 640 Mbyte hard drive and a 1,280 by 1,204
monochrome monitor for about $7,000. - PC Week 18 February
IIgs SuperDrive.
Apple's Ralph Russo told a user group in Minnesota that Apple plans to
offer a SuperDrive card (at long last) for the Apple IIgs. No date or
price information was offered (perhaps after the Spring thaw?) - found
in my electronic mailbox
Your Local Macintosh Dealer?
A hot rumor "where the boys are" is that on April 15th Apple will
remove the Apple II computers from the dealers price and order lists.
The same source also says on that date it will be announced that a
major nationwide department store chain will begin selling the Apple II
line (I only report 'em; you decide whether to believe 'em). - found
in my electronic mail box
MS DOS 5.0
Why has Microsoft delayed the introduction of DOS 5.0 (see last
January's column) to late May or early June? Could it be that the
potential for running Windows applications without bothering with the
Windows environment might have something to do with it or is it? Or,
is more time needed to thoroughly test the operating system with
network drivers as Microsoft says? - InfoWorld 4 March and PC Week 11
March
More Viruses Than You Want to Know About.
The MS-DOS Anti-virus software from Central Point which is in beta test
has a manual listing 300 DOS viruses. Entries also name aliases and
symptoms. Fortunately, the program can stop them all. -InfoWorld 25
February
Beta 1-2-3 for Windows.
Lotus should have shipped the beta version of its Windows spreadsheet
by the time this column appears. 1-2-3 for Windows, currently
codenamed Rockport, will include solver capabilities and support the
Windows Multiple Document Interface (MDI) protocol. If the beta test
goes well, look for the finished product by midsummer. - PC Week and
InfoWorld 11 March
FoxPro 2.0
The new relational data base from Fox Software should appear this
month, but without the integrated database compiler that had been
expected. A separately packaged tool kit will contain an executable
(EXE) compiler and a LAN version. The new version will be able to run
in Windows 3.0 protected mode. - PC week 11 March
Dbase IV Data Entry Tools.
Although the product isn't in beta test yet, Ashton-Tate expects to
ship a new version of their relational database this summer. According
to A-T president Bill Lyons and vice president David Proctor, the new
version will incorporate features of the "Control Center Booster" which
allows data entry operators to select and import data from other
application's files during data entry. The executives also said they
expect a Windows version of Dbase IV to ship sometime this year. -
InfoWorld 25 February
Software Publishing Fenestrates.
Fred Gibbons, president and CEO of Software Publishing (SPC), says his
firm will be bringing out Windows versions of Professional Write,
Harvard Graphics, Harvard Geographics, and Info Alliance. SPC also is
about to beta test a drawing and illustration program for Windows
codenamed Gunslinger. - InfoWorld 18 February
SAS for Windows.
A full implementation of the SAS multivariate statistical program which
will include support for object linking and embedding and dynamic data
exchange is expected to ship for Windows during the fourth quarter.
SAS version 2.0 for OS/2 with the same features also will be released
at the same time according to Randy Betancourt, workstation manager for
SAS Institute. - InfoWorld 25 February
Claris To Do Windows.
When Apple re-absorbed Claris last summer, there were conflicting
rumors about the fate of the software developer's Windows projects (see
the August and September 1990 columns). Recent, conspicuous classified
advertising to fill staff positions for Windows development are a clear
indication that Windows projects will proceed. - PC Week 11 and 25
February
PageMaker Update.
Aldus is preparing a faster version of PageMaker 4.0 for the Macintosh.
Maybe Microsoft can make Windows faster for MS DOS users? - MacWorld
April
/s Murph <Sewall%UConnVM.BITNET@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu> BITNET/Internet
...!uunet!uconnvm.bitnet!sewall UUCP
+ Standard disclaimer applies ("The opinions expressed are my own" etc.)
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #79
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