Sewall@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (02/25/91)
VAPORWARE
Murphy Sewall
From the March 1991 APPLE PULP
H.U.G.E. Apple Club (E. Hartford) News Letter
$15/year U.S. - $18/year Canadian
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!
Nutek's Macintosh Motif.
Nutek Computers Inc will offer a three chip logic chip set
and software that will replicate the Macintosh ROMs and
system software. The chip set and software were designed
entirely from scratch under 'clean room' conditions without
reference to the internal code of the Macintosh operating
system or ROMs according to Benjamin Chou, Nutek President.
Nutek plans to license the technology to computer makers in
much the same way that Phoenix Technologies licenses their
IBM clone ROMs. Nutek based computers will have their own
"look and feel." Nutek has licensed OSF's Motif interface
and removed the Unix and X Window features. Menus and
windows sport a three-dimensional look. The menu bar will
appear across the top of the active window instead of
remaining stationary at the top of the screen. The System
6.x compatible software consists of Nutek versions of
System, Finder, and Multifinder. The operating system
supports current applications and desk accessories, 32-bit
color, and all current third-party peripherals, including
large screen displays, according to Chou. The technology
should be available in the fourth quarter, and the first
computers based on the Nutek's technology could be available
in early 1992. - InfoWorld and PC Week 28 January
Macintosh OS for Intel Processors?
Apple is evaluating a program, known internally as Mac30, to
port the Macintosh operating system to Intel's 32-bit
microprocessor line (386SX, 386, and 486). Sources indicate
the plan calls for Apple to license the operating system and
SE/30 ROM BIOS to hardware manufacturers for between $500
and $1,000. The goal would be to increase Apple's share of
the operating system market to as much as 30 percent within
five years. - InfoWorld 28 January
Cross Platform Card Stacks.
Oracle Corporation has announced a multiplatform database
program that lets card stacks run under both Macintosh and
MS-DOS operating systems. Oracle Card for the Mac and for
Windows will ship in May for $299 each. Each version of the
program will do a "best fit" of fonts and graphics when
stacks are passed from one platform to the other. Oracle
also plans to build Oracle Card for Open Look, Motif, NeXT
Step, and Presentation Manager. - InfoWorld 28 January
Cross Platform Compiler.
Zortech Inc. plans to offer developers a uniform C++
environment for MS-DOS, Unix, and Macintosh operating
systems. An extended DOS version using Phar Lap Software's
DOS Extender already is available. A $295 Macintosh version
is slated for April release. A $499.95 Unix version is
currently in beta test and should be ready for market within
the next few months. - PC Week 28 January
i486 Compatible RISC Chip.
NexGen Microsystems is developing an eight chip set of i486
compatible RISC architecture which is said to offer twice
the performance of the Intel original and 50 percent more
speed than Sun Microsystems current SPARC CPU. The product
is in its final stage of testing and could be released this
summer. Computers using the eight chip set and 64-bit
NexBus, which has a sustained rate of 150 Mbytes per second,
will not be cheap to produce. - PC Week 28 January
PM To Go the Way of TopView?
Remember TopView, a character based windowing system briefly
touted by IBM? It appears that the once similarly promoted
Presentation Manager graphical interface will soon be as
forgotten (IBM's protests to the contrary not
withstanding). Microsoft's latest strategy envisions
Windows as the "mainstream operating system." A 32-bit
version (Win32) is in the works that also will support
preemptive multitasking and threads. OS/2 will be
repositioned as the high end operating system for
workstations and servers. Because OS/2 version 3.0, also
known as "Advanced Windows," will run PM as well as Windows
applications, developers are unlikely to see a need for PM
specific applications. Industry observers caution that
Microsoft's history of operating system development
indicates that many more repositioning statements along with
clarifications and possibly some retractions (not to mention
the passage of considerable time) are likely before a
next-generation operating system is available (see next
item).
- InfoWorld 4 and 11 February and PC Week 4 and 11 February
IBM OS/2 Contingency Plan.
Apparently Big Blue expects Microsoft's OS/2 3.0 (also
referred to as "portable" OS/2 or OS/2 New Technology - see
last November's column) to be delayed and has been at work
on their own version for more than a year. IBM's portable
OS/2 is being developed specifically for the RS/6000
PowerStation line and other high-end architectures. IBM has
full license to the Microsoft product and is not committed
to shipping its own version which is being developed as a
backup. IBM has a license to develop NeXT Step for the
RS/6000 platform, but it appears implementation of that idea
has vaporized. - PC Week 11 February
Commodore AmigaDos 2.0.
The last update of the OS found in the A3000, AmigaDos 2.0,
has been sent to developers. It looks like 2.0 will be
burnt into ROM soon. - found in my electronic mailbox
Compaq Selects a RISC CPU.
Compaq has decided to build its next generation of servers
(see last December's column) around the MIPS R4000 RISC
processor chip. Although a formal announcement is not
expected until June, the 64-bit R4000 is described as a 50
MHz, 15 MIP CPU with a "super pipelined design." The MIPS
RISC chip set also will have a 64K instruction cache and
another 64K data cache. The operating system for the Compaq
RISC systems is expected to be OS/2 3.0.
- PC Week 4 February and InfoWorld 11 February
Shirt Pocket PC.
Hewlett-Packard and Lotus Development are expected to
introduce a featherweight $600 "palmtop" computer next
month. Code named "Jaguar," the shirt pocket sized 8088 CPU
machine offers a display about the size of a Rolodex card
and weighs less than 12 ounces with battery and 1 Mbyte RAM
card installed. The machine features 512K of internal
memory, Lotus 1-2-3 2.2 and Metro memo pad, appointment
book, and calender software loaded into ROM. A serial port
and infrared technology will permit users to transfer data
to and from desktop machines in addition to using the tiny
QWERTY keyboard. - PC Week 4 February
Pen-based Macintosh?
Apple is said to have laboratory versions of at least six
pen-based computer systems. A final design selection is
expected in early summer, but it will be 1992 at the
earliest before Apple will have a marketable version.
- PC Week 4 February
IBM Delays 386SX Laptop.
Shortages of 60 Mbyte disk drives have forced IBM to put off
the introduction of the 7.5 pound Laptop 40SX until late
March. The shortage of the same hard drives has limited the
availability of Compaq's LTE 386/20. When it is launched,
the 20 MHz L40SX will include an internal 2400 baud modem
with 9600 bps FAX and an AT-type bus. At the beginning of
the year, IBM hoped to offer its system for close to $5,000,
but a recent reevaluation of its strategy has raised the
expected price to close to $6,000.
- PC Week 4 February and InfoWorld 11 February
Mac Portable Delayed Too.
A RAM addressing problem has forced Apple to delay the
planned introduction of a new Macintosh laptop (see
January's column). One knowledgeable source inside Apple
says there's a 25 percent chance that the $4,200 backlit LCD
product (with 2 Mbytes or RAM and a 40 Mbyte hard disk) will
be cancelled completely. The 4 pound, $3,000 Mac Companion
being developed by Toshiba is still in prospect for
September. - PC Week 21 January and MacWorld March
Alternative LapMacs.
Dynamac, a company that converts Macintosh products to
portables, will be producing a $1,299 9.5 inch, backlit
flat-panel display for the Mac LC. The product should be
ready by the middle of this month. Dynamac also will
provide 13.5 pound Mac laptops for $4,995 (68020) and $6,995
(68030). - InfoWorld 21 January
Wireless AppleTalk.
Apple has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission
to set aside specific frequencies for a proposed radio-based
LAN. Unlike the similar Motorola wireless network system,
Apple's proposal will not require users to obtain an FCC
license. - InfoWorld 4 February
Remember the IIgs?
Although it sometimes seems that Apple has forgotten that it
makes the Apple IIgs, the response to the complaint that the
new Apple II board for the Macintosh LC doesn't support IIgs
programs is "not yet!" On the other hand, in recent years
Apple has given beta testers numerous items, including whole
systems (the ROM 04 IIgs comes to mind), that the company
has subsequently elected not to market.
- found in my electronic mailbox
New Apple Printers (with Lower Prices).
Apple plans to introduce two new, low-end printers on March
11. The four pound, bubble-jet technology StyleWriter will
have a small "footprint" and a list price under $600. The
Personal LaserWriter LS will list for under $1,300. The
LaserWriter LS will not be upgradeable to PostScript, but
will use a custom chip to compress and decompress page
images in order to speed printing and will accept data via
the serial port (also in the interest of faster
throughput). Both the StyleWriter and LaserWriter LS will
use True Type technology (expected to ship at the same
time). Apple is said to be planning to release True Type
fonts ahead of System 7.0 via an INIT for the current
operating system.
- PC Week 4 February and InfoWorld 11 February
Solid-Ink Color Printer
Dataproducts Corporation plans to introduce two solid-ink
color printers this summer. The major advantage of these
printers over current thermal transfer printers is that they
can print on any kind of paper. The Dataproducts Jolt
printer line is expected to start at about $5,000
(approximately $1,000 less than similar color thermal
printers - see last month's column). - PC Week 11 February
17 Page Per Minute LaserJet.
Hewlett-Packard plans to be one page faster than the
competition with a $5,200 17 page per minute printer
targeted for network users. The 300 dot per inch LaserJet
IIIsi will offer users a choice of Token Ring or Ethernet
connectivity. - PC Week 21 January
Plug and Play Hard Drive.
Jasmine Technologies should already be out with a 20 Mbyte
portable 2.5 inch hard drive about the size of a portable
cassette player which draws its power from a micro's SCSI
connector. The company hopes to have 40 and 80 MByte
versions available by the third quarter. - MacWorld March
100 MHz i486.
Intel intends to compete with RISC chip makers by
introducing a 100 MHz version of its i486 chip by the end of
this year or early next year. System designers may have
some difficulty taking advantage of the CPU's capabilities.
At that clock speed, RAM would need to be in the 10
nanosecond range and caches would have to be about twice
that fast. Today's 32-bit bus designs represent another
potential bottleneck. - PC Week 21 January
Low Cost i486.
Intel plans to market two, lower cost 20 MHz versions of the
i486 processor (see January's column). The P23 will be an
i486 without at math coprocessor at a price of about $250.
The $350 P23N will have the internal math coprocessor.
Systems based on the chips are expected to run faster than
33 MHz 80386 PCs for about the same price. Computers using
these CPUs could be available by this summer.
- PC Week 11 February
Even Smaller Footprint Hard Drives.
The Small Form Factor Committee, which includes the major
CPU and hard disk drive manufacturers, has agreed that the
next generation of drives should use a 48 mm (1.8 inch) disk
and fit into a case with external dimensions smaller than 54
mm (2.16 inches). The drives, which will cost approximately
$30 per megabyte, should support up to 200 Mbyte capacity by
the middle of the 1990's. - PC Week 28 January
IBM Puts Its Signature on Word Processing.
IBM and Xyquest are preparing to release a word processor
named Signature (see last January's column) which will be
file compatible with both DisplayWrite 5 and XyWrite III
Plus. The DOS-based version should ship during the second
quarter with a Windows version due later this year followed
by an eventual OS/2 PM version.
- PC Week and InfoWorld 4 February
PostScript II.
Adobe has licensed Storm PicturePress JPEG image compression
software. Adobe is expected to incorporate a custom version
of PicturePress's technology into PostScript II.
- MacWorld March
Hayes LAN.
Modem maker Hayes Microproducts has announced a network
operating system designed for small work groups. The
primary selling point for the DOS-based LAN with a character
and icon driven user interface (also includes mouse support)
is ease of setup and use. The basic five user package will
become available this month with an expander packages for up
to 128 users and 255 workstations shipping in April.
- PC Week 11 February
WordPerfect for Windows Delayed.
WordPerfect won't fulfill its previously announced plan to
ship WordPerfect for Windows during the first quarter of
this year. Some analysts are skeptical that the company can
meet its second quarter deadline. Amy Wohl, of Wohl
Associates, a consulting firm, is of the opinion that
"WordPerfect can get WP for Windows shipped in the second
quarter if there are 48 days in June." - PC Week 4 February
Wordstar for Windows.
Wordstar International has acquired the source code to
Legacy, a Windows-based word processor, from NBI Inc.
Wordstar intends to merge Legacy's code with its own
technology and create Wordstar for Windows 1.0 by the end of
this year. - InfoWorld 28 January
Quattro Pro 3.0.
Even though version 2.0 shipped only last fall, Borland has
sent its answer to Lotus 1-2-3 version 3.1 and Excel version
3.0 to beta testers. Quattro Pro 3.0 boasts enhanced WSYWIG
capabilities and will run both with and without Windows
3.0. - InfoWorld 4 February