mac week v 1 n 5

4 Volume 1 June 8, 1987 [INSIDE Big screen demand Enough tubes to go around? Page 2. Mac programmers Developers shop for talent. Page II. Making connections Networking software for Macs. Page 15. “We can have not only the parallel processing of machines but aso of human ¥ consciousness.” Aman with a vision ‘Nat Goldhaber, head of Centram Systems West. Page 24. Mac ZOOM IN LARGE-ORGANIZATION USAGE [OF A LOCAL-AREA NETWOI RK Spring/COMDEX short on Mac products, high on new markets BY DANIEL RUBY MacWEEK Siaff ATLANTA —A strong undercurrent of inter- cst inthe Apple Macintosh overcame the off cial absence of Apple Computer and many important Macintosh developers at COMDEX/Spring '87 held here last week With the Macintosh gaining a strong foothold in business computer installations, dealers and end users attending the show expressed keen interest. However, most ven- dors observed tradition and treated COMDEX asan IBM show. As walk around the flor, there are not as many Macs as Id lke tose,” says Heid Roizen, president of T/Maker Co of Mountain View, Calif, and chairwoman of one ofthe two COMDEX sessions involving the Macintosh ‘Without Apple here, there is a big hoe,” she says Kenneth Nisbet a Macuser with Norther ‘Telecom of Nashville, Tenn, says he was “dis- appointed that there are not more Mcintosh products.” ‘The exhibit alls were dominated by IBM's ‘new PS/2 computer and bythe responses to those models by competitive computer makers, software developers and third-party hardware companies. New Mac announcements were few and far between. See COMDEX, Page 6 ‘Tradtonal MS-DOS commands willbe popping up on Ma Ils outed with AST's Mac246 coprocesors, AST 286 coprocessor beta boards ship IRVINE, Calif, — Beta test shipments of the new Mac286 coprocessor fom ASTResearch Ine. have been delayed until tis week to ensure clean software, company spokesmen say. The units were originally schedled to ship in mid-May. “The hardware is ready; we're waiting forthe software,” says Mark Lebar, AST's marketing manager. “This is avery complex system.” (See story, Page 8.) ‘Sources inside AST report thre software bugs have yet tobe resolved, ut they would ds- cuss only two. ‘They say a pulldown menu fr function keys, not present onthe Mac keyboard, “hangs up the machine.” Also, saving MS-DOS files on an Apple disk works with text and ASCII but not with binary fils. ‘Mike Zachan, senior director of operations for AST’ Apple Enhancement Group, sys his company is testing the coprocessor internally with the top 125 DOS applications. AST is also testing ouside compatibility by third partes. “It's critical that it work right when people get,” Zachan says “It as to be MS-DOS com- patible.” Ml Multilingual networks remove barriers between Macs, PCs, VAXes Apple invests in open network standard with Touch BY DANIEL RUBY MacWEEK Staff Networking software jinily amounced last ‘week by Touch Communication and Apple ‘Computer Inc. will allow uses to exchange files transparently between applications runing ‘on Macintosh, IBM PC and Digital Equipment Corp. VAX computers, according tothe com- panies. Appl also announced that its Strategic Investment Group has purchased a minority stake in Tovch, a 2-year-old communications software developer based in Scotts Valley, Calif, ‘The investment represents another overture by Apple tothe corporate market, according to John Girton, an analyst with Bir, Wilson & Co. in San Francisco. "With AppleShare, Apple now offers a good, inexpensive local area network in-house, but it previously had no offering for connection to other networks,” he says. Girton says the amouncement might be bad news for other Macintosh networking compa nies, including 3Com Corp. of Santa Cra, Calif, and Centram Systems West ne. of Berkeley, Calif, 3Com’s Macintosh product manager, Elsine Hansen says the Apple-Touch dea ‘wll not pact 3Com Macintosh development in the short term, butt could have tremendous ‘See TOUCH, Page 23 AppleTalk-enriched TOPS enters field testing BY ABIGAIL. CHRISTOPHER MacWEEK Siaff BERKELEY, Cali. — Beta test versions of (Centram Systems West Inc.’s popular mult vendor network, TOPS 2, will ship this week, according fo soures close to the company, ‘TOPS provides transparent translation between different computers, enabling them to share files, disks and peripherals. ‘The software suppots networking ‘between Macintoshes, PCs and minicomput- rs running UNIX. “TOPS 1 and TOPS 2 are not compatible See CENTRAM, Page 23 Mac WEEK June 8, 1987 NEWS Waiting lists for large monitors should shorten BY JIRI WEISS MacWEEK Staf SAN FRANCISCO — Unexpectedly high ‘demand for large-sreen monitors for Macin- tosh computers is causing hundreds of cus- tomers tobe put on waiting lss, but supply should catch up with demand by the end ofthe sont, vendors say ‘A shortage of offshore-manufactured color CCRT tubes means that color monitors of any size forthe Macintosh I ae even harder to come by, according to Monitenm Inc, a mana- facturer of monitors. Apple has not even started to ship its color monitor. “We expect them to ship in June, ' screen monitors such as The Big Picture by Eat eng oan bet it’s June 30,” says an Apple customer sr vice representative. The color video boards for the Macintosh I are available from Apple for $499 Apple spokeswoman Lisa Van Hom says Apple didnot plan to release the color monitors ‘until summer. "We ae in fine with what we announced,” she says The MuitiScan CPD 1302, the same 13-inch color monitor that willbe sold by Apple with the Mac Ils, is available immediatly from Sony says Eva Boyd, a distribution specialist with Inelligent Products Marketing, which ep- resents Sony Corp. of America. But while the Sony or NEC Multsyne color ‘monitors will work withthe Macintosh Il the quality will not be as good, says Thomas P. Rielly, marketing manager with Super Mac ‘Technology Inc. a supplier of lrge-sreen and color monitors for Macinioshes in Mountain View, Calif, ‘The monitors suplid directly by Sony ‘may have problems such as teak ru across the screen because the Mac displays dark characters on alight background, taxing the monitor's capabilities. Apple has had todo a lot of work on the splay to eliminate these potential problems,” Rielly ys The reason forthe shortage experienced by some US. color-monitor manufactures ate stockpiling by IBM Corp. and the reluctance of tube manufacturers — like Toshiba, Panasonic, [NEC and Sony —to supply American man facturers while they face high demand, says ‘Ward Johnson, president of Monier, Johnsons company supplies large-screen and color monitors to companies, including SuperMac Technology, Sigma Designs Ine. and Sun Microsystems nc. ‘N25 percent per month increas in the demand for monochrome monitors in each of the past four months has caught manufacturers off gua, ays Johnson. "A year ago we had ‘ur monitors sold with four computer models; this year wit 47" he says Monitenn, which assembles the terminals at its Minnetonka, Minn, plant, is runing double shifts to meet the demand, Johnson says. ‘The company expects o catch up with ‘monochrome demand within the next month, but color-monito shortages will not ease until July because ofthe lng lead time required by the foreign supplies Companies lke Moniterm and Video Mon- tors Inc. supply monitors to large-sreen manu facturers who then manufacture interface cards for them. Because ofthe shortage of color tubes, SuperMac Technology is shipping a very limit- ed quantity of its Spectrum color monitors. “They are really not onsale yet; mos are going to trade shows and dealer's demo units,” says Rely, He says he expects supply to catch up with demand in July The shortage of SuperMac’s SuperView “Monochrome monitors, which ar also selling faster than they can be produced, should clear up within a few weeks, Rielly Micrographic Images Corp has a two-week backlog ofits large screen Megascreen Il and ‘SE models forthe Macintosh Plus and SE, the ‘Canoga Park, Calif.-based company sas. Not every vendor of large-screen ‘monochrome monitors i experiencing shor- ages with all modes, however. Radius Tech nology Ine.s Full Page Display monitor forthe “Macintosh Pls is available immediately, although the backlogged orders forthe SE. ‘model will ot be cleared up unt next month, according to Edward Collgan, Radius vce president of marketing. Sigma Designs inc. has no shortages “Demand for Lasrview is high but itis avail abl forthe SE” says Tae Kang, the com- pany's technical support manager. E-Machines Inc.’ has bth Pls and SE ‘models of The Big Picture availabe within days of receiving an order, according to Helen Lambert, aecount representative forthe ‘Tualatin, Ore, company. Macintosh monitors willbe available by the time the Macintosh Ils available in quant ‘While many lage-sereen vendors blame ‘monitor manufactures and, ultimately, vendors of tubes forthe shortages, one monitor man factuer points the finger a the large-sreen vendors themselves. “In some companies I cannot name, the designs (of interface boards are just getting finished; the monitors have been there all along.” says Glen Stewart, national sles man- ager of Video Monitors inc. an Eau Cire, Wis-base supplier of monitors to Radius ine and others. TABLE OF CONTENTS Making the connections Mac the Knife 216) NEWS QD Workstation/PC contest hot topic at COMDEX DE New graphic scanner from Microtek Labs Is there a market for Mac-DOS compatibility? BUSINESS WATCH Future rosy for presentation-graphics market Despite industry problems, mail-order houses a good bet Macintosh programmers in short supply REVIEWS "Networking software forthe Macintosh MARKETWEEK Focus: Local-area networks “Twoethirds of Macs at large worksites are connected to LANS PEOPLE Goldhaber: A man making his visions reality ‘The president of Centram Systems West on the potential for computers COLUMNS Visible results/Steve Rosenthal COnitning programs can help organize writing Enhanced AppleShare allows up to 50 users on some configurations CUPERTINO, Calif, — AppleShare 1.1 began shipping to dealers this week, according to an Apple Compute inc. spokesman, and the enhanced file server will allow upto 50 users, ‘on some configurations ofthe Macintosh I ‘The upgrade also improves suppor for fre ground applications allows a Mac Ilo be used asaserer without a monitor or keyboard and makes other minor according to Scott Schnel, product manager for AppleShare Schnell say the company plans to make the upgrade available to users at no charge and wil ystem improvements ‘be made part of the system by mid-June ‘A Mac I with more than | Mbyte of RAM. ‘memory i required to serve 50 users, Schnell says. Otherwise, the sytem can serve upto 25 uses, System software uprades incorporate the 4.1 operating system and 5.5 Finder forthe Mac Plus, SE and Il, accondng to Schnell The upgrade also takes advantage of the Mac I’ separate monitor by allowing acom- puter tobe dedicated asa server without the monitor, monitor card or keyboard. Ofcourse Schnell says, those componens are required for ‘administration, Ml Megamax’s C compiler incompatible with new Apple System/Finder SAN FRANCISCO — Problems withthe Megamax C compiler, manufactured by Texas- based Megamax, were discovered by users about three weeks ago when Apple Computer Inc. released its new Systemy/Finder combine tion (Versions 4.1/5) (On one bulletin board, users reported con plete sysem crashes caused by the Megamax ‘compiler when used with ltsys Corp.'s font software Fontographer and Fontasic. Users sad he problem is caused by Mega ‘max using a low-memory global location that previously was circumvented by the Mac hut is now used bythe Menu sytem in System 4.1 Pte Taliancich, a programming engineer for Megamax, confirms that there is problem, The Megamax uses the Basie Global memory location, unused by Macintosh applications until the new system appropriated it for hierar chica menu applications Talincich says Megamax hasbeen aware ofthe problem fr several months, but the frm ‘was not warmed by Appl that it was going 10 use this memory locaton in future applications. As farasTalianich knows, no other com- pir exhibits the same incompatibility with Apple's new system; Me des global ‘variables differently from other compiler man- facture, Th company has released an upgrade tothe Megamax C, avaiable fre to registred users, s well a the Megamax 3.0 for programs written with its compiler. I Introducing MacDisk: High-performance hard disks from the driving force in the AI world. 18s the serious Macintosh user, there’s cause to rejoice. Priam’s new MacDisk hard disk drives. A family of totally-integrated, high-performance external SCSI drives that allow you to tap the full power of your Macintosh Plus, SE or II. And that offer you the ultimate in quality and depend- ability. How can you be sure? Priam’s track record. Priam has been building premium drives for mainframes, minis, and micros for a decade. Drives distinguished by their exactitude and endurance. Attributes that have made Priam the leading supplier of 40 MByte or larger drives dedicated to the AT. MacDisk drives possess the same enduring qualities. No wonder then that they're specified for up to 40,000 hours MTBE They come in 40, 100, or 230 aD a aaa MByte versions with average access times as fast as 20 ms. And they come com- plete. Ready to boot, ready to get to work. Another reassuring feature you get with Priam’s MacDisk is comprehensive and responsive service and support. Pre- cisely what you’d expect from a company with Priam’s credentials. Ask for Priam’s MacDisk at your nearest Apple dealer today. Or for more information, call 1-800-345-9242 ext. 101. In California, (714) 545-2774. In the long run, you'll be glad you did. AZ. SYSTEMS DIVISION 20 West Montague Expressway, San Jose, CA 95134 your Applelalk. Presenting MultiTalk™ from Abaton. Very few peripherals today, other than the Apple® LaserWriter,® can be shared by Macintosh” users over an AppleTalk network. Which means higher-priced devices—such as modems, scanners, plotters, daisywheel printers and more—are limited to use by one person. ‘So companies often don’t invest in them. But what if these devices could be shared by more people? Suddenly, they become truly cost-effective options. Now there’s MultiTalk. So these devices can start “AppleTalkir MultiTalk is a simple concept—the first of its kind. It takes seri devices that don’t normally function over AppleTalk and makes them accessible to every user on the network. MultiTalk is easy to set up. Just plug it into AppléTalk—anywhere you like—then connect up to three serial device: It's also easy to use. In fact, if you're familiar with Macintosh, you already know how to use ) MultiTalk. Simply run the application you need, then select the device you want to use from the available choices: modem, scanner, plotter, etc. ‘That's it. MultiTalk does the rest. And you can attach up to four MultiTalks to each AppleTalk network.Which means up to twelve devices can be at your “point & click” Extend the flexibility of your peripherals and your AppleTalk network today by visiting your authorized Apple dealer or by calling Abaton at (415) 463-8822. We'll show you how to make the most effective use of your resources. And how to make ends meet. Apple, LaserWiter and AppleTalk are registered trademarks and Macintosh sa trademark of Apple Computer, Ine Abaton Technology Corporation 7901 Stoneridge Drive Pleasanton, CA 94566 Mac WEEK June 8, 1987 COMDEX Continued from Page | Banyan Systems Inc. of Westboro, Mass, ‘announced suppor forthe TOPS network from Centram Systems West Inc. of Berkeley, Calif using it as link to its own high-performance VINES networking system, With the lnk, Macintoshes can serve as nodes on the Banyan network. DOS files appear to Mac users in the familiar Macintosh format, acconding to con pany officals ‘The Laser Connection, a subsidiary of Mobile, Ala-based QMS Inc, the third-place supplier of Macintosh laser printers, released MacKiss, a software driver that allows QMS low-cost KISS printers to interface with the Mac Princeton Graphics Systems of Princeton, Ni. unveiled a pair of high-resolution moni- tors that are compatible wth both the IBM Pj2 line and the Macintosh I Traveling Software of Bothell, Wash., announced MacDOS, a software utility designed 1o allow easy transfer of files between Tandy portable computers and Macintoshes. In addition, a number of Macintosh vendors recently announced products their first public showings. Digital Communications Associates of Norcross, Ga., demonstrated its new MacIRMA for the SE and Mac Il. These board provide 3270 connections from Macin toshes to IBM mainframes. AST Research Inc. of vine, Calif, dis played its new fAST hard drive and TurboScan ‘optical page scanner. ts PC coprocessor card forthe Macintosh was conspicuous by it absence, however. The booth for Abaton Tech: nology Corp. was home not only for that com. ppany’s line of scanners and storage devices bat served as an umbrella for a variety of other Macintosh developers as wel, including Adobe Systems Inc., Quark Inc, Frethought inc, and Letraset USA, Also represented were Data Technology Corp. and Priam Corp, both mak- rs of Mac mass storage devices. Super Mac Technology exhibited its products ina hotel away from the convention Although Apple did not exhibit, company executives were prominent on panel discus sions and in behind-door meetings. Apple rep resentatives spreading the Macintosh gospel included John Scull, marketing manager for desktop publishing; Peter Friedman, manager of desktop communications; and Randy Batt, int oe ee sain ev AURA SHES novos aon tcl ca ars USS shoo sered 8 Techno Asa rom oii ny Bata : A ca Cer ot cr i ec ‘ea manager of developer services. ‘There were other signs of interest inthe Mac, Attendees at a Macintosh-related confer. ence session indicate that a sizable minority tad no previous involvement with the Mac “am committed tobe inthe Macintosh busines,” says Robert Brown, president of long two months ago, we would sready have announced Mac products Ron Posner, president of Ansa of, which ‘makes a database forthe PC, said his company was looking a developing a product forthe Mac or acquiring a Mac developer.” Eighteen months ago there was areal question o whether vendors should develop forthe Mac. “That question disappeared,” Enzo Tore BusinessLand senor vie president, says BY CLAIR WHITMER MacWEEK Sta PISCATAWAY, NJ. — Macintosh users now have a bigger selection to choose from when they’shop for an impact printer. ‘Brother International recently began ship- ping a printer driver that will allow Macs to ‘output on its PC-based impact printers. Dealer requests were cited asthe impetus for the product, named MacDrive, says Alex ‘Schibanoff, Brother's director of marketing. ‘Until recently, Mac uses ha to choose between a $600 Image Writer and a $6,000 Laser Writer,” he says Brother promotes is new product as an altemative impact printer to the Image Writer. The diver is compatible with Brothers entire line of printers. Users simply interested in stright word processing can choose he basic dis wheel printer for $800. The Brother 2024L is for peo ple who need high-quality graphics because the 24 pins allow much denser images than the ImageWritr, which hs nine pins. For users with price considerations this $900 printer may be preferable tothe Laser Writer, according to Schibanot. [thas been rumored that Apple has devel- MacDariver allows Macs to output to Brother Intemational’s PC-based impact printers coped a 24-pin printer, but when twill be mar- keted is unknown, Users who want both type and high-quality graphics capabiiies can use the Twiniter 5 with a dot-matrix/daisywheel dual printhead that ists at 1,30. ‘The drivers installed by connecting the “Mac to the printer's serial port and copying the software to the systems disk. The driver lists for $99.95 and is compatible with the Macin- tosh 512, Plus and SE. A version fr the Mac intosh Ils reportedly being developed. ofthe new machine are already good, accor Schibanoft. CORRECTION “Desktop Publishing: Developers bate in offering features" in the May 18 isue of MacWEEK cited limitation inthe automatic textwrap feature of the XPress desktop pub lishing package from Quark in, of Denver The limitation, repr by Bove and Rhodes in the Api 1987 Desktop Polishers Insiders rept, was tha the wser cant contol the amount of space between the picture andthe textthat wraps around it Fed Ebrahim, res dent of Qua, athe lim notte XPress contains an “Of command wih hic the wer can speci the amount of space betwen the picture and the text. Ml Ni vid Pry IT se EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dan. Ruy ‘ews eotToR ‘ate tan ARTDIRECTOR Veen MANAGING EDTOR re Bone SENIOR EDITORS ‘Metal onto, Rik LaPae Boson) TEOHNICAL EDITOR Retin Bote) ASSOCIATE EDTTORS ‘hats bie Nery Nor ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Blo Kean alr ASSISTANT ARTDIRECTOR (a Wap CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Son Es, aves Mag Sieve Roa.) Wel ‘lino Cai, fr Weiss iol cory EproRS.pAGINATORS ‘Stas Antenne Ci Len ‘hte Lets Dai Seth EDITORIAL ASSISTANT (hi Wisse BUSINESS MANAGER Karna ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS Tana Crp Use Sipe INFORMATION DIRECTOR aly Brower ‘PRODUCTION DIRECTOR ‘i Klug PROMOTION DIRECTOR Gna Ake ution ecron Wiener PORLSHER Mat Teng fir ad avi firs 25 Bam 8 Since Ca S07 880-77 Cas Feb pont sags Sot Bes, $21 Wasi Ate Tl, 78. Pach Comarca CHAIRMAN Sem Pach PRESIDENTICHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mico F Bigs VICE FRESIDENTICHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Doni Wel ‘VICE PRESIDENTIBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Unda Rew ‘GROUP PUBLISHER Ried EGov ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING a Get DIRECTOR OF MARKETING einai eWEEK USN 2810 pee ey, ‘eit waa ere by WE fae sty oP Communes, Waite oe a Se ‘ipsa 815, Consiene USS, acopnete gern ths ble ay tt yeoned nay fra nb person MacWEEK NEW 0|7 June 8, 1987 Workstation/PC competition hot topic at COMDEX BY STEVE ROSENTHAL Special to MacWEEK ATLANTA — Despite an impressive showing ‘of advanced personal computer at COMDEX/Spring last week, personal comput- cr experts atthe exhibition were sil divided cover what role these machines will play com- pared with mre tatnal workstations. ink thats a question that ot of com panies like Sun (Microsystems Inc.) and Apple and NeXT are trying to figure out,” says Hei Roizen, president of T/Maker Co. in Mountain View, Calif “The prevailing theory is that some micro- computers ae starting to approach the func- tionality ofthe workstation, but sil in many ways they're nowhere near workstations — Took at the amount of memory you can ad, the connectivity.” Roizen is nt alone in pointing to stronger and more sophisticated inter-machine linkages as akey difference between high-end PCs and workstations. “Connectivity sa tremendous advantage for workstations,” says Jan Lewis, president of Palo Alto Research Group in Palo Alto, Calif ‘She says workstation manufacturers realize they must exploit that advantage. “Sun just announced that its NFS (Network File System) is going to be mapped onto the TOPS micro- ‘computer network, giving them a window into the IBM and Mac market.” ‘Karen Julussen, vice president of market- ing at Workstation Laboratories in Dallas, also Ituded workstation connectivity in general and Sun’s NFS in patcular. “The networking on workstation is far bet- ter” she says. But Juliussen also says worksta Big screen packages get simultaneous dual-program capabilities CANOGA PARK, Calif. — A new version of system software that allows simultaneous dual- screen capability for MegaScreen large-screen monitors is now available from MicroGraphic Images Corp. MegaTalyan AplTal-bsed communi- cations package, is included with the new Ver- ‘sion 8 MegaScreen system. Intended for intra office electronic mail, MegaTalk runs on the ‘Macintosh’s 9-inch intemal screen while anoth- er prota nso the large seen The com- plete system is priced at $99.95. Ml Special type effects from PostCraft NORTHRIDGE, Cali. — A new PosScrit- compatible uty program fo adding typo- graphical special effects hasbeen released by PostCraft International Ine ‘The program, named Laser FX, offers 30 fects applicable to any font, resident ot downloadable to a PostScript laserpiner. The cffcts canbe printed directly from Laser FX ‘or pasted into most major desktop- publishing packages, including PageMaker 2.0 Listing for $195, Laser FX is compatible withthe Macintosh 512e, Plus, SE and IL tions have other hardware advantages, such as {aster disk, compared with most ofthe new high-end PCs. “The 386 machines are going to be able to compete in these areas eventually, butt wll take atonal money.” Software developers also gave the worksta- tions the performance edge. “The Mac Il has some ways o go yet,” says Louise Stanley, Mocntosh marketing manager at Borland Intemational in Scotts Valley, Cali She says Borland President Philippe Kahn has sid he would lik to see faster input/output operations from the Mac II for workstation Like applications. (On the other hand, some industry observers were not willing to concede the top spot othe network machines. "You can tum a 386 PC into a workstation by running the right kindof software,” says, Sharman Stansel, product manage forthe Ima LAN-connecton products from Digital Communications Associates in Alpharetta, Ga, She says high-end PCs coud deliver work: staion-level performance if they are connected to LANs and to mainframes. Tn addtion othe actual differences between the families of machines, there are also die ences in softwar, support, marketing and and current user base, according to Andy Seybold ‘of Seybold Group in San Jose, Calif “Users don’t perceive the differences in connectivity yet (between machines like the Mac I and the Sun workstations), and Sun may not bea trong enough company to cary that message toa large enough number of peopl,” Seybold says. “T/Maker’sRoizen agrees thatthe battle may be decided more on ser perception than on hardware. “The competition between PCS and workstations is a question of marketing, not necessarily on of technology,” she sas, "The Suns nd te Apollos have Been selling otha market and they know where those people are Apple doesn't know. Macintosh buyers aren't buying workstations. People who are buying workstations curently cre about connectivity, they care about CAD, they care about the things in which workstations ae way ahead.” Lewis says she saw the marketing face-off 4s more ofa balance “The workstation people have the installed base and positioning. The PC ‘people have the fact that PCs are cheap enough for almost any office worker, and you can do anything else on a PC.” Experts at COMDEX also disagreed onthe extent workstations nd PCs compet in the same market and at each other's expense. “The markets going to expand, but the ‘Mac I andthe 386 machines are going to make inroads into that make,” says analyst Seybold (On the other hand, Juliussen from Worksta tion Laboratories sees less overap. “They're tofally separate markets. Basically the work- stations are graphics-oriented, multitasking ‘machines and the PCs aren't.” ‘There was, however, substantial agreement that the availability of machines like the Mac- {ntosh Il and 386-hased PCs will drive down the cost of low and mid-range workstations. "The workstation market is being brought own to a much less expensive level and will, therefore, penetrate toa whole new class of ‘users, Atte same time we see the Mac T and the 386 machines evolve into workstations, ‘well also se te curent suppliers move down in price,” said Lewis. Ml New graphic scanner BY CLAIR WHITMER MacWEEK Staff ‘GARDENA, Calif. — Microtek Labs Inc has announced a new graphic-scanning program and a desktop image-and-ext scanner forthe Macintosh, ‘The scanner, called the MS-300C, is ‘priced at $1,695 and is intended to give Microek Labs “something toad 0 the lower price range market and sil be feature rich” says John Kozlowski, Microtek market- ing manager. The scanners being shipped ‘with Microtek’s orginal VersScan program, and beginning June 15 will be available with the new version of VersaScan Pus touts MS-300C as “unique of i features such as eight halftone scren pattems, while most other scanners offer only one, The scanner offered by Cupertino, Calif-based Hewlett-Packard comes closest with four screen pattems, according to Kozlowski The MS-300C also has five independent brightness and thre independent contrast se tings that combined into 15 different settings. ‘These can be used to compensate for defects inthe original o to crate special effect. from Microtek Labs Most scanners cannot read both halfones and line arin single scan ofa document; users must scan twice if both kinds of art are included, says Kozlowski. The MS-300C pro- vides “windows that specify areas in a docu ment as including photographs or drawings, allowing the user to scan both in one pass of the document, VersaScan Plus, designed to go withthe new scanner, was originally scheduled to be released at the same time asthe hardware, but the program will not available until June 15, wien it wil be included wit all shipments of the MS-300C and with Microtek’ previously released MSF-300 and top-ofthe-line M 300A scanners ‘The new software includes a menu-direct ‘print command in place of the previous PostScript dump function. Te inclusion of a full palette of painting tools inthe software ives graphics-diing capability to the sean ner. Previous versions were only capable of or editing changes. ersaScan Plas allows changes to be made without tranfer- ring fo the parent program. Both the hardware and software are also available in IBM-based versions. MacWEEK June 8, 1987 NEWS Is there a market for DOS-Mac compatibility? BY STEVE ROSENTHAL, MacWEEK Staff ‘At least tree new add-in processor boards that give MS-DOSIPC-DOS compatibility to the Macintosh are undergoing final esting, but analysts and potential corporate users report there may be ony isolated demand for such products ‘The boards, ftom AST's Apple Enhance- ment Products Division of Irvine, Calif, and PerfetTek of Milpitas, Calif, join the 2-year- ‘old MacCharie from Dayna Communications cof Salt Lake City ina market that has so far ‘been marked by lackluster sales. All four products include the Key processing and memory components ofa complete IBM- style personal computer but use the Macintosh display, keyboard and disk storage. ‘Their main advantage, the firms claim, is these products open up the world of PC-DOS applications to Macintosh users witout losing any of the advange ofthe Mac. AST entries, which the company claims will ship in September, are comprised ofthe PCIAT class Mac286 processor forthe Macin- tosh IT and the PC/XT class Mac86 forthe Macintosh SE. The Mac286 wil is for $1,499, the MacB6 fr $59. PerfectTek’s board, called the MAC¥PC and introduced at as January's MacWorld Exposition in San Francisco, also is due for shipment sometime inthe next few months ‘Atrue intemal adi, the $995 board must be installed by a dealer — but it wll work with ‘Mac Pluses and Macintosh 512s even though those machines do not have expansion slots. Dayna’s MacCharlie, configured as an ‘expansion bo, sits alongside the Macintosh and connects up through te serial port. sin- le drive system, which spas 256 Kbytes of ‘memory, starsat $795. The fll system, with two drives and 640 Kbytes of memory, is $995, ‘According to PerfctTek spokesman Nary [Nathan his firm ses three main markets for coprocessor boards: people who work on Mac- intoshes in offices that have otherwise stan- dardized on PCs and who must exchange data tack and forth, people who primarily use Mac- infoshes but needa special application that is ‘only available in PC-DOS or MS-DOS form, and people who use a PC at work anda Macin- tosh at home and who want o take work home from the office. However, many observers question whether coprocessor is realy the best solution, Jan Lewis, president of Palo Alto Research Group of Palo Alto Calif, predicts the new “Mac coprocessor would find avery limited fo- Towing. As organizer of a panel on connectivity at COMDEX, Lewis says she's been speaking toa number of potential users and expets, and they report that connectivity is moe important to Mac users than MS-DOS coprocessing. “Most organization ae going to end up with some IBMs and some Macs, and they have to do someting so they can work togth- «er, but 'm not convinced coprocessng is going todo the job.” Other analysts agre. “Consider the copo- ‘cessor an interesting gimmick,” advised Tim Bajarn, vce president of Creative Strategies Research Intemational of San Jos, Calif. “It defuses the argument that the Mac is not PC- compatible, but think you'd buy a Mac for ‘what it can do asa Macintosh.” Corporate micro managers take a similar view. While many say they will look atthe AST products when they come out, they donot foresee a large demand in their organizations. “Data compatibility isthe big question for us,” says William Browne, vice president and ‘manager of corporate systems at Seattle Fist [National Bank (SeaFirst). His firm, which has close o 3,000 Macintoshes in use and is widely thought to be the largest Macintosh installation ofan in the business word, hs not found a large need for coprocessor solutions sofa, although Browne says the bank wil tke a Took at the AST products Large-quantty PC users with Macintosh ‘minorities also report a greater interest in fle exchange than running MS-DOS application software on the Macintosh, “There's some interest in coprocessor fora smal percentage of our Macintosh users,” admitted a micro ‘manager ta large corporation where several hundred Macs are outnumbered by PCs by about 10101, “but it’s the ability to exchange information that we're intrested in and you don’t needa coprocessor for tha.” ‘There is less agreement on whether copro- cessrs will playa significant role in facilitat- ing te entry of Macintosh into organizations ‘where data exchange is lss ofa problem than standards that specify MS-DOS. Analyst Bajarin, for example, says it will not help much in the government marke. “They're not lookin a just MS-DOS com- patibility ther looking at MS-DOS growth Paths,” he says ‘On the other hand, Kent Bien, an assistant program manager at Science Applications Interatonal Corp n Honolua, says a copro- cessor might ease her situation. “The management here was used to IBM,” she says, so they sti go out and buy IBM- compatibles. I walked in after they had started purchasing these things and you have to g0 slong withthe existing hardware.” Proving the price didnot add much tothe {otal cost ofa sytem, Bien says she “might go for tif the coprocessor) would allow me to use my Mac.” However, Dyna, the firm that made the original MS-DOS coprocessor forthe Mac, has largely given up the bate, and is shifting emphasis to hardware for file exchange. ‘Although the company stil markets the MacCharli, Dayna’s new priority product is the DaynaFile, a chasis with a variety of .25- inch and 35-inch drive combinations that let the Mac read IBM-format disks but doesnot contain a coprocessor. Said analyst Lewis, even Dayna CEO Bill Sadler admits that coprocessors won't ever be 2s popular as his firm had hoped. As he ex- plained it to Lewis, “Coprocessng onthe M intosh is dead — the market doesn’t want it.” Connectivity software for Macs, UNIX tested BY JIRIWEISS MacWEEK Siaff ‘ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan recently began testing networking software that will allow Macintosh Plus and SEs to share files ona network with UNIX ‘The new connectivity software is an imple- ‘mentation of the Network File System (NFS) for the Macintosh operating sytem. NFS is, from Sun Microsystems inc. of Mountain View, Calif “Tt wll be useful anywhere where there are Macs and networks.” says John Collgan, Apple’ higher education marketing manager ‘The new software will mainly benefit uni- versity and govemment users by allowing them to use more powerful workstations such as those from Sun and from Apolo Computer Ine. as file servers, according to Tim Endres, senior research prograinmer atthe universty’s Center for Information Technology Integration (CIT). ‘Compilation of programs writen i lan- guages like C also will speedup. Mac users will be able to write a program in C, copy the sourcecode into a file ona Sun, compile the rogram onthe workstation and then bring the compiled file back. Users willbe abl to store a Mac file on a UNIX machine, but they will not be able to run UNIX programs onthe Mac, Endres says. “It won't be like having @Sun in a window .. it will be good only for moving files back and fort.” ‘The software package, whichis curently ‘unnamed, will appear onthe Mac desktop as a device icon, hard disk with a Mac ontop. Users will open it up just ike any other device, Endres says, Each volume on the UNIX server will appear asa separate folder. A Mac appica- tion launched from a file on the server wll run ‘on the Mac processor, not on the server itself, Endres says ‘The software, developed by CITT with funds from Apple, may aso be used by Apple tofailtate access of files on the Macintosh I, Endres says. ‘Mac Is used to run both UNIX and the Mac operating system will hae their hard disk par- ttioned into a UNIX and Mac section, Endres says. Normally users will be able to access files from only on patton at a ime, depending on hich operating system they are using, The new software also will give users onthe net work accesso files inthe other parton ‘Apple has given the University of Michigan the go-ahead to distribute the software to other universities, says Colligan, While details ofthe distribution ae stil undecided, the software may become avaiable this summer. ‘The new networking product isa par of an ff funded lst October wih $293,000 in grants and $113,000 worth of computers to promote Macintosh connectivity with IBM, Zenith, Wang and Apollo computes, according to an Apple spokeswoman CCITLis currently devoting four full-ime and three part-time programmers to the NFS project. Other connectivity projects are inthe works. “Our gol is to develop a future hetero- geneous environment that will conect the whole works,” says Endres Winds of change in Apple’s marketing division BY JIM BEAVER MacWEEK Staff ‘The winds of chang blowing around Apple Compute Inc's sales and marketing division ‘nocked down another tree as Jon Zeisler was replaced by George Everhart as director of business marketing. Everhar’s appointment continues Apple's ‘move to appoint sles and marketing exeeu- tives who have strong communications back- ‘grounds, The trend began with Charles Boesen- berg's appointment to head the division. Everhart has held marketing position with ‘Memorex Corp.'s Communications Group and with Braegen Corp. Most recently he helped develop Apple's business-channel strategy. At the level ofthe field staf, "major fre Alls” continued with the announcement ofa 25-percent increase inthe number of staff and {nthe training program for dealers who will handle the Macintosh I ‘Between 50 percent and 60 perent of Apple's 2,00 dealers nationwide ar expected to camry the Mac I, says Godfrey Sullivan the company’s director of dealer sles. Sullivan calls the inability or unwilingness ‘of some dealers to meet the company-mandted level of support “business as usual.” “We have to make sue the channel i able tommeet the needs ofthe business usr,” Sul van says Ifa dealer isnot willing to have the required two outside salespeople or ean not afford the nearly $6,000 spare-pat it forthe Macintosh I, Sullivan says, “I'm nt sure we'd be doing (the dealer), us or the customer a favor” by leting the dealer cary the Mac I ‘The quality standards forthe Mac I are ‘more stringent than those for former Mac prod ucts, he say, “But that’s not unusual given the complexity ofthe machine.” ‘Apple spokeswoman Barbara Kraus says it isamisconcepton thatthe increase in field sta would be only in dret sales, ‘The increases, which Kraus says willbe ‘complete by this summer, woul be mainy in the areas of dealer support and training Sullivan sys Apple's push into the corpo- rate markeiplace was proceeding with an development ‘Their“sokejob,”he says, “sto help dealers sell to busines,” whether tha involves joint calls or “bringing a customer to Cupertino.” “We have to get better at that and tam sell ing will be a arg part of,” Sullivan says. Symmetry to release new version of PictureBase MESA, Ariz. — Symmetry Corp. plans to release in October a new version of its Picture Base Art Management System database for the Macintosh computer that wll include the capability to access images stored on CD-ROM discs PictureBas allows users to develop a large database of images cataloged by ttle and description that canbe retrieved by a Desk ‘Accessory. PictureBase canbe shared over an AppleTalk network ‘The new version of the program will allow ‘users to search by using logical sequences of keywords, acconfing to Scott Shwan,compa- ry president. “You can search for ‘clown or Open Mac ships video adapter, RAM upgrades ‘CONCORD, Cali: — Open Mac Enterprises recently released a series of new products, including a video adapter for connecting a Mac to larger monitor, RAM memory upgrades and a SCSI port forthe Mac 512Ke. The video adaperis designed to connect a Macintosh, Mac Plus or SE toa high-resolution ‘composite monitor or projector for situations where many people need to see one machine at one time, Priced at $99.95 forthe Mac and MacPIus versions and $149.95 forthe SE version, the adapter canbe installed in a machine without cuitng, crimping soldering or driling. Moni- tors and projectors als are available from (Open Mac and range in ize from 9 inches t0 23 inches and in price from $300 to $1,000. ‘The memory upgrades lke the adapter, ae designed for ease of installment. Without Rely delivers external SCSI drives for Macs CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Rely Technologies hs begun shipping anew tine of extemal SCSI disk drives forthe 512Ke Mac (with SCSI interface) a well asthe newer model Mac computers. ‘Tee versions are available with 65 Mbytes, 110 Mbytes and 240 Mbytes, sting for $1,995, $2595 and $4495, respectively Al three use ALL certified encoding technolo 2. a data encoding method designed for maxi- Central Point’s Copy II reportedly fixes bug in SE PORTLAND, Ore. —A new version of Cen- tral Point Software's Copy Il forthe Macintosh promises to fx abug inthe Mac SE and the 128K ROM that makes file recovery unreliable. The performance ofthe upper internal drive inthe Mac SE isreporedly decreased by a bug inthe ROM that makes it run more slowly and with more noise. Te problem isin the rou tin that selects the drive tobe used. The Copy (Version 6.5) is designed to prevent the upper drive fom being deselected each time that itis used so disk sped is increased. ‘The CPS “TagFix” feature is designed for the Mac 512e, Mac Pus and SE. According to Cera Point Sofware, these have been known to write incorrect tag information onto the disk, MacWEEK NEWS June 8, 1987 cies not oi orexample." | The new version of PctureBase willbe able to handle image files in PICT, a file format used by programs such as MacDraw and Super Paint, according 10 Shwars also wil support TIFF (Tag Image File Format), used by sca ners and encapsulated PostScript files suchas those created by Adobe Illustrator, according to Shwats. “You will be able to place graphics directly from Desk Accessory into Page Maker 2.0 and Quark XPress without the usual ‘copy’ and ‘past.”” ‘The price of PictureBase Version 2.0 has sot been determined. The curent Version 1.2 retails for $99. requiring modification ofthe machine itself, the upgrades are offered forthe Mac Pls, SE and Mac I. For the Mac Pus, the RamPhs line can add 1 or 2 Mbytes of memory ($299) or 4 Mbytes ($799). The RAMI version s designed forthe Plus or SE and adds 1 10 2.5 Mbytes ($399), | and the RAM ILI adds 4 Mbytes to the Pus, SE or Il $999) ‘Open Mac also has come out with interface card forthe Mac 512e, connecting to any SCSI disk. Te newer mode Macs all have such capability bul in, The por ($99.95) includes a 25-pin extemal connector and ister rminated so that a separate SCSI terminators not required to use motile ives. Installation of the SCSI port and memory uperade do not require soldering o cutting and do not void the Apple waranty. ‘mum density so that less room on the disk is needed forthe same amount of information ‘The use of RLL technology results in 7.5 Mbyfes-per-second data transfer rate, roughly ‘50 percent faster than other standard disk drives at 5 Mbytes per second, according 1 & Rely representative ‘The drives also feature 20-30 milisecond VISIBLE RESULTS Despite ll he virtues of page-Iayout programs ‘on the Macintosh (or anyother desktop com- puter), they are of tle help in one key pub- lishing step. Before putting together that newsletter, book or manual, someone has 10 ‘wt and edt the text. Writing, strangely enough, is sill ony pat Steve Rosenthal ly supported by PC, although most of us make do well enough with tools designed fr typists and editors. The familiar word processors and spelling checkers are largely lexical tools — dealing only with words and thei arrangements atthe surface level — rather than the semantic level of content and meaning, Wiring wel is hard work. A well-crafted piece that deserves tobe read demands content, structure and syle. Creating good wring takes more than the ability to enter words on a key board Consequently, producing cogent material usualy requires support. Except for personal opinion pices, popular political writing or other purely subjective matters, writing most ‘often involves plenty of data collection and arrangement, fair amount of thinking and a lot of drafting and polishing. Eventually, we are tld, there will be all sorts of meaning-based writing tools made with antficalineligence. These will help take our notes, organize our material, check our organi- zation and critique our styl. Useful? Yes, and ‘we may be the better for them if we listen to the advice such programs can give us Some say having a machine critique our ving will tum us into hacks who write for the taste ofa machine. But we are talking about ‘guaranteeing minimums, not limiting creativi- ty. Foreveryday newsletter or business work, having a computerized blue pencil probably is nota serious problem. But fornow, we do not have those options. Inthe mainstream of Macintosh software, our ‘witng toolbox is largely limited to outiners, hypertext, ext-orented databases and some specialized word processors For the moment, let us look at outlining. Many people find outline programs partcu- larly suited for desktop-pubishing work. The ‘rogram encourage the sort of structure that i so necessary for putting together a complex document. Programs like Acta fom Symmetry Corp. of Mesa, Ariz., MaxThink from Max- Think In. in Oakland, Cali, More from Liv- ing Videotext in Palo Alto, Calif, and Voila! from Target Softvare of Miami, Fl, let us creat, rearrange and print outlines with or without supporting tet, ‘Admittedly, some people find the hierarchi- cal model ofthe outline too limiting, especially ‘when they are fist working ona piece. ut- lines encourage linear thinking, while creation, almost by definition, i a search for the unex- pected, Outline adherents, onthe other hand, say creation is actually enhanced by mar- shalling the information at han into a more accessible oder. ‘Whether or not outlines area good tol for the intial brainstorming they are excellent for coalescing half formed ideas into a structure that can be communicated to other people. For desktop-publshing projects — where the final project will include many elements —I find outlines area great help in organizing what I have to say and partitioning it appropriately into various articles or sections, Furthermore, if one finds outies a cong nial method of organization, most ofthese Macintosh implementations allow for actualy writing text in the outline a wel Good design and layout can add to the impact of any piece of writing, and desktop publishing can raise the perceived quality of text Bu fr best results, we must g0 into a project with quality material. Al the tools in the world will not make a Nobel Prize-winning author out of a writer who does not have to touch or experience, but the right tools can — and do — make it easier to do our best. access time, shock-mounig, slf-parkng heads and daisychaining capability. Ml ‘making it impossible forthe “Undelete” fun tion to find the comes fe ‘Tags are the few bytes of identifying infor mation on each block of disk. They describe hich part of whic file the block belongs to so that accidentally deleted files can be recovered. Tags also protect agains defective disks. The track cache in the newer 128K andthe ‘SE ROMSs, however, sometimes disturb the automatic writing of tgs Installed inthe Sysem Folder, the CPS “TagFix” automatically gives the coret tag information to all files writen to disk. I will support up to three 35-inch dives on the SE Copy I ists or $39.95. nally, a REAL Font m pple! Chicago Courier Cupertino MenuFonts. cop) will never be the s: Helvetica lHollywood Kawaaahi* Monaco New York 1uFonts!! $15.00 + 82. rks with all prog Pnhanced Send a check or money order for 00 S&H to N. Oracle Road + Tucson, AZ 8 MacWEEK June 8, 1987 BUSINESS WATCH BY RICHARD HALSTEAD Special to MacWEEK Recently introduced software specially designed forthe creation of business presenta- tions using the Macintosh has made the future ofthe prsentation-graphies market look rosy. ‘A surplus of good graphics software and the aphic orientation of the Mac's internal design is puting the Macintosh ina strong postion to take fll advantage of growth in this market “There ae about 100 packages already out there, including both the Macintosh and IBM worlds,” says Darll Boye, president of Trail blazer Consultants in Saratoga, Calif. “Apple is the leading software company inthe market Presentaton-graphics software is similar in ‘many ways to deskop-pubising software. In fact, most analysts find it difficult to different ste between the two. In general, however, thet differences are reflected by ther titles Presentation-graphics packages tend to place more emphasis on illustration, whether ‘organizational chars, ar graphs or 3Smm slides. Desktop-publishng software, onthe other hand, focuses more on the arrangement of text Inthe past, many srapics applications have served dual purposes, functioning as both desk- top-publishing and presenation-graphics tools. But the newest trend, established by Fore- thought Inc of Sunnyvale, Calif, isto design ‘more specialized software that can take ull advantage of the rapidly growing presentation market. Approximately 1 milion presentation, most of which involve overhead transparencies orslides, are made each day estimates Bill ‘Coggsall, president of Desktop Presentations Rosy future for presentation-graphics market Inc, a market research firm in Mountain View, calif. According to Tom Hope, whose Hope Report, published in Rochester, N.Y, chron- cles this market segment, the demand for tans- ‘parencies alone amounted to $100 milion in 1985, Hope says he expects that marke increase to $1.8 billion by 1991 Even more significant is that Hope est- mates only 5 percent ofthe transparencies pro- duced in 1985 were generated by computers. ‘The potential for growth is temendous, ‘The smaller, but more luratve, slide mar- ket, which amounted to $5 billion in 1985, had a [3:percent penetration by computers. Micro- computer use ison the rise in presentation pro- duction because computers make the process faster and allow users to make lst minute ‘changes incopy, says Ralph Megna, vice presi dent of Renaissance Properies Lid in Lite Rock, Ark Many uses ofthe Mac take ull advantage ofits standard user interface to mix and match the software they ned to build their presenta tions. For example, they might use Excel 0 produce graphics then cut and paste the results into Apple's MacDraw to enhance the images, Finally, the whole package could be dropped into Aldus’ PageMaker for composition. Because ofthe attention given it, most peo- ple assume desktop publishing is larger mar- Ketthan presentation graphics, Coggsal as. wm what I'm hearing, believe its reason- able to assume it's the other way around.” Such a conclusion depends on whether the many graphic programs now available are defined as presentation-graphics tools or ads ‘See PRESENTATION, next page. Mail-order houses woo corporate customers Despite industry problems, mail-order firms offer an economical option for supplies BY STEPHEN CUMMINGS Special MacWEEK The recent failures of several large mail-order concerns have cos suppliers and customers millions in outstanding invoices and unfilled orders. Nevertheless, surviving mail-order compa- nies specializing in Mac-elated software and peripherals claim tobe financially healthy and ‘may sill be sound altematies for buying Mac- {tosh products. Only afew weeks ago, Chicago-based PC "Network, a large player in the mail-order arena, ‘went belly-up and filed for protection under Chapter 11 ofthe federal bankruptcy laws. Despite $50 millon in sles last year, the firm was ver $1.5 milion in the red when it ceased operating in May. At about the same time, ‘Tech PC, a Southem Califomia mail-order ven- dor of IBM PC-compatile micros, folded. On Oct. 29, Northeastem Software, a She! ton, Conn-based mail-order house with annual sales of $30 milion, filed for Chapter 11 pro- tection. Company officials blamed the failure ‘on ts rapid expansion and on the intense price ‘competition inthe mail-order industry. North- castem has since ended its operations entirely. In cach ofthese cases, customers were sid to have pad for orders that they never received. ‘ALPC Network, unfilled orders from as many as 15,000 customers reportedly amounted to ‘more than $3 milton Despite these prominent failures, major smail-orde fms in the Macintosh market claim to be in sound financial health. They purport to offer complete inventories, service comparable to other retailers and old-fashioned low prices for corporate buyers in search ofa full range of Macintosh products “We don't el the computers themselves, but we sell everything ele forthe Mac. We have al the major software tts, runing the gamut from business to educational, and we sell ll kinds of peripherals and hardware,” said David Beffa, director of marketing at Mac- ‘Connection, a mail-order firm in Marlow, NL. Ofcourse, one brand name is conspicuous ints absence from almost every mail-order firm’s product list: Apple. The omission has a simple explanation. Apple bar its dealers from selling any ofits products through the mail “Apple makes sur that its authorized deal- ers don't sll their equipment by mail-order, and we don’t want o step on their toes,” said Joe Gerkman, product information manager for the Saving Zone, a mail-order house special- izing in Mac products in Redmond, Wash, Apple's policy agaist mal orders has not stopped some companies, however. For exam- ple, CDA Comper Sales, five-year-old ‘West Milford, N.J, frm, sells complete Macin- tosh systems and other Apple product. “We're in the gray market — we purchase the computers from authorized Apple dealers and sell them to our customers,” says Sharon Daniels, CDA’s advertising director. Accord- ing to Daniels, some competing mail-order houses als sell Apple products but donot advertise the practice “They have more subtle ways of letting people know, and if customer ask, they" quote him a pie,” she says ‘Whatever the produc, discounts are the pri ‘mary attraction ofthe mail-order firms. Mac- CConnection’sBeffa described hs firm's prices asa“tle more discounted than your local store can offer,” and said that a combination of high volume and low overhead allows his com pany to lower its prices and still make a profit. Mail-onde firms take pains to downplay any bargin-basement image, however, and they claim to offer support and service superior to that provided by many local dealerships, despite thei distance from most customers. “We guarantee everything 100 percent, and if someting is wrong with we'l repair or replace it immediately,” Beffa said “We havea fll technical staff to handle any questions that come up, about any of the products we sll. Infact, we give everybody that service, whether they bought the product from us or not,” said Saving Zone’s Gerkman, CCDA’s lack of authorized dealer status means customers cannot receive waranty Ser- vice from local dates for Apple prvi pur chased from the fim. To allay customer fears, the firm's service policies include a 30-day money-back or replacement guarantee, accord- ing to Daniels. Throughout the res ofthe 90- day warranty period on Macintosh systems, the castomer’s merchandise willbe repaired by CDA technicians. Like the other firms, CDA ‘maintains a fee technical support hot line. ‘According to the mail-order firms, these service policies are caring the confidence of corporate customers. While the bulk of sles ‘were once to home sers and small businesses, corporate buying has increased substantially in recent months, the firms report. “We're servicing alot of corporate accounts now, and the trend is for that sie of our busi- nes to increase, Our business customers have become a major part of our sales, probably 50 percent or more,” Beffa said. Sensing a potentially large and lucrative ‘market, some mail-order firms with nationwide clientele, such asthe Saving Zone, have com plemented their advertising campaigns with rect sales forces to woo corporat purchases. ‘The trend toward direct sles is particularly pronounced at 80-Soltware of Berkeley, Cali ‘The firm built a succesful business in mail- order sales of MS-DOS software and peripher- als but recently added! Mac products tit cat log and switched toa telemarketing emphasis Sill, 80-Software plans to remain inthe mail-order business as well "We sill send out ‘ur catalog, and anyone can still phone in an ‘order on our 800 numbers,” says Ray West, 2 senior sales representative. ‘Because mail-onder firms ar tailoring sales efforts to corporate buyers and, they say, sress- ing service, ordering by mail may bean eco- rnomical supply option fr some buyers of Mac software and peripherals despite the recent financial problems ofa few companies. Programmers for Macs in short supply BY RUSTY WESTON Special to MacWEEK Macintosh software developers may refuse to drive BMWs to work, just on principle, but they have attained anew status paralleling Apples big move into the business markt “There is alot more work and money. The horizons ar definitly broadening,” says Tom Sanios, a Mac software developer whois a spokesman forthe Berkeley Mac Users Group. ‘BMUG isno longer an outpost of noncon formists, Santos says. He jokes that he cannot think ofa “single yuppie” inthe group. Ttmay be ironic, but the Mac developers who have eared a reputation among industry ‘executives as creative iconoclasts now have the business world valuing their advice. “Thee is more demand than supply for pro gramming talent onthe Macintosh,” says Apple spokesman Doug Sleter. “We would like 0 see alittle larger community of developers.” ‘The Macintosh's progres inthe business community has created the demand for cus tomized applications. lack of experienced programmers has forced Apple exectives to evangelize developers on the PC sie to do Mac products,” Sleeter says “The underlying reason for the shortage is that MS-DOS has been around three years Jonge than Macintosh,” Sleeter says. Apple wants to move the Mac I nt the scientific and engineering markets, Sleter says, uta lack of qualified programmers may hhamper that for now “Generally inthis industry, there i a short- age of real qualified programmers,” says Har- vey Jeane, vice president of Ashton-Tate's research and development division in Torrance, Calif. “Some ofthe relly creative Mac pro- grammers are difficult to meld int a tam that will rn fo a goal line. They ae definitely more difficult to find than an IBM programmer. Industry experts estimate PC developers ‘outnumber their Apple counterparts by a ratio ‘of 100 one. Apple report it has 400 registered and 6,000 certified programmers. Economist David Stemight of Pasadena, Calif, predicts “an explosive growth” inthe numberof developers, coinciding with the introduction of the Mac Il and SE products “We are trying to build up our Mac staff,” PRESENTATION says Karen Snow of Menlo Business Systems in Los Altos, Calif. “I am sure we could easily double it. Mac programmers ar tough to come by, though. When you find one, you bring them “onboard.” Borland Intemational of Scots Vale, Calif, is an example of a company that search «for Mac talent on CompuServe, “They do not buy ad pace. They uta notice on-line that they are seeking people to write patches or pro- grams,” sid CompuServe spokeswoman Jan Bower. Ashion-Tateis constantly looking for Mac talent, Jeane says. The company advertises in college and technical plication, sends out recruiter from its human reations department and even hires a search fim, ‘The company employs about 160 intemal developers and between 10 and 50 extemal programmers, Jane says. Programmers can ‘expect fo cam between $30,000 and $50,000 annually. ‘The company wants programmers with tree to four yeas of experience he says “Obviously, with Macintosh, that is dfficl to find. Some of our better Mac programmers had ‘been working here as MS-DOS programmers. “There is more tothe Mac world than ust being proficient withthe internals onthe Mac system,” Jeane says. “Developers require a mindset that ts them produce a product that people are comfortable with. A Mac developer rust anticipate a user's needs. Tat takes more than solid work skills and the ability to write efficient code. The word creative” could be used to describe it.” Jeane says creative, business minded pro grammes are hard to find. ‘One advantage of programming on a Mac: intosh vs. using & PC languages “Iti the lan- ‘guage of choice. Is easier to program on Apple,” says BMUG's Santos “Apple has provided a very sophisticated tool kit for programmer,” says Sterlight, who uses « Mac to display his model for forecasting word ol prices. “The second advantage is Apple has a completely consistent usernter- face. tis taking IBM years to catch up.” “The Apple software tends to bea cut above the software on IBM machines,” Ashton-1 Jeane says. “It anticipates a ser’ needs Continued from previous page. for desktop publishing, he says. “My gut fee: ing is thatthe presentation graphics market is ‘quite abit bigger than desktop publish Most observers agree the introduction of PowerPoint, a program designed to function as a presentation graphics tol, wil fuel the growth of the presentation marke by atracting new users. PowerPoint has shown people that there is a market out there,” says Keith Sturdivant, Forethought’s product manager. PowerPoint, Which sells for $395, serves asthe focus around which a presentation is bul, Sturdivant says Users of PowerPoint can give presentations a cohesive appearance by ensuring that each page ofa document has a common format, Primarily an organizational tol, Power Point needs tobe used with other spreadsheet, graphics and outlining application, Sturdivant says. That san important reason why Foe thought designed PowerPoint for the Macin. tosh, he says. The Mac's standard user inter- face makes software collaboration easy CCurently, Apple has about 30 percent of the presentation market, compared with SO per- cent for IBM, Boyle estimates. f Apple isto rab a larger piece ofthe pic, it must improve the coor capability ofthe Macintosh’s output devices, he says. BUSINESS WATCH MacWEEK 1987 1)1 June 8, Harvey Jeane of Ashton-Tate as erate, businessminded Macintosh programmers ae hard to find, Jeane says Ashton-Tate i not prepared to predict Apple will catch IBM in busines sales this year, but connectivity solutions will solidi- fy ifs place inthe business world, generating ‘more work for Mac developers. At the Spring Developers Conference, Apple went out ofits way to make third-party developers fel they tnd to profi from the SE and Mac Il, according to David M. Mraz of Mill Valley, Calif. “Lsee Apple headed inthe right direction, with alot of momentum,” says Mraz, acet- fied developer who uses the Excel macrolan- ‘guage totum a spreadsheet into document ‘management system, Developers tend to rave about the advan tages of becoming registered and certified with Apple, particulary because of the Apple infomation exchange. For $600 a yea, regis- tered developers receive online tecnica! sup port directly from Apple. Tis year, the devel- ‘pers can pay an addtional $300 for Mac Tl suppor. ‘Third-party developers are extremely important tothe sales future ofthe Mac I and SE, says Howard Katz ofthe MacApp Devel- ‘pers Assocation, based in Everett, Wash But the shortage of quality developers might affect machine sles. “Already, publish ers and software developers have seen opport- nites, but lacked the resources to cover them,” Apple's Sleeter says. ‘Currently there are no inexpensive printers capable of taking full advantage of coor soft- ware forthe Macintosh, but several manufac tures produce desktop side-makers that gen erate a rainbow of color. Known as film recorders, these slide mak x usually consist of a CRT on which the mage being converted toa slide is projected and various photographic lenses and colori ters, Because ofthe cost ofthe CRT, they are typically uit expensive. For example, te film recorders sold by Dunn Insrument in Springfield, Va, retail for $7,00 to $9,000. Dunn, a subsidiary of Flr da-based DBA Systems Inc, also sells a $15,000 combination film recorder/worksta- tion that connects with the Mac Plus and 512, filling the monochrome image of those ‘machines wit 16.7 million shades of color. “The average Mac user balk litle tthe price,” says Tony Reynolds, Dunn's national | ks manager. ‘Lack of color printers muddies rainbow Because ofthe expense connected with most film recorder, software makers are anx- ious to see advance in printer technology. ImageWritr It has a four-color ribbon that provides limited color reproduction. By dithering — printing one colo over another — the Imagewritercan expand is range to eight colors, says Charles Jackson, president of Silicon Beach Software in San Diego. ‘But that does not satisfy most software ‘makers, who want a printer with capabilities loser to those of film recorders ‘Unfortunatly, that type of equipment is more than two years away, says John Scul, Apple's desktop-publishing manager. nthe ‘meantime, film recorders are geting cheaper. Presentation Technologies in Sunnyvale, Calif, has developed a $149 software driver for its ImageMaker film recorder, which sells for $4995, ImageMakeris cheaper than many recorders because it prints directly onto film. — By Richard Halstead Mac WEEK 2 June 8, 1987 BUSINESS Wace | Can Apple protect ‘look and feel” ofits programs? BY LARRY HABEGGER Special to MacWEEK ‘The controversy surounding software copy- rights has some analysts wondering whether Apple will have to assess it strategy fr fight- ing imitators of the Macintosh and its graphical interface. A furry of lawsuits and countersuits have already been filed over the “look and feel” of several programs forthe IBM PC. Dan Brooks, a computer law specialist with the New York firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taf, say he doubts thatthe Macintosh iner- face is protected under copyright law. “Thave great dificult thinking asreen with certain symbols and English words like “Quit rises to the dignity of authorship,” e says. verte years, Apple has vigorously defended its against copies Is late-1970s suit against Franklin Computer Corp. of. Pennsauken, NJ, for copying Apple's Basic InpuOutput System (BIOS) established a legal precedent that hasbeen sed in other cases, A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in 1983 thatthe ‘eral lines of code contained in software pro- sams are protected by copyright as Apple claimed, More recently, Apple amicably resolved potential copyright infringements ofthe Macintosh interface by Digital Research In (DRI) of Monterey, Calif. and Microsoft Cor. ‘of Redmond, Wash. These agreements implicit |y recognized far broader protection, not only ofthe actual code but also ofthe appearance and funtion ofthe software. ‘These disputes were eventually settled out cof cour, however, leaving some legal questions ‘unanswered, Now that federal couts are con- sidering argument in three cases concerning the “Took and fee” of Lous 1-2-3, the biggest selling PC program, some observers think Apple may face similar dificultis defending its exclusive ownership of the Mac interface, Jemy Schneier, president ofthe Capital PC User Group in Washington, D.C is wary of any company that steps into the mile of an evolutionary process and tris to claim owner- ship of ess than-revoluionary developments He says Lotus 1-2-3 was built onthe design of. an earlier spreadsheet product, VisiCale, and he notes that the Macintosh desktop and icon ‘design grew out of original work in the early 1970s by programmers at Xerox Corp's Palo “Apple is very serious about protecting the ‘look and feel’ ofits interface.” Alto research center. “An interface shouldbe copyrightabe ifthe company originated the technology,” Schneider says "But Apple came in somewhere within the evolutionary process. Ido not tink an interface that evolved should beable to be copyrighed by somenne who today has the best implementation.” ‘Appl concedes that the Mac interface evolved from the Xerox work, but itneverthe- less adamantly defends its copyright ‘Spokeswoman Marianne Lettieri says Apple never claimed it originated the concep of icons ‘but insists the company took the concept on its ‘own development path “We developed our own unique implemen- tation of our own interface, and we have a copyright oni,” she says “Apples very serious about protecting the Ashton-Tate of Torrance, Calif, reported 78 percent increase in net income and a 46 per- cent ineease in revenue forthe first fiscal quarter of this yar. The jump was due primarily to an ineeased demand forts dBase Ill Pus ro- gram, according to Gail Pomerantz, director of corporate communications. Financial analyst Rick Sherlund says sales ofthe program increased to $39 milion this quarter fom $26 milion in the same quarter last year Demand als increased forthe company’s word-processing program MultiMate Advantage and its update, MuliMate ‘Advantage I, introduced last Apri This financial clean bl of health preceds the long-awaited appearance of Ashton- ‘Tate's ¢MAC. The curent release date isin July, bu this follows several small delays and a mgjor postponement of several months Sherlund says the program has prompted some stock market anticipation thatthe value of Aston-Tate stock ison thr rise but tha its introduction has nothing todo with this quar- ters profit increas. Ashton-Tate and HP report rise in income Heowlet-Packard also reported arse in income. Citing strong product demand as the- ‘cause, HP said earings rose 28 percent and revenue rose 13 percent forthe second quar- ‘ero the 1987 fiscal year. Surging sales overseas, particularly in Westem Europ, accounted for a good por- tion of the increase, says Karen Gervais, HP spokeswoman, ‘The Europeans have shown an especially strong intrest in machines with UNIX-based operating systems, she say. U.S. companies, on the other hand, are exhibiting a general trend of “purchasing ‘more capital goods,” ike business computer systems, says Gervais. HDs introduction of new products, such ax it Laeret printer, and general budget tightening also contributed tothe company's increased profit The Cupetno,Calf-based company also received a tax break tis ear because of a new law that allowed HP to move from the 37 percent percent ax bracket othe 33 per: cent slo. Gervais says ths probably occurred industry-wide. Took and feel of cur interface and intellectual property, The protection of intellectual proper- ty isthe comerstone of this industry. “Its very important for companies to be able o protect their breakthroughs from R&D investments and tobe able to continue to invest in R&D,” she says ‘According to Lettieri, Apple would consider litigation against competitors if twas clear that ‘company had “ported an interface for use in another system.” Apple, she says, looks tits interfaces as more than a trash can that bulges (or any series of icons. The company uses the ‘word “gestalt” to describe the overall fel of the interface, independent of ts individual fea- tures and functions. “When users are working with a Mac envi ronment, they know itis a Mac.” says Let. “Ifitlooks like a Mac, ats ikea Mac, works Tike a Mac, it beter be a Mac ‘Apple was nt the only company to have continued the evolution ofthe Xerox concept Another is Intereaf, a Cambridge, Mass, developer of elctronic-publshing softwar for engineering workstations and supermicros. Despite visual similarity between Intrleaf’s interface and that ofthe Macintosh, there has ‘not been, nor sthere likely to be, any egal dis- pute between Interleaf and Apple. ‘According to Inteleaf President David Boucher, the interfaces ae sufficiently differ. ent. Inertef’s environment is oriented toward two: or thre-button mouse as opposed to the ‘Macs one, and it depends heavily on pop-up ‘menus rather than the Mac’s pull-down, “You could nt possibly mistake ou inter- face forthe Macintosh or, for that mate, for Star Xerox)” Boucher says. “There are enough differences, We ae not trying to copy the details, we only havea similar design.” Boucher says “look-and-feel” infringements ‘come when a company “copies the ‘look and CT a: fie (ime [lie 2 Bega men reel pdm on Mach oa feel” ofa particular product tothe exten that a relatively experienced user sits down with the ‘second proiet and thinks he is working with the irs.” tthe moment, Intrlaf i hapily out of the fray, and Boucher ses no reason to believe this will change. He doesnot pretend to know Apple's posi- tion, but he points out that both companies ‘were heavily influenced by Xerox and simulta- neously developed their own technology on divergent paths. ‘The similarity betwen their interfaces is superficial and, thus, has never been an issue. ‘The dificult in assessing the “iook-and- fee issue its subjectivity and imprecision lout what is being infringed. No one disputes that companies havea right to protect their ‘products. On the other hand, observers worry that if publishers ae granted too much protec: tion then innovative products that build onthe base of existing products willbe blocked from marke Lee Hagelshaw, computer law specialist withthe San Francisco firm of Mahan & Rolph, says he believes the cases involving Lotus have caused a chiling effect onthe industry. “Ifthe industry sto move forward, the courts will need to strike a balance that will foster competition and the standardization of user interfaces and also protect unique develop- ments," Hageshaw says. Tis anybody's guess when the Lotus suis, will be decided, but most observers say they expect it wil take at leas three years before the cours reach a consenss. For now, Apple is watching from the side lines with great interest. With the increasing trend toward graphic user interfaces, it seems likely thatthe company wil be forced to become an active participant before all the dust clears BY JEANETTE BORZO Special to MacWEEK ‘Apple Compute inc.’s recently anounced ‘move info workstations with increased net- working capabilities ely will mean higher- priced software for Macintosh computes, according to softvare developers, market ana- Iysts and Apple personnel ‘Asthe Macintosh moves onto the desktops cof corporate America, as Apple launches the independent software company it announced in the lst days of April, and asthe company con- tinue oinreas the sophistication ofits hard ware, Macintosh software prices will nar the level oftheir IBM counterpart ‘Two established software packages — Para sus, NJ-based Lerast’s Ready Set.Go! 3 and Carmel, Calif -based MindWork Soft- \ware’s Mind Write —have recently jumped between $100 and $175 in price without prod- vot updates. New software packages, suchas Palo Alto, Calit-based Adobe Systems Inc.'s lustrator ($495) and Denver-based Quark Inc.'s XPress ($695), recently entered the mar- ket atthe upper endo the price range for simi- lar products Although a general increas in software prices has begun, there is no evidence indicat- higher prices will adversely affect sales, E PRICE INCR Prices for Mac software expected to escalate With Apple's move into workstation, prices will reach level of PC counterparts Factors precipitated by Apple — more expensive hardware, changing marke forces, increased market size, more advanced software and more elaborate marketing — are expected to affect the price trend Software developed for Apple computers has been offered at prices lower than similar programs developed for IBM computer But now, according to Christine Thompson, business management marketing manager at Apple asthe Macintosh gains broader accep- tance, consumers can expect software prices to increase “Apple is moving into amore demanding marketplace,” she says. Innovation isnot cheap, and Thompson says she expects developers to ask “premium prices” for high- quality products Bill Larson, manager of Apple's software rmarketing group cals the software market “inelastic and says that consumers look for usefulness frst and consider price second. "People are feature conscious” when selecting software, Larson says. Ifa software package is. not exactly what the bayer is looking fr, he say, “it doesnt matter if it's free.” As innova- tion and quality increase, Larson says, “then the prices should go up. “More sophisticated marketing geared 0 reach a larger market isthe second fore that BUSINESS WATCH MacWEEK June 8, 1987 1)3 ESTABLISHED COMPANY DATEOF OLD NEW ‘SOFTWARE INCREASE PRICE PRICE PRODUCTS MindWrite MindWork Software 5/87 $125. $295, (word processing) Ready,Set,Go!3__Letraset 387 $295 $395 (desktop publishing) NEW PRODUCTS COMPANY RELEASE PRICE DATE Mustrator ‘Adobe (graphics) 387 $495 XPress Quark (desktop publishing) 4187 $695 PowerPoint Forethought (presentation) 4187 $395 dBase Mac Ashton-Tate (data base) 6e7 $495 Fullwrite ‘Ann Arbor Softworks (word processing) 887 $295 WordPerfect WordPerfect (word processing) 9187 $395 Larson says drives up software prices. Prce- oriented developers who offer inexpensive soft- ‘war often do nt make enough of profit to marke their product aggressively. ‘As third-party publishers market software packages o increase the developer's profits, te addtional cos is passed on tothe con- sumer. ‘Two months after Letraset acquired excla- sive marketing and distribution rights to Ready Set,Go! 3, the deskop-pubishing pro- gram orginally from Mankttan Graphics of Valhalla, N.Y., jumped $100 in price. Ready, Set,Go! 3 hada list price of $295. ‘On March I the price went to $395 without the ‘rogram being upgraded or changed. Asked about the price increase, Sheryl But, Letase's ‘manager of marketing communications, says, “With so many features, it was underpriced to begin with.” ‘She says Letraset, an ntemationaldstbu- tion corporation that has been in business for 5 years, brought a lot of marketing resources” to Ready Seto! 3. "March sales ‘were up 100 percent over February.” But says, which appear o support Larson's remarks about consumer attuds towards price and value. Butt declined to disclose actual amounts. Another force to drive up software prices is the increasing quality and innovation of soft ware packages developed to keep pace with Macintosh advancements. Bill Higgs, director of software research at InfoCorp of Cupertino, Cali, says as develop- ers become more successful with their products and as Apple captures more ofthe IBM market, new software programs will enter the market at higher pric. ‘Tom Roberts, manager of PC research at Intemational Data Corp. of Fmingham, “Mass, also anticipates more innovative soft wae to grow out of Apple's new direction, and says developers wil beable to charge a prem um, “As the Mac gets more popular and is no longer seen as an anomaly, it will no longer be necessary to Keep the price low,” he says ‘As with any industry, market fores also will pla a large role in determining the prices ‘of software. While there will always be price ‘oriented developers focusing on volume sales, the prices ae often set acconding to market sur veys that determine the highest price the mar- ket wl bear. ‘This month Mind Work Software is announcing an increase inthe ist pice ofits word-processing program, Mind Write, from $125 o $295. The main reason forthe increase isto make MindWrite “consistent with prod- uets of comparable features and values. and ‘wth the marketplace,” the company says. Although an upgrade (Version 1.1) of MindWirite will be sent to current owners in July, the uperade affects only performance and ‘peed and doesnot change or enhance any fea- tures of MindWrite, according tothe company. More evidence of what the market will bear is Pao Alto, Calif-based Adobe Systems Inc.'s “March 16 release of llustator, a second-gener- ‘ation graphics program for graphic atts. Ata list rie of $495, Musrator is priced atthe upper end of graphics programs. ‘While refusing to quote specific figures, Adobe says sales have been “phenomenal” in the United States and proclaimed it success in Europe, where it was recently launched (Quark nc. of Denver launched XPress in Api at a ist price of $695. Pil Haley, exeeu- tive director, says the price is based on Quark’s development costs, price comparisons with ‘comparable desktop publishing programs and the nature ofthe market. Harley say sales have ‘been more than double our expectations,” but he declined to discuss actual figures. Rob Campbell, president of Forethought Inc of Sunnyvale, Cali, says the market has come to “a fork inthe roa,” dividing the vol ume developers win keep their programs ‘riced les than $100 from other developers ‘Who sell business products for which the “mar kt is big and mature enough to support serious ces.” ‘fier evaluating the competition and pric ing for similar programs written for IBM, Fore- thought st the price for PowerPoint at $395 Sales began April 20, and after 10 days, Camp- “No evidence indicates higher software prices adversely affect sales.” ‘bel says Forethought has had to reschedule production because the inital supply of the ‘rogram i already out the door. MAC, Torrance, Cali-based Ashton- Tate's fist offering forthe Macintosh, is reportedly due onthe market by the end of summer. The product was announced lst, ‘August wih list price of $495 ‘Malcolm Hobbs, product manager for MAC, say the program was no translated from Ashton-Tate’s similar product forthe TBM but was designed forthe Macintosh “from the ground up.” ¢MAC, which runs on an IBM, sells for $695. FallWrite, a word-processing program with desktop-publshin atibutes, is scheduled for release in August by Ann Arbor Softworks of Newbury Park, Calif, at an introductory price of $295. The price includes a free upgrade Phil Liptz, CEO of Ann Arbor Softworks, says his company based FullWrite’s price on the prices of its competitors in the Macintosh market, especially Microsoft Word 3.0 priced a $395, but he say he expects to use IBM prices as a gauge “ifthe Macintosh becomes immersed in offices.” WordPerfect Inc. of Orem, Uta, will release a word-processing program forthe Macintosh in Sepiemiber ata list price of $395, Nolan Larsen, manager of development forthe ‘new product, says Apple's move into the bus ness world is “clearly te direction we would have them go.” ‘While the effects of Apple's campaign for corporate America’s business have not had time to develop fully, an upward trend in soft- ‘ware prices is expected. Feature-hungry con- sumers will likely Keep sales rising as they con- tinue to seek products that more closely meet their neds Says Larson of Apple: “People would rather pay higher prices to get more.” ternal ttn “The Direct Drive 20 4 rdcing powerful from Jasmine Computer features and the highest Systems of San Francisco, Re ee Californias the best Each divested wih atime ‘ dlgposis and config stat value ofall the drives todaschan <3 dees ned we reviewed” ‘wih every Dies Dive “Tent *sSodkababes open our seca ‘Tw swiched ACoulets Full way elecroic surge a ines 20B5649 ‘# The original SCSI select switch (96300 Visas talons jou tant deve ean meeoer, ‘orbackup device with the push ofabuton. co i 40008999 adetional rst (120i) + Full megabyte public domain ‘software shareware library wo HowgoodisaJasminedrve! |" ew 50me $1159 “The Macintosh Joumal (Dec 1986/ (9300 asic) Jan.1987) says" Ourtechnican in ‘ated that high qualy pars were toe and hte concn nas a 80s 51399 feseher tated lara ($1441 00 Visa Mastercard) think that they have cut comers on const Tsdoesotappeao one 160003499 (s3006 00 soe VEY VS VEY SVnV SVS SY Jasmine Direct Drives stack up betteragainst the competition. Bysellin direct to you, ourpprices save you 40% or more. To order call 415) 621-4339, =a S®) Eh SSO tig Ma a 6 a ANG ee NE rr Friesian reas yeninper mrtg reap areeonmp spor ee ee Be read amteneea cee epcane mae “As the Mac makes its move into the office, new and more mature networking options are emerging. These four programs make sharing files and peripherals fast and easy.” MAKING THE CONNECTION Networking Software for the Macintosh Every Macintosh is bom with “networking” built in, Circuits connected tothe printer port provide the hardware basis, while the ROMS and System file contain AppleTalk program ‘code. The addition of cabling creates a network with some basic capabilites, such as allowing several users to share a Laser Writer. Groups with more extensive needs, though, will need additional software. At the simplest level, programs like MazeWarst from Macro- Mind Inc. of Chicago, for example, let people play interactive, multi-user games on an AppleTalk network. At the other extreme, sophisticated products like the upcoming 3+ networking system from 3Com Corp of Santa Clara, Calif, combine high-performance add- ‘on hardware and software to provide a fll range of functions, rom sharing files, printers and modems to electronic mal. MacWEEK REVIEWS June 8, 1987 ‘The four packages reviewed here — Apple- ‘Share, TOPS, HyperNet 2.0 and MacServe — fall between the extremes, They are general- purpose in nature, and, since they ae software- base, the prices range inthe hundreds of dol- lars rather than thousands. Fora modest numberof users with straight forward networking needs —like running a multi-user database or sharing “brary” of documents — one ofthese packages could do the job. Each runs on standard Macintosh hard- ware with AppleTalk or PhoneNet cabling, but ‘each, designed with diferent priorities in mind, serves certain needs better than others. Basics The two basic networking buzzwords are “host” and “lien.” host, or"server,"isa ‘Macintosh with a disk acessibleto other Mac- infoshes. The clients are the other Macintoshes, that use the networked disk via AppleTalk. (On AppleShare, a Macintosh can be a host, ora client, but not bth simultaneously. The host Macintosh or server mas be dedicated to AppleShare and cannot rn normal application ‘rograms. A TOPS Macintosh is always both client anda host. Is not dedicated exclusively to networking; local and remote tasks proceed concurtenly. MacServe and HyperNet create a single host for mulile clint. The host can also bea client of another hos, purchased sepa- rately. ‘One common point of confusion about net- work software i the distinction between “isk servers” and “file servers.” MacServe isthe only disk server in this reviews the othe three ane fle servers, Continued on next page. MacWEEK 6 June 8, 1987 REVIEWS Continued from previous page. ‘A disk server allows more than one comput- eto share a disk by partitioning it int separate areas called “volumes.” Each user “owns” a patton; to prevent data comuption only one Person at a time can use it File servers, onthe other han, let diferent people share the same disk space frely, Instead of restricting acess to whole volumes, file-server software regulates the use of specif= ic files and folders on the disk. ‘Both ile servers and disk servers generally provide functions called “record locking” or “semaphores” that programmers can use to cre- ate aplications to which many users can have simultaneous access. ‘Aprime example isthe Omnis 3 Pus <atabase manager from Biyth Software of San Mateo, Calf, which has customized versions (USING 165-KBYTE OMNI Ih Mac Plus as Host forall four ofthe network filesystems reviewed here. The products MacServe MacServe ike its ancestor, XL/Serve, can be used to share hardware among anumiber of “Macintoshes, and it proves a good bass for multi-user Omnis 3 Pls. In adition 0 allow- ing uses to share hard-sk space, MacServe ‘gives users the option of sharing an ImageWrt- er printer and spooling the outpot, otha a per- son can do other task while the printer is ding its job. “MacServe's maturity is apparent in its eatensive set of functions, its good eror recovery, and a manual filled with tips and background information. MacServe’s age also shows, however, in such thing ais bias toward the obsolete flat filesystem of the ori nal Macintoshes, the only format supported by its backup program. One of MacServe's nce features is a “wit-through dik cache” The cache stores ofen-used data in memory, where ican be srabbed instantly by the processor without waiting forthe disk, Unlike Apple's Control Panel cache, changes made by the user are ‘mediately writen to the dis, so that a crash ‘sess likely to destroy information, This is, especially important with database programs. ‘What MacServe does not do wells exchange files between users. Tht isan awk ward procedure because MacServe is a disk server. It is usually easier to exchange data on floppy disks. ‘TOPS ‘TOPS isthe most democratic ofthe four systems. Iti straightforward and easy t use, as long as users understand the basic concepts. NETWORK SOFTWARE PERFORMAN' IS 3 PLUS MULTI-USER FIL machines othe Ma. Every Macintosh is an equal file server con trolled by its owner, who can choose which of its esoures to make available othe network at either the disk o folder level. Even IBM PCs ar included without discrimination. The ver- sion of TOPS forthe PC comes complete with an AppleTalk hardware card forthe computer. TOPS makes exchanging files a snap. No need to carry floppy disks back and forth; users simply elect the folde(s) containing the docu- ments to be shared and command TOPS to “Publish” ‘TOPS excels ina mixed PC/Macntosh environment. Worksheets and other documents can be passed as easily between aPC and a “Macintosh as between two Macintoshes. These democratic capabilities are even being extend- ed to minicomputer systems such as UNIX. AppleShare AppleShare is in some ways the most main- frame-like among these product. Users have to ‘buy an extra Macintosh (Macintosh Plus or E) Time (sec) Host! Client 2 Open database Long search HyperNet 3 Mac Plus Mac Plus 51 55 AppleShare 4 Mac Plus/cache Mac Plus 43 40 TOPS Mac Plus Mac Plus 45 54 MacServe 2.25 Mac Plus/cache Mac Plus 53 47 1. Mac Ps, System 4.1, Macttom SCSI 45, cache of unless chris noted 2 Same as ost oncot Myperorve X40, 26 Moyes RAM Severin’ pty saings had oot 4 AopeShare une on apps na-wotrgh cache #5 NacSewe cache (te hroug) erin To Koy. With Mac SE & HyperCharger 020 as Host Time (sec.) Host Client Open database Long search HyperNet 2.0 ‘SE/020, no cache Plus 47 54 AppleShare 1.0 SE/020, auto, cache Plus 45 47 MacServe SE/020, no cache Plus 48 45 TOPS SE/020, no cache Plus 42 52 asl installed in an IBM PC, XT, A or compatible, the PC-TOPScrut bard lets AppleTalk ink MS-DOS larger and dedicate it as a server. Most adjust- ‘ments tothe network, including backups, require thatthe network be shut down, which ‘may be practical only during nights and week ends, The network manager has to pt in some serious study to lam how to run the network succesfully From the user's pont of view, however, the AppleShare interface is pure Macintosh. Once the user as logged on (by way ofthe Chooser Desk Accessory or by a default setting) and entered his orer password, the server vo ume(s simply appear on the Desktop, repre sented by a special icon. Using files on the servers ike usin files on anyother disk — just point and click to launch applications or open documents, and drag icons to move, copy, or delet fils. ‘AppleShare's extensive protection sytem is integrated with the Finder, with special icons and commands fr handling file and folder access, Users and “groups” own file and fold- ers and control how they are used by others, HyperNet The new version (2.0) of HyperNet takes some big steps beyond its predecessor; it now supports Hierarchical File System (HFS), as ‘wel as all third-party SCSI hard disks. The new version includes special extensions that facilitate sharing applications, as well as parameters that tune the system either to opi- mize performance forthe clients orto share resources equally between host and clients Files canbe transfered from user to use, as with AppleShare and TOPS, but HyperNet lacks the detailed access controls ofthe other two file servers. Passwords and network acess ae controled nly ona volume-y-volume basis, and users cannot make one folder avail- able if others onthe disk need tobe protected. In return for this lack of extras, HyperNet isthe cases ofall t use Costs The first issue fr those considering these procts is whether a network is needed ata Ifyou ae thinking of buying a network to save ‘on hardware costs, ae the savings real? The cost of networking software may be more than the cos of some extra floppy drives or hard disks, and there is the additional processor and RAM overhead used by a network. Continued on nex page Continued from previous page. Ia network is required, costs shouldbe fig ured ona por-user bass. That sa litle tricky, though, Ifa Mac is used partly asa TOPS host and partly to run personal applications, how much ofthe hardware cost can be attributed to the network function and how much to normal use? In general, AppleShare trades an extra hardware investment of one Macintosh per server (about $1,800) for better performance on the clint computers. The other systems donot require a dedicated Mac; they, too perform beter with one, but they leave open the option ‘of economizing or adding other performance ‘enhancements such a extra RAM. Inthe end, hardware trade-offs ae fant equal forthe four networking systems; the more total Macintosh hardware, the beter the performance, as long asthe network is configured comely Software costs are more variable. Apple- ‘Shares an expensive investment for a smal number of ser, MacServe and HyperNet are cheaper but alo les powerful and flexible. TOPS becomes relatively more expensive as the numberof clients per host inrease. ‘The chart of Page 16 shows costs for some Apple Compute ne ee oe 20525 Mariani Ave, Cupertino, Calif, 95014 (408) 996.1010 $795 per ile server The software i expensive, and a dedicated Macintosh and a nework manager are required. In exchange, AppleShareofes {fexibility ease of use and many options for “organizing files and acess privileges HyperNet 2.0 General Computer Cop kk 215 First St., Cambridge, Mass, 02142 (617) 492-5500 $299 per server The new release of HyperNet supports Apple's Hierarchical File System and works with any SCSI hard disk. Controls over access are limited, but th product is easy to use and inexpensive MacServe 2. Infophere oe oe 4730 SW Macadam Ave, Portland, Ore. 97201 (503) 226-3620 $250 per server The only dk server among these products, MacServe, works well when the object sto ive each usera partition on a hard disk but iis not well-suited for controling ‘access to individual files or exchanging documents TOPS Centram Systems West Inc, er ee 2560 Ninth St, Suite 210, Berkeley, Cli 94710, (415) 549-5900 $149 per cient (station); $389 per IBM PC (oftware pls AppleTalk card) TOPS isthe only server software that allows any one user to pas files diectly to another's ‘machine, and the only one that supports IBM PCs.as well as Macintoshes Mac WEEK gives one to five stars o each hardware and software product reviewed. Our ratings are based on features, performance, «ase of leaming, ease of use, documentation and suppor foreach product. typical network setups. As the results show, there ino easy way to save money in network- ing. Using MacServe or HyperNet, its pssi- ble to save alte, but ony atthe expense of an increase in complexity and potential problems forthe users. Coordination and control user coordination ‘What happens when two people try to launch the same application? Or when two peo- ple try to open the same datafile? Networking Mal 7 programs must have ways to prevent the data corruption that would occur if two uses wrote (onto the same area atthe same time. Some ne- ‘working software will take on the job of lock- ing one user out while another is working. Other network packages lave more flexibility, slong with more responsiblity for handling problems, tothe application program. “MacServe seems at first glance to ave the ‘most straightforward approach. Every disk par- tition i either “read only,” for everyone who knows the password, or “private,” in which a Continued on next page. Check your in-box. Now check ours. MS en ee proudly presents InBox, winner ofthe MacUser Editors’ Choice Award for 1986 as the bestnew desktop communications package. The InBox family of products can be used ‘on AppleTalk""and NetBIOSLANSto transfer spreadsheet, word processing, database, graphics, publishing and otherfiles from Macto Mac, Mac toPC,PC to MacandPC to PC. Youcan also create, send and receive memos and phone messages Allwhile running other applications Plus,new Version 2.0 supports multiple message centers for lager netwerts and nolongerequtesa dedicated Ms Now yu can share information, comma cate more and meetless For more information orthename ofthe dealer nearest you, call 1-617-863-5595. Or write to us at the address below. THINK Technologies, Inc. 420 Bedford Street, Lexington, Massachusetts 02173, ssa of THINK Thales cn ar cab ed ” oe Aone compter TOINK Continued from previous page. single user can read and write, bu others are blocked out. Some applications, such as WriteNow, wil refuse to run if they sense that they are running in a read-only partition. Oth- ers will un fom a read-only area, but files wil have tobe saved onto another, writable disk ‘COURTESY GENERAL COMPOTER CO (MacServe does havea secret mltiwriter option. A special program canbe written to allow a group of people runing multi-user (mis 3 Pls o acce