InfoWorld articles from June 1997

InfoWorld archives from June 1997

Compaq bid gets OK: widespread support for Tandem deal. (Tandem Computer acquisition) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Customers and analysts appear to be giving Compaq's bid to acquire Tandem Computer an initial thumbs up as Compaq prepares to compete in the high-end server market with IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Digital. In a stock swap valued at $3 billion,...

Browsers to get face-lift: Netscape framework seeks to improve Web user interface. (Meta Content Format framework) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Netscape is building a content framework meant to revolutionize Web-site display into its next-generation Apollo server and Mercury client Web products, which are due in early 1998. Netscape also plans to offer on its Web site a...

Thrown to the wolves. (Novell's court battle over Wolf Mountain clustering technology) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... What was billed as a BrainShare conference last March may actually have been a "brain drain" event that has left Novell scrambling to reconstruct a major product initiative. At the same time that some of Novell's prize engineers demonstrated...

Lotus shoots for real-time replication. (Notification Service Transfer Protocol) (includes related article on channel efforts) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Lotus is hoping to bring standards-based collaboration to the Internet via its Notification Service Transfer Protocol (NSTP), synchronous Web-based collaboration software that the company will incorporate into future versions of its Domino...

Same old GUI in an innovative industry. (From the News Desk) (Technology Information)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Despite all the hoopla associated with user interfaces over the years, the sad truth is that GUI technology as a whole hasn't advanced all that much since the introduction of the Macintosh, which in turn was based on a concept that had...

Microsoft hones Memphis, IE 4. (Memphis OS, Internet Explorer) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Microsoft will announce this week the beta release of Memphis, or Windows 9x. Officials at last week's technical reviewers workshop, in Bellevue Wash., said the platform is ready for wide-scale testing. Memphis entered limited beta testing...

Netscape may unbundle Navigator for IBM. (from Communicator 4.0 workgroup suite) (Product Information)
June 30, 1997... Competitive market pressures are pushing Netscape toward breaking out the browser from its upcoming Communicator 4.0 suite by year's end, a move that some industry observers believe would help salvage Netscape's critical relationship with IBM....

IBM prepares high-end, 200-MHz NC. (network computer) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... IBM this fall is expected to roll out a high-end network computer that will feature at least a 200-MHz PowerPC 603e chip and support for a smart card. The system will be priced at about $1,000. IBM will likely bundle Microware's OS-9 with the...

Sun plans to fix Solaris bug. (Sun Microsystems) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Sun engineers said last week that Sun plans to release a series of fixes to the Internet protocol stack in its Sun Solaris OS. Many sites running PCs with Windows and using Microsoft's TCP/IP protocols to access the server have reported a drain...

Asymetrix to pick up Aimtech. (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Asymetrix this week is expected to announce its intent to acquire Aimtech. Both companies, which develop online learning tools and multimedia content, are privately held, so no financial details were released. The combined entity operating as...

Briefly noted. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... The U.S. Department of Commerce licensed Microsoft to export Internet products with 128-bit encryption to approved banks. Netscape last week said it received similar approval. U&I Interactive this week will roll out the Pro Edition of its...

Microsoft implements RAD approach to Visual J++ tool. (code-named Vegas rapid application development tool) (Product Development)
June 30, 1997... Rather than force the integration of Visual Basic and Java, Microsoft plans to enter the emerging market of rapid application development (RAD) Java tools by enhancing its Visual J++ tool, company officials said. The company is expected next...

Eight-processor servers delayed; chip-set technology problems detain release one year. (to 1998) (Industry Trend or Event)
June 30, 1997... A number of major PC vendors have pushed back their plans to offer eight-processor servers early next year. Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM plan to offer eight-processor Pentium Pro systems next year at the same time Microsoft releases its...

NC future looks brighter with software roll out. (network computer; Network Computer Inc's NC Server software for managing and linking NCs)(Product Announcement)
June 30, 1997... Oracle's concept of the Network Computer may finally find its way into corporations, now that Oracle subsidiary Network Computer Inc. (NCI) has released the needed software to build these low-cost networks. NCI last week announced the...

HDS will transform into Neoware. (HDS Network Systems becomes Neoware Systems; NeoStation thin client)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... HDS Network Systems is getting a makeover next month, including a name change and a new thin-client product. The new name is Neoware Systems, and the thin client will be called the NeoStation. The NeoStation will use HDS' proprietary operating...

Cabletron to eliminate LAN router traffic. (Cabletron Systems' SecureFast Smart LANE Services for network switches) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Cabletron in August will offer ATM LAN Emulation software that reduces unwanted broadcast traffic and allows users to communicate between emulated LANs without an intervening router. Cabletron's SecureFast SmartLANE Services, which will be...

Visigenic ups ORB ante: vendor to increase CORBA services. (Visigenic Software's VisiBroker ORB enhanced, Integrated Transaction Server transaction software planned) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Visigenic this week will unveil plans to expand its object-development framework through increased support of the CORBA object architecture and the introduction of an object-based transaction server. The company will roll out its road map...

Oracle8 objects cost extra. (Oracle8 Object Option DBMS utility) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Although Oracle acknowledges the object functionality of its Oracle8 database is an optional feature, the company will not reveal how much users will have to pay for it. Pricing for the Oracle8 Object Option will vary from one user site to...

For the record.(Correction Notice)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... The June 23 article "Users wade through electronic-commerce market" (page 75) misspelled the name of DataFlex's Dan Bisaillon. The correct price of Market Maker, from Trade'ex, is $85,000. Mark Tebbe's June 23 column ("We may not all buy...

Multiple bets placed on multimedia networks. (International Teleconferencing '97 show) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... At this week's International Teleconferencing (ITCA) '97 trade show, in Washington, some companies will voice support for the recently ratified H.323 standard, which supports videoconferencing over IP networks, and others will concentrate on...

JavaSoft to fix RMI compatibility: integration with CORBA to open up proprietary protocol. (Remote Method Invocation) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... In a move designed to thwart criticism and support open standards, JavaSoft last week announced it will integrate its Remote Method Invocation (RMI) protocol with the Object Management Group (OMG)'s CORBA specification. Recently, JavaSoft...

Cisco helps link voice and data networking. (Cisco Systems acquires Ardent Communications, deal with Alcatel Telecom) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Data and voice networks took two steps closer to integration last week with an acquisition and a strategic partnership announced by Cisco. The router giant purchased a developer of multimedia access concentrators and also agreed to exchange...

IBI will boost SmartMart package with Java support. (Information Builders' data mart software version 3.3.1) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Information Builders Inc. (IBI) later this year will add Java and OLE DB support to its SmartMart data mart development package in order to boost browser access and improve meta data management. Version 3.3.1, due this summer, will support...

Microsoft to distribute Java. (Package Management push technology) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... A Microsoft official said at the company's reviewers' workshop last week that Microsoft is developing a new technology called Package Management to add Java software distribution capabilities to its Internet software line. The news is being...

Supreme Court upholds ruling against CDA. (Communications Decency Act) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... In a victory for free speech on the World Wide Web, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that says regulating indecent speech on the Internet is unconstitutional, according to the chief opponent of the law. The court voted...

Netscape and ally launch their version of virtual office. (Concentric Network's Netscape Virtual Office) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Just weeks after Lotus took the wraps off its Instant Teamroom product, Netscape and its ally Concentric Network have launched their version of a virtual-collaboration product called Netscape Virtual Office by Concentric. The virtual office...

Shrunken PowerPC chip uses less juice. (IBM's and Motorola's PowerPC 604e low-power processors) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Although every microprocessor chip supplier has unveiled a road map for cutting power consumption and increasing performance through a transition to 0.25-micron processing technology, the PowerPC camp this week becomes the first to have volume...

Microsoft kept busy exterminating IIS bugs. (Internet Information Server security flaws) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... In a week originally devoted to the coming-out party for Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0, Microsoft was busy addressing a bug in IIS 3.0 that allows hackers to crash it. Microsoft posted a patch for the flaw, which allows malicious...

IBM leads NC standards group: mobilizing network computers tops list of concerns. (Industry Trend or Event)
June 30, 1997... The network computer has yet to find its way onto the desktop in most corporations, but a group of 11 vendors headed by IBM is already finding ways to allow thin clients to leave the desktop with new standards for mobile NCs. Apple, Fujitsu,...

HP aiming to make handhelds picture perfect. (Internet imaging initiative) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Following up on a PC imaging initiative that it announced with Intel at PC Expo in New York last week, Hewlett-Packard unveiled an Internet imaging initiative aimed at adding photo-quality images to handheld devices, network computers, and...

Apple finds partner to help with MacOS 8. (Product Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Apple officials said that the company will form a partnership with a third party to help IS managers "push install" MacOS 8, as well as let them centrally manage the installation and setup processes. Apple would not name the company it is...

Pipeline. (Client) (News Briefs)
June 30, 1997... PRICE CUTS Dell last week announced price reductions of as much as 13 percent across its network-ready OptiPlex corporate desktop PC line. This is the third time this year that OptiPlex prices have been reduced. The OptiPlex Gs 5200L, which...

Tests show Solaris surpasses Windows NT performance. (Sun Microsystems' benchmark tests of its OS) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Sun Microsystems released in-house benchmark tests last week that showed its Sun Solaris operating system delivers the fastest Java performance with larger applications, surpassing Windows NT performance by as much as 700 percent in some areas....

Semiconductor suppliers introduce low-power chips. (Fairchild's, Motorola's and Toshiba's VCX Series glue-logic chips) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Three semiconductor suppliers have developed a line of PC glue-logic chips that operate at low voltages to provide high performance and low-power dissipation in mobile computers, desktops, and servers. Fairchild, Motorola, and Toshiba formed...

Phoenix to provide ACPI tools. (Phoenix Technologies, advanced configuration and power management interface) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Phoenix Technologies last week introduced a suite of advanced configuration and power-management interface (ACPI) firmware and development tools that add PC97/PC98 and OnNow functionality to desktop, portable, and server systems. The ACPI...

Flatbed scanners. (Street Prices) (Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... 24-bit Change color from model Resolution(1) Low High Average March Hewlett ...

Direct-sales models tempt system vendors. (NEC Computer Systems, Sony Electronics) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Now that dell has proven that corporate buyers will use the direct channel, one by one other system vendors are starting to add direct sales and distribution models to their sales channels. Last week Sony and NEC announced that they would offer...

Smoke out those mystery activities with free WinTop. (Microsoft's Kernel Toys OS enhancement component)(Window Manager) (Product Support)(Column)
June 30, 1997... One of Windows' endearing little habits is to periodically take over your system for no apparent reason. Seemingly out of the blue, Windows will spin your hard disk, make an odd sound, or generally do something that you're sure you didn't...

Direct vendors to go after servers: Gateway, Micron look to score big with end-users by entering server market. (Gateway 2000's and Micron Electronics' acquisitions of Advanced Logic Research and NetFrame Systems, respectively) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Vendors that have made a booming business selling personal computers directly to end-users are now looking to use that same strategy to sell Intel-based servers. Following Dell Computer's lead, which has propelled itself to the No. 4 server...

Tools vendors search for ways to ease year-2000 headache. (services and tools introduced at Software Productivity Group year-2000 conference) (Industry Trend or Event)
June 30, 1997... In the rush to prevent system failures from the inability of software programs to handle the impending millennial date change, IT shops and tools vendors are focusing on ways to improve and shorten year-2000 projects through better code...

The bug report. (server bugs and fixes) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Netscape's Media Server. With Netscape's Media Server 1.x running on all OSes, Netscape recommends opening port numbers 13000 through 13010 via the firewall, rather than just port 13000. According to Netscape, this is because successive binds...

Pipeline. (Server) (News Briefs)
June 30, 1997... ANNOUNCED Fourth-generation tools vendor Passport this week will unveil its Passport IntRprise development package for the creation and deployment of large-scale applications via multiple end-user systems, including Java-enabled...

Server features, component support energize Cold Fusion. (Allaire's Cold Fusion 3.0 Web application-development environment)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Internet tools provider Allaire has updated its Cold Fusion Web application-development environment, bolstering its application server capabilities and expanding its language and component support. Cold Fusion 3.0 adds support for ActiveX...

App dev tools take Versant 5.0 to the Web. (Versant Object Technology's VersantWeb 1.1 Internet/Web server software, Versant's object database)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 30, 1997... Versant Object Technology has begun shipping three development tools designed to enable applications based on its Versant 5.0 object database to be deployed over the World Wide Web. The Versant Java Language Interface lets developers build...

Diagnosing a modem problem often doesn't pay. (Help Desk) (News Briefs)(Column)
June 30, 1997... We recently had a severe thunderstorm in our area and suspect that lightning traveled through the phone lines and damaged our modem. A search of the local retail stores failed to locate or identify any kind of software package that included any...

Netplex to link OpenView and TME: package bridges the gap between network and systems management. (Netplex Group, HP's and Tivoli Systems' Tivoli Management Environment network management applications) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Netplex will announce next week plans to offer an integrated package combining the network-management capabilities of Hewlett-Packard's OpenView with Tivoli's Tivoli Management Environment (TME) systems management software. The aim of...

Seagate offers disaster recovery product for NetWare. (Seagate Software's Intelligent Disaster Recovery for Novell's network OS)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Seagate Software introduced a new member to its Backup Exec family with last week's release of Intelligent Disaster Recovery for Novell NetWare. Intelligent Disaster Recovery can be used with Seagate Backup Exec for NetWare or Windows NT in...

Lotus to combine messaging, fax functions in MailFax 2.0. (Lotus Development's enterprise fax server application)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 30, 1997... A more scalable version of Lotus Development's Soft-Switch mail and fax server is due for launch next month to help satisfy demand for combined messaging and fax functions, Lotus has announced. The Soft-Switch division of Lotus demonstrated...

Pipeline. (Networking) (News Briefs)
June 30, 1997... ANNOUNCED Newbridge Networks announced last week the Vivid NetDirector. The network and service management system integrates network management components from Newbridge's Vivid System Manager with the NetDirector platform from Newbridge's...

Cisco helps novices configure routers. (Cisco Systems' Cisco Fast Step and Cisco ConfigMaker network configuration management applications)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Two applications announced last week by Cisco promise to make configuration and management of the company's routers easier for novice administrators and network managers in remote offices. The company introduced graphical management software...

Access device links LANs over ATM WAN. (Sonoma Systems' Sonoma Access protocol gateway tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... An access device launched last week will allow enterprises to set up a 10Mbps to 100Mbps LAN connection between its offices across a network provider's ATM WAN. Sonoma Systems, formerly Retix, designed the Sonoma Access for transparent LAN...

BindView to manage assets, inventory. (Bindview Development's Netinventory asset management and inventory analysis tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... BindView Development is slated to announce this week Netinventory, an asset management and inventory analysis tool for large multisite networks. This latest addition to the BindView Enterprise Management System (BindView EMS) signifies the...

WebLogic components to enable scalable Java applications over the Internet. (BeanT3 and RmiT3) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... WebLogic last week released to selected beta testers two components that comply with the 100% Pure Java specification and that promise to let corporate users scale mission-critical applications working over either the Internet or intranets....

Getting the picture. (Vtel Pres and CEO Dick Moeller discusses videoconferencing) (Company Business and Marketing)(Interview)
June 30, 1997... Following the recent merger between videoconferencing vendors Vtel and Compression Labs Inc. (CLI), Vtel's president and CEO Dick Moeller talked with InfoWorld reporter Jackie Poole about the issues facing the success or failure of...

PipeLine -- Telecom World. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... ANNOUNCED Pacific Bell is beta testing a D-Channel Always On ISDN service, the company announced this week. The service is designed to let remote workers connect to a corporate network using a low-bandwidth bidirectional ISDN D Channel. The...

Regulatory Roundup: Here are rules shaping telecommunications. (Government Activity)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... (Montgomery, Ala.) BellSouth this week asked Alabama's Public Service Commission (PSC) for permission to offer long-distance service in the state. The Baby Bell said it has met the Telecommunications Act of 1996's 14-point checklist and has a...

Pricey, high-bandwidth satellites on the way. (Motorola's Celestri, Loral Space & Communications' Globalstar head list) (Company Business and Marketing)
June 30, 1997... Last week's flurry of broadband satellite-based data system announcements should come as encouraging news to those waiting for ubiquitous high-speed data services. Motorola's planned $12.9-billion, 63-satellite Celestri system and Loral...

FCC lets foreign carriers into U.S.: Some doubt that overseas competition will lower prices. (Government Activity)
June 30, 1997... The Federal Communications Commission earlier this month announced intentions to relax its rules concerning foreign telecommunications carriers, liberalizing entry into the U.S. telecommunications market for most foreign carriers. The ruling...

Application integration heats up manufacturing. (includes related article on noncomputer devices) (Industry Trend or Event)
June 30, 1997... Once a backwater of client/server computing, manufacturing software is transforming into one of the most dynamic areas of software design -- now forward-looking manufacturing companies are preparing to take advantage of the slew of new...

Changing your colors to fit in doesn't mean you'll find happiness or success.(IS Survival Guide) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
June 30, 1997... MANAGEMENT SPEAK: Wrong answer. TRANSLATION: You didn't tell me what I wanted to hear. -- Reader David Pepper isn't alone, I'm sure, in having heard this magic phrase Few weeks ago I wrote that the hiring process is badly broken. I...

The Web Hotlist: Web sites worth checking out. (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Rockwell Semiconductor - http://www.nb.rockwell.com Rockwell's Semiconductor Systems division presents information on its communications, networking, and chip products. Visit the multimedia and wireless communications sections and read about...

Pipeline -- Internet. (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... ANNOUNCED Fax2Net has announced the availability of its Global Fax Delivery Service, an Internet-based service for international faxing. The system consists of a Call Router attached to a customer fax machine, a local server, and a Database...

Java serious. (Dimension X CEO Karl Jacob discusses Microsoft's acquisition of the company) (Company Business and Marketing)(Interview)
June 30, 1997... Karl Jacob, CEO and president of "the first Java start-up," San Francisco-based Dimension X, recently met with InfoWorld Executive News Editor Michael Vizard and Senior Editor Jim Balderston to discuss the impact of Microsoft's acquisition of...

Hackers prove 56-bit DES is not enough. (Data Encryption Standard attacked) (Government Activity)
June 30, 1997... The issue of how much Internet security is enough raised its thorny head again in June, when hackers decoded a message protected by 56-bit encryption. The hackers' success came in the same week that a U.S. Senate commerce committee approved a...

eShare shares its Expressions. (UUNet Technologies bolsters Web browser)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... UUNet has added eShare's Expressions chat server and threaded bulletin board system to its range of services, enabling companies to add real-time communication abilities to their Web sites -- including chat rooms and bulletin boards -- as an...

ICOMS lowers cost of e-commerce. (Internet Commerce Services launches its MerchantTrax Electronic Commerce Service) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Internet Commerce Services, or ICOMS, is offering services that would allow merchants to set up a secure Web site for electronic commerce for as little as $2,500 along with a per-transaction fee of 25 cents. Last week the company launched its...

Second generation of 'net commerce products arrive. (LitleNet's Direct Commerce OnRamp, TechWave's TryAndBuy and Connect's OneServer 2.0 introduced)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Internet Commerce is beginning to take shape as a viable business tool as a second generation of products has started hitting the market. "We're now moving beyond the hype into the reality of Internet commerce," said Rob Enderle, an industry...

Digital keeps AltaVista, withdraws IPO. (search engine consigned to Internet Group) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Digital has changed its plan to spin off its AltaVista Internet search engine division into a separate company via an initial public offering (IPO). Instead, AltaVista will be rolled back into Digital's Internet group. Digital's decision was...

Netscape to export 128-bit encryption. (applies to Netscape Communicator)(Product Announcement)
June 30, 1997... Netscape has received permission from the U.S. State Department to export software products that include 128-bit encryption technology. Specifically, Netscape has permission to export its Communicator Web browser client software featuring...

Nearly all major PC makers have a dubious track record to overcome.(The Gripe Line) (Industry Trend or Event)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Nothing ever seems to happen quite the way I expect it to, and that goes for my recent experiment collecting reader "blacklists." Blacklists are going to be a little trickier to understand than I thought, but, fortunately, they look as though...

The InfoWorld global network expands on the northern front to Canada.(Editorial)
June 30, 1997... Because InfoWorld is a business unit within the global International Data Group (IDG), I'm used to seeing material that originally appeared in these pages reprinted in some of our 275 sister publications throughout the world. Most have names...

Knowledge of business helps IS manager at John Deere. (interview with Gregory Kinman, manager of enterprise information, John Deere Insurance Group) (Company Operations)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Gregory Kinman has filled many roles at John Deere Insurance Group since he was hired as an entry-level programmer 12 years ago. Recently he was named manager of enterprise information. His new challenge is to lead the development of...

Companies fill IS jobs online. (Industry Trend or Event)
June 30, 1997... For Tom Callahan, a technical recruiter fighting to hire the best candidates for Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Oracle, every minute counts. To gain an edge over Oracle's competitors in recruiting technical people, Callahan has turned to an...

The Careers Web Hotlist. (job-interview information sites) (News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... Interview Preparation Guide - http://www.rwsa.com/ACCESS-RECRUIT/interview.html Employee-services company Access Recruitment offers tips on preparing for a job interview, including an interview checklist and a list of questions to expect....

ZAK aptly manages NT end-users. (Microsoft's Zero Administration Kit (ZAK) for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 network management software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
June 30, 1997... THE BOTTOM LINE: GOOD Zero Administration Kit for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 This tool allows administrators to reduce the cost of managing end-user computing by centrally controlling configuration, security, and user profiles. However,...

Cognos offers easier-to-use, more in-depth data tools. (Cognos's Improptu 4.0 report generation tool and PowerPlay 5.2 data-manipulation tool) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
June 30, 1997... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD PowerPlay 5.2 This is a very powerful tool for decision makers, allowing them to explore data interactively to find answers. They can easily drill down from the summary data into the specific Impromptu report...

Statgraphics Plus, Version 3.0. (Manugistics' statistics software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
June 30, 1997... The latest release of Manugistics' statistics software for Windows -- Statgraphics Plus, Version 3.0 -- offers more flexible reporting, better graphs, and more statistics, maintaining its position as the premier package for industry and...

Info Select adds useful but unexciting functionality. (Micro Logic's Info Select Beta 4 free-form PIM) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
June 30, 1997... THE BOTTOM LINE Info Select, Beta 4 This product will appeal to personal information manager (PIM) users who prefer a free-form format for entering data and who appreciate an extremely fast search engine. Pros: Easy to get up and...

Motorola K56 Flex offering delivers more data faster. (Motorola VoiceSurfr 56K modem) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
June 30, 1997... THE BOTTOM LINE: VERY GOOD VoiceSurfr 56K This product is currently best suited for applications in which the modem host equipment is known and the application can take advantage of the modem's speed. Pros: Easy setup, but external...

Little imps could bring 'net plumbing to schools, businesses, and libraries. (Internet multimegabit boxes) (From the Ether) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Column)
June 30, 1997... You stand a much better chance of getting what you want if you ask for it. So this week and next, join me in asking for multimegabit Internet plumbing that we can buy in 1998 for our small businesses, schools, libraries, and homes. Let's not...

Fly-fishing and Microsoft advertising hype both open up a can of worms. (Notes from the Field) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 30, 1997... I sat with Pammy in a trendy Palo Alto cafe, sifting through a pile of brochures we'd collected from the travel agency. As I thumbed through a guide to Montana fly-fishing, Pammy began reading the come-on for a stylish Caribbean resort. It...

Attack of the incredible mutating Java is little more than bad science fiction. (Microsoft's J/Direct) (Down to the Wire) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
June 30, 1997... Friends of Rachel Carrington would have seen the longing in her eyes. But her friends were in Vermont. She was a stranger to her colleagues in Washington. They assumed, when they gave it any thought at all, that the long hours she spent in the...

Differing strengths make Compaq/Tandem merger favorable for customers. (Between the Lines) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
June 30, 1997... There isn't a lot to criticize about Compaq's decision to buy Tandem, which was announced last week, unless you are Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computers. Dell probably had among the most complex responses to the proposed merger because he...

NAV for Firewalls protects network from 'net viruses. (Symantec Norton AntiVirus for Firewalls) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
June 30, 1997... Norton AntiVirus for Firewalls, beta This is an effective content-scanning application specifically designed to interact with firewalls and proxy servers that adhere to the Content Vectoring Protocol (CVP) specification. Pros: Easy to...