This month's GrapeVine was acquired from segments of information and articles published in selected computer and electronics industry trade publications in addition to several online sources. The information contained within is comprised mostly of factual information, editorial comments, and a few rumors from the electronics industry in general. Each month, we will try to focus on items of interest related to the computer/electronics industries as they become news- worthy, and hopefully, the GrapeVine will be both informative and entertaining to our readers. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Topical Index: Topic 01. Intel Gives Its Blessing To Rambus Topic 02. 200-MHz And Beyond For Notebooks Topic 03. Office 98 Beta For Mac Systems Is Ready Topic 04. Security Bugs Discovered Netscape Navigator Topic 05. PCM Designer Could Stall 56K Standard Topic 06. Anti-Virus Warlords Head For Showdown Topic 07. FTC Wants More Facts About Intel's C&T Maneuver Topic 08. Tillamook Notebook Chip Ready To Ship Topic 09. FBI Chief's Suggestion Angers Computer Industry Topic 10. Apple Computer Buys Clone Maker Topic 11. Philips Media Processor Aimed At Digital TV Topic 12. GPS Ready For Mass Markets Topic 13. AMCC Announces 300-MHz Clock Chip For Rambus Topic 14. McAfee Contracts Major PC Makers In VirusScan Deal Topic 15. Internet Speeds Of Up To 2.4-Gbps May Be Possible Topic 16. ISDN On A Budget Topic 17. Netscape Gets Back To The Basic Browser Topic 18. A Touch Of Seagate In Windows 98 Topic 19. Panasonic Notebook Contains DVD-ROM Drive Topic 20. Motorola Drops Mac Compatible Line Topic 21. Java Pagers On The Horizon Topic 22. SET vs. SSL In E-Commerce Battle Topic 23. Cyrix Hikes Test Procedures After Reported Failures Topic 24. Microsoft IE 4.0 Has A Wallet Hidden Inside Topic 25. DVD-ROM Prices Are Slipping Fast Topic 26. Apple Has Not Shut Out All Mac Clone Makers Topic 27. DSPs For The 21st Century Topic 28. Experts Question Rationality Of Intel's AGP Platform Topic 29. GTE/AT&T Internet Handoff Creates Doubts Topic 30. PGP Official Quoted On Encryption Controls Topic 31. Micropolis Hones Its Tomahawk To 20-Gbyte Topic 32. DVD-RAM Compatibility Not An Issue? Topic 33. DDR SDRAM Is Added To List Of Memory Devices Topic 34. /// THE BOTTOM LINE /// Year 2000 Coming... Ready Or Not! ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/// Intel Gives Its Blessing To Rambus /// Intel Corp. announced last month that it will develop a new chipset to support its next-generation high-end processors, and that the new chips will work solely with Direct Rambus DRAM. Reports indicate that Intel sent notice to its suppliers last month to the effect that only RDRAM would be accommodated by its chipset design. Rambus Inc., based in Mountain View, Calif., received the un- official nod from Intel last December when it was disclosed that Intel had been working closely with Rambus to expand the present 8-bit bus interface of memory devices to increase sustained bandwidth and boost clock speeds as required to meet compatibility with modern-day microprocessors. As might be expected, IBM Corp. has penned a license agreement for the new technology, which will give additional market momentum to the new memory architecture. A CRN report last month stated that IBM Microelectronics will use the license to manufacture memory chips for high-bandwidth applications. Now it appears that Siemens AG of Germany, a long time holdout for its own alternative SLDRAM solution, has also signed a license agreement to develop and produce RDRAMs in support of Intel's technology. Siemens officials noted that their company will begin RDRAM production in 1999.
/// 200-MHz And Beyond For Notebooks /// Intel Corp. will release 200-MHz and 233-MHz MMX-enhanced CPUs designed for notebook computers and other mobile devices in the very near future. Sources indicate that the new processors, code named Tillamook, will run on just 1.8 volts. Both Intel and many equipment manufacturers are optimistic that a 266-MHz follow-up CPU will be introduced by the end of this year. Of the mobile systems manufacturers expected to debut the high-speed MMX (Multimedia Extensions) machines; Compaq Computer, Toshiba America, IBM Corp., and Hewlett-Packard are listed. But according to some resellers, there is a question as to whether there is a real need for MMX performance on a mobile/ notebook PC. One Cincinnati-based value-added reseller noted that most notebook users are not the sort of people who spend their time playing action games. The initial price breakdown for the new chips shows the 200-MHz device at $520 and the 233-MHz chip at$650, but all Pentium MMX and Pentium II processors are slated for price cuts sometime around November, as disclosed by at least one industry source.
/// Office 98 Beta For Mac Systems Is Ready /// Microsoft Corp. announced last month that it has a beta test version of its best selling Office 98 suite ready to roll out that is designed specifically for the Apple Macintosh platform. The new release is said to support Apple Mac technologies and file formats while offering those users Windows-style features such as drag-and-drop installation. Industry sources are saying that the Mac Office 98 project was initiated to build on Microsoft's $150 million stake in Apple Computer Inc. Since the new suite is only available to beta testers, no price information has been released.
/// Security Bugs Discovered Netscape Navigator /// A graduate student at the University of California at Santa Barbara says he has discovered an assortment of serious flaws in Netscape Navigator 4.02 that would allow an unscrupulous Web provider to capture personal user information. The student, Andre Dos Santos, found three bugs in the popular Internet software which are directly related to the JavaScript code implemented by Netscape. He said that the browser can be used to permit any Web server to monitor information about the visiting user through the code that stores the history of usage. Even versions of Navigator as old as 2.0 use the same JavaScript Internet scripting language, according to one trade source. One reporter said that Netscape had acknowledged the bugs, and had promised to have a "fix" ready to post on its Web site by the end of last month. One of the bugs, as described by Mr. Santos, occurs when a server captures Navigator browser information where it can then locate personal and financial data regarding the sites, credit card numbers, and sales information completed by the user at various Web sites. This allows an unscrupulous Web provider to snoop into the privileged information of the site visitor. If divulging credit card numbers isn't bad enough, many times a users bank password is also disclosed along with their account numbers and telephone numbers. Although Netscape officials acknowledged the flaws, they would only admit to their being "moderately serious."
/// PCM Designer Could Stall 56K Standard /// Another delay to 56-Kbit/s modem standards unity and a possible further delay in market acceptance of the newer high- speed modem technologies may have appeared in the form of a patent claim. A private inventor, Brent Townshend, says that the patent for his Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology is still in the application phase, and that he considers it to be his own intellectual property. However, Mr. Townsend has apparently accepted a multi-million dollar deal from 3Com Corp. for an exclusive relationship regarding his 56-K technology. And, according to one 3Com executive, Brent approached U.S. Robotics Inc. back in 1995 when he was a DSP (digital signal processor) specialist at Standford University, where he began to discuss the modem concept. Note: [U.S. Robotics recently merged with 3Com] Representatives from 3Com/U.S. Robotics Inc. are pushing for their x2 modem architecture to become [the] market standard, while executives at Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and their partner, Lucent Technologies Inc., are banking on their K56flex platform to emerge as the winner. Both companies, however, have shown some reluctance to proceed hastily toward a standards selection or to listen to Townshend's detailed objectives through his patent application.
/// Anti-Virus Warlords Head For Showdown /// A story out of Santa Clara, Calif. last month gave some insight on the forthcoming court battle scheduled to take place between McAffe Associates Inc. and Symantec Corp. to settle some complex legal difficulties. The two anti-virus software companies will face each other in court on October 3 to resolve a case involving charges of code piracy and a $1 billion defamation suit. McAffe filed the $1 billion trade and libel suit against arch enemy Symantec, but denied charges from Symantec that they copied a large portion of code for use in McAffe's VirusScan products. A previous announcement by Symantec accused McAffe of a cover-up relating to facts about the ongoing litigation between the two software manufacturers. The fight between the two companies started in June when Symantec brought suit against McAffe for allegedly using some of its code-- in the form of 100 lines downloaded from the Web. The controversial code was supposed to have been designed to support an NEC (Japan) standard that was never linked to the executable segments of VirusScan, according to a spokesman for McAffe. And according to the spokesman, McAffe held discussions with Symantec whereby McAffe agreed to, and fulfilled its promise to pull the controversial code from its product. In a statement released August 21, Symantec affirmed that McAffe admitted to copying the code, but McAffe countered that it had never admitted to [using] the questionable code. Of the two copyright violations listed in the suit, one relates to events taking place when McAffe pulled a trial version of Norton Crashguard (in binary format) from the Web, and reverse engineered it. The allegation continued by saying that McAffe then applied the code to its PC Medic software. The second accusation stated that a more serious violation occurred when an expert from Symantec inspected the code related to the first infringement and found an additional segment of his code embedded in McAffe's PC Medic [and] VirusScan software. As last reported, McAffe's lawyers filed a motion to push back the Oct. 3 court date until sometime in November.
/// FTC Wants More Facts About Intel's C&T Maneuver /// The Federal Trade Commission has requested it be given more information related to Intel Corp.'s recent purchase of Chips and Technologies Inc. to determine if there were any violations of antitrust laws. One industry observer said that the FTC is looking for internal documents from Intel that will disclose exactly what the chip maker has planned in the way of notebook graphics development. With its acquisition of a 50 percent stake in Chips & Tech- nologies, one of the leading graphics chip makers, Intel Corp. became the most dominant force in the mobile graphics chip market. Spokesmen from both Intel and C&T said they would comply with the FTC's request.
/// Tillamook Notebook Chip Ready To Ship /// Intel Corp.'s debut of its Tillamook microprocessor on Sep. 8 marked a milestone in Intel history by using a more advanced manufacturing technology for a notebook chip than for the more traditional desktop architecture. The new Pentium notebook chips are MMX enhanced and are built on a 0.25 micron wafer technology. Its desktop counterparts are still manufactured on a 0.35 micron silicon wafer. Power requirements for the Tillamook are a mere 1.8 to 2.5 volts at only 4 watts. The new chip will also be the first design for notebook computers that is assembled into Intel's new MMO modular unit. The first Tillamook chips will ship in 200-MHz and 233-MHz speed categories, according to reports from Silicon Valley. Other stories in the trade magazines have noted that Advanced Micro Design (AMD) is also moving toward the 0.25 micron wafer technology to build its notebook version K6 processors. That strategy is expected to lead to a repeat of the price war that was fought over the desktop CPU chips.
/// FBI Chief's Suggestion Angers Computer Industry /// A notable rumble was heard from the computer industry last month when FBI chief Louis Freeh suggested before a Senate hearing that the computer encryption key-escrow trapdoor should be made mandatory in the U.S. The computer industry was joined by civil rights groups in an immediate assault on the proposal. The Clinton White House, wanting to keep a safe distance, claimed that it was not an official recommendation from the administration. Endorsements were vocalized by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Jon Kyl for the Freeh proposal, which would permit law enforce- ment agencies to decrypt wiretapped messages.
/// Apple Computer Buys Clone Maker /// Apple Computer Inc. recently acquired the major assets of Mac clone maker, Power Computing. Business analysts and Apple executives indicate that the move will boost Apple's direct sales agenda. As part of the $100 million deal, Apple was given the right to retain the employees of Power Computing in the direct marketing, distribution, and engineering divisions. Power's license to distribute Mac clones was canceled within the terms of the agreement. But Power was expected to announce last month that it will now use the Intel Tillamook processor to produce a new line of high-end notebook computers. Power will also be allowed to keep its corporate name, information databases, and its present facilities. Now that Apple has gained access to Power's base of 200,000 customers and direct sales know-how, it will be able to fortify its marketing channel to the educational community, which has always provided a big share of Apple's revenue. The acquisition, as covered by Electronic Buyers' News, noted that Apple has also pledged to honor present agreements with other license holders.
/// Philips Media Processor Aimed At Digital TV /// Philips Semiconductors is preparing its next-generation media processor chip for the digital TV market. Named the TriMedia 2 (TM-2), the chip is not expected to go into sample production until the latter part of 1998, but Philps officials appear to be devoting their full attention to qualify- ing the processor for DTV applications. The company stated that the TM-2 will include enhancements within its processor core and other design features to support DTV processing. Philips anticipates the TM-2 to perform the operations of transport, decoding, and display. The only basic requirement not met by the new chip is the decoding of MPEG-2 video bit stream. That problem, according to a company spokes- man, will be corrected in the next version of the TM-2, which will incorporate a higher internal clock speed. Apple Computer has already disclosed plans to employ the TM-2 device in its high-end Macintosh computers when it becomes available. But Apple and others may have to wait until 1999, when the TM-2 reaches volume production.
/// GPS Ready For Mass Markets /// Although current GPS (Global Positioning System) applications such as aviation, marine, and automotive navigation in addition to surveying and identification of field sites for drilling operations etc. have become common place, the market area for the technology has not expanded significantly. That may be changing in the very near future. Soon, with a few keystrokes or the press of a button, we may be able to find a *lost child,* call for help on a cellular phone equipped with GPS so that the operator can send assistance to our exact location, or simply locate the family car that seems to be lost in one of those enormous stadium parking lots. But for now, the market analysts agree that on-board automobile navigation is the growth market for GPS. Just in this year alone, there were about 1.14 million auto- mobile GPS systems installed across the globe. And it is estimated that the totals will climb to above 11 million by the year 2001. This trend is estimated to produce a market value of $1.7 billion in component sales alone. The next-generation market of GPS products may include functions such as: * Real-time updates on traffic information * Links to digital/cellular communications systems * 8-Mb of memory for Internet access and E-mail * Air bags that call 911 and trigger a GPS locator upon impact Industry trend watchers predict that many of the smaller board and modular chip manufacturers will merge with or form alliances with the larger vendors to realize their fair share of the emerging GPS markets. * Editorial Note * [In the *lost child* scenario mentioned above, I would hope and pray that the locator device placed on the child would be in the form of a wrist watch or disguised as some other form of jewelry or wearing apparel. There is talk of using a micro-chip implant similar to those already being used on animals. The political undertones of "implants" on any human being are obvious here, and should be greatly scrutinized.]
/// AMCC Announces 300-MHz Clock Chip For Rambus /// A high-performance, 300-MHz CMOS (Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) generator was announced by Applied Micro Circuits Corp. last month, which is designed to allow devices compatible with Rambus DRAM to run at speeds of 600-MHz. Named the S45007 clock generator, the chip is claimed to achieve high-speed without generating EMI(Electromagnetic Interference). A standard 14.318-MHz crystal is used to generate two Rambus- compatible 300-MHz outputs. AMCC has designated applications including set-top boxes, hand- held game players, and PC graphics accelerators for the S45007 generator, which can also be used with the Mpact 2 media pro- cessor manufactured by Chromatic Research at Sunnyvale, Calif.
/// McAfee Contracts Major PC Makers In VirusScan Deal /// McAfee Associates Inc. worked out an expansive deal with leading PC manufacturers last month that will bundle its anti-virus software into most of the personal computers around the world. McAfee's VirusScan software will be incorporated into PCs built by all the front running manufacturers-- Compaq, Hewlett- Packard, Acer America, AST, Gateway 2000, Fujitsu, and Packard Bell/NEC. Company officials said that the non-exclusive deals complete the first step of its business strategy, which also calls for data integration in the near future. McAfee's technology has grown to include more than just anti-virus software, and has been developed into a suite of PC utilities, as noted by one company executive. The suite is called McAfee Enterprise, and consists of anti- virus tools as well as desktop management, help desk utilities, and system monitoring applications.
/// Internet Speeds Of Up To 2.4-Gbps May Be Possible /// If you think your 56-Kbit/second modem is burning up that Inter- net track, just wait until your local Internet Service Provider (ISP) opens up the real fast track in about five years from now. A five year project was outlined by a group of ISPs and vendors to develop the technologies that will be required to increase online data speeds all the way up to 2.4-Gigabits/second. The ambitious project was named "Internet 2," and will actually become a second Internet aimed toward research and academic institutions. Some observers anticipate the new network will be extended to the business community as well in order to allow the resellers and ISPs who will be investing large amounts of money into the venture to recover their funds. At present, an ISP must cough up anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 (per month) for their Internet links to the backbone carriers. That investment may have to be doubled to get the fast-track Internet turned on. Even with the $100 million pledged by the government, most of the burden will fall upon the private sector to accomplish the task. The IBM Global Network, Sprint, Uunet Technologies, and MCI have joined with the others in an effort to roll out the new high- speed service by the end of 1998.
/// ISDN On A Budget /// A German company known as Teles Corp., is making its presence known in the U.S. ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) market with its $99 internal PC terminal adapter. The Teles iStar PnP terminal adapter would give home PC users and small business owners an affordable ISDN communications solution, which allows a full range of features including video communications and simultaneous voice and data transmissions. 128-Kbyte Internet access and Plug and Play compatibility are supported by the iStar PnP. The bundled software includes MS Internet Explorer, ISDN Accelerator Pack, and Net Meeting in addition to the Teles OneStep ISDN configuration software.
/// Netscape Gets Back To The Basic Browser /// Netscape Corp. announced its "Netscape Everywhere" sales strategy last month, which outlines the goal of distributing 100 million copies of Netscape Client software to end users over the next twelve months. The Netscape Everywhere program is designed to make it easier for end users to upgrade or buy Netscape client software, and one key segment of the strategy is to market three different versions of Netscape Communicator. The Communicator Internet Access Edition will be a low-end Internet solution selling for $49. It will offer a choice of five Internet Service Providers for new customers, and 30 days of free access time. Netscape Communicator Delux will be priced at$79, and will be aimed at the "power" users, and will include more Web tools and bundled software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Excite Personal Access List, and Norton Antivirus Internet Scanner. The high-end Internet solution is called Netscape Publishing Suite, and is designed for business and home users that want to author their own Web pages. Selling at $149, the suite includes Netscape Communicator and NetObject's Fusion software.
/// A Touch Of Seagate In Windows 98 /// Users receiving the first release of Microsoft Windows 98 will notice a touch of Seagate Software within. Seagate Software Inc.'s plans to produce a set of backup utilities for Windows NT 5.0 have now been expanded to include a similar package for Windows 98. As reported in the Sep. 8 issue of CRN (Computer Reseller News), Windows 98 will contain a backup and recovery utility package developed by Seagate. Although Windows 95 contained a similar backup applet, resellers complained that it did not meet their needs. Many users of Windows 95 did not even know the utility existed, according to one Seagate spokesman. A primary feature now built into the Seagate software is called Emergency Recovery, which permits service providers and resellers to get a network system running and back online after a workstation has gone down by restoring data from a tape backup.
/// Panasonic Notebook Contains DVD-ROM Drive /// What may be noted as a first within the notebook PC market, Panasonic Personal Computer Co. will be producing its CF-63 portable with a built-in DVD-ROM drive system that supports MPEG-2 playback. Up to two hours of video content can be played from one 4.7-Gigabyte DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The DVD-ROM can also function as a 20x CD-ROM drive. The CF-63 also boasts a 166-MHz Pentium processor, 3.24-Gbyte hard drive, 4-Mbytes of video memory, and a 13.3 inch color display. Weighing in at just 8.7 pounds, the mighty laptop demands a $5,999 retail price tag.
/// Motorola Drops Mac Compatible Line /// Motorola Computer Group announced last month that it will dis- continue its MacOS compatible computer business in view of Apple Computer Corp.'s decision not to certify computers based on the Common Hardware Reference Platform and other negative issues regarding license agreements. The Motorola StarMax series machine will be sold until the end of this year, but after that, the company is out of the Mac clone business.
/// Java Pagers On The Horizon /// Lucent Technologies Inc. is preparing release 2.0 of its Inferno networking O/S for the commercial market on November 1. Lucent executives are also putting together a distribution program to move the product, as disclosed by an article in the Sep. 15 issue of CRN magazine. Inferno 2.0 has been in beta testing since July with a small group of Internet Service providers, and if proven worthy, the operating system (O/S) will be targeted toward emerging markets such as set-top boxes, automotive navigation systems, and video phones. A Lucent- developed Web browser for portable devices, E-mail clients, and home banking products are among other utilities planned by the company.
/// SET vs. SSL In E-Commerce Battle /// While many security vendors have stood firmly behind the SET (Secure Electronic Transactions) protocol for electronic commerce transactions involving credit cards, some value-added resellers (VARs) have been holding off in search of something less costly. That something, for now, seems to be SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) as implemented by Netscape Communications. SSL offers a simple secure conduit through which a user can send their credit card number, which can be authorized much in a conventional manner. It operates as a two-step protocol, which provides encryption for the transmitted data and also supports the communication between the client and server system. SET is a three-step protocol that supports security between credit card transactions. It communicates between the client and the vendor/merchant and the selected bank that clears the transaction, as explained by one marketing executive. A high level of encryption is required by SET, and it also places a relatively high cost burden upon the merchant or vendor. SET was developed jointly by Microsoft, Netscape, and IBM in conjunction with the credit card behemoths; Visa International and Master Card International. The banks are now trying to decide how to put all the pieces of electronic commerce to- gether. Some financial experts are not so sure that SET is the way to go. VARs opting for SSL security on credit card transactions frequently mention the cost advantage over the SET protocol. It has been noted that SSL is employed to protect government security-sensitive information at the Lockheed Martin aircraft plant where the F16 fighter was designed and built. A Netscape official stated that it is still too early to decree who will have to pay the costs to implement the new 56-Kbit/s technology. He added that although the SET protocol does execute some operations well, the cost factor remains to be weighed before he could decide.
/// Cyrix Hikes Test Procedures After Reported Failures /// Cyrix Corp. decided to bolster its test procedures of its new 6x86MX microprocessors after a surprisingly high number of failures were reported by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The chip maker reportedly pulled its distribution inventory after the reported failures, and put them through a more rigorous test procedure than had been performed during production. A news story from Richardson, Texas said that Cyrix replaced several thousand flawed chips within one week to make sure that the multimedia chips released back into distribution would perform up to specifications. A company spokesman noted that he does not suspect the problems resulted from any design flaw, but were merely a result of a production glitch. Cyrix is banking on the 6x86MX processor to go head-to-head with Intel's Pentium II-class processors, but at half the cost.
/// Microsoft IE 4.0 Has A Wallet Hidden Inside /// With all the Web tools and other features designed into Micro- soft's Internet Explorer 4.0, the engineers at the Redmond, Washington-based software company have come up with one more. An electronic wallet that can store private information as specified by the user, is hidden away within the Internet Web browser package. Used as a digital receptacle for credit card numbers, personal identification, etc., the Microsoft Wallet enables the user to select vendors and method of payment with just a few key strokes. Backers of electronic commerce are hoping that the MS-Wallet will become a boon to their community, and are anxiously looking forward to the Sep. 30 ship date for IE 4.0. The new browser will support both the SET and SSL security protocols as described in topic 22.
/// DVD-ROM Prices Are Slipping Fast /// With quarterly reports showing lagging sales and product delays, DVD-ROM manufacturers have begun cutting their prices-- some of which are below the actual cost of manufacture. Industry analysts have noted that instead of the $250 to $350 initial asking price of DVD-ROM drives, some vendors are dumping them for as little as $100. The experts blame the indecision over coding/decoding licenses and the failure of the movie industry to develop program content for the new media as the main reasons that DVD-ROM did not meet market expectations. As in the early days of the CD-ROM drive, we already have a speed incongruity in that the first DVD-ROM drives shipped as a 1x device-- the same speed as the DVD players. Now the 1x DVD drive sales are falling victim to the newer 2x variants. [A note on performance specifications... DVD-ROMs spinning at 1x speed will play the standard CD-ROM disks at speeds com- parable to that of an 8x CD-ROM drive.] But even the faster DVD drives, such as the GD-2000 2x DVD-ROM from Hitachi are selling for less than $200, according to one Hitachi spokeswoman. Most observers are looking at the DVD-ROM industry as a low-profit market.
/// Apple Has Not Shut Out All Mac Clone Makers /// Although Apple Computer Inc. has been discouraging the growth of the Mac clone industry by purchasing the assets of Power Computing Corp. and has demonstrated an obvious reluctance to issue licenses of its MacOS 8.0 software to Mac clone makers, Apple has apparently bent its rules on the issue of late. Apple will allow Umax Data Systems Inc. to sell Macintosh clones based on the new operating system, according to a press release from Taipei, Taiwan last month. But Umax is prepared to cover both of its flanks with the introduction of its line of PCs based on Intel microprocessors.
/// DSPs For The 21st Century /// An extensive white paper was published in the Sep. 15 issue of the Electronic Buyers' News that pointed to a growing consensus among sources in the computer/electronics industry that the digital signal processor (DSP) will be the prevailing technology in the first decade of the 21st century. The publication went so far as to say that the innovations developed from DSP technology will have an impact on society as great as the microprocessor had during the past decade. The outline story stated that as the DSP appeared to come of age this past year, companies like Texas Instruments Inc. have invested a great amount of research into the development of DSP solutions. Texas Instruments officials have made the observation that in its first 15 years on the market, the sales performance of the DSP has rivaled the initial performance of the microprocessor over the same time period. The general purpose DSPs have also begun to challenge the microprocessor in speed and performance this past year, according to many of the analysts. The Texas Instruments TMS320C6x DSP introduced last February uses an 8-issue, advanced very-long instruction-word architect- ure to render performance in the 1,600 millions of instructions per second (MIPS) range while running at 200-MHz on the clock. With the know how and market clout of companies such as TI and Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, the DSP industry will likely continue to grow faster than the other facets of the semi- conductor business. Some experts have forecast Rockwell's DSP product sales to top the $1.5 billion mark this year alone. The Newport Beach, CA. corporation will glean most of those sales figures through DSP- controlled modem devices. With similar performance to that of the Rockwell DSPs, Motorola Corp.'s 56300 line of DSPs operate at 100-MHz clock speed and 100 mips. Motorola is also reportedly working with Wind River Systems Inc. to produce software development tools for use with its 56300 DSPs. But industry analysts claim that DSP software development in general is lagging five to six years behind that of microprocessor technology. Some high-tech companies have seen the advantages of hybrid-DSP technology, and have incorporated multiple DSPs in conjunction with a host microprocessor to gain better performance. One of those companies is Mercury Computer Systems, which produces multiprocessing equipment for the medical and aerospace industries. It has been predicted that other DSP vendors will soon consider the use of hybrid chips as they cautiously wade into the new found waters of the DSP.
/// Experts Question Rationality Of Intel's AGP Platform /// When Intel Corp. introduced its Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture in August, some industry experts immediately challenged its need and practicality. Those who support the established practice of installing more DRAM (dynamic RAM) to graphics cards to enhance computer video performance tend to disagree with those who support Intel's AGP alternative. But according to some analysts, the sword of obsolescence hanging over their heads will force many buyers to fork over a huge chunk of change for an Intel Pentium II AGP- based system when an investment of $200 to $300 in a graphics card could afford them the same performance level when used with a processor of lesser pedigree. One advantage of AGP however, is that it uses a portion of the existing system memory for graphics textures, which some experts will tell you, means you will then be spending less money on graphics cards. And unlike Intel's MMX (Multimedia Extensions) architecture, AGP does not require software programs to be specifically coded in order to take advantage of its performance benefits. AGP will be appearing on the market with the arrival of Windows 98 about mid-1998, but even with the influence of Microsoft and Intel behind it, industry buyers will be weighing the appeal of AGP against the potential true market value it could generate.
/// GTE/AT&T Internet Handoff Creates Doubts /// Value-added resellers are showing concern over the pending changeover in Internet service between AT&T Corp. and GTE Corp. AT&T WorldNet apparently has no definite plans set in place to handle the migration of thousands of Internet accounts from GTE to its own backbone servers. AT&T officials claim they are in negotiations with GTE as to how the transition will take place. At present, most all of AT&T's WorldNet business-customer operations are carried through the GTE backbone, and the up- coming transition will be complicated, if not outright unwieldy. Executives from AT&T said they are in the second year of a five year contract with GTE's Internet division whereby data traffic is run over GTE Internet's backbone servers. Some GTE sources are saying the contract will end December 12, 1997 with an option to extend to January 1, 1998. AT&T officials however, have disputed those dates. AT&T customers are showing some anxiety about the handoff due to the lack of experience the communications company has as an Internet provider (IP). Customers and industry sources alike are pointing to AT&T's lack of engineering and support staff as the focus of their concern. The changeover will involve moving all the Domain Name Services, all customer records, and associated Web servers from GTE to AT&T. The task of coordinating the move between the two ISPs (Internet Service Providers) must also take into consideration changing router passwords, verification of customer ID's, and making sure enough access lines are available. The cynics within the industry are looking for major breakdowns in service to AT&T Internet customers during the transition period, but the more moderate observers are expecting only minor glitches.
/// PGP Official Quoted On Encryption Controls /// When asked by a CRN reporter what effect the current U.S. govt. position and debate over encryption export controls is having on his business, Phillip Dunkelberger, president of Pretty Good Privacy cryptography software, commented: "This isn't just another vendor issue. Right now, what the government is trying to do is regulate your right to protect your data. Would you let the U.S. government have keys to your home in a safe if they ever want to look in your house? No American would ever do that. Yet this ends up being an industry issue. It's the rights of the people to use an environment called the Internet..." Most U.S. software encryption vendors would agree with Mr. Dunkelberger that there is an ambiguous issue of civil rights associated with our government's position on the matter as well as the millions of dollars in trade at stake. [See Topic 9]
/// Micropolis Hones Its Tomahawk To 20-Gbyte /// Hard drive maker, Micropolis LTD., has released its new high-end unit, which offers a storage capacity of 20-Gigabytes. This newest addition to the Tomahawk line of hard drives will be aimed at the emerging video and audio storage markets as well as toward resellers who build the more traditional server and workstation computers. The 20-Gbyte Tomahawk will sell for $2,245, while the 18-Gb and 9-Gb versions will be priced at $1,945 and $1,045 respectively. Volume shipment of the new drives will begin in January.
/// DVD-RAM Compatibility Not An Issue? /// To counter the fears that the rewritable DVD-RAM market is fragmenting, Hitachi Ltd., Toshiba Corp., and Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. have proven the compatibility of their DVD-RAM drives. The three companies attempted to calm market fragmentation fears by demonstrating their drives at the DVD Forum held in Santa Clara last month. It was also announced at the forum that the compatible DVD drives should be soon be ready to ship. The DVD-RAM supporters advocate a single-layer rewritable disk with a storage capacity of 2.6-Gigabytes. The competitive DVD+RW architecture developed by the consortium of Philips Electronics, Sony Corp., and Hewlett-Packard Co. would utilize a 3.0-Gbyte standard. Off on its own tangent is NEC Corp., which is developing its own rewritable DVD technology that would offer as much as 5.2-Gbyte in capacity. Although there are now three rival camps in the rewritable DVD battle zone, industry sources are viewing the opponents as merely jousting for market position.
/// DDR SDRAM Is Added To List Of Memory Devices /// It's getting hard to keep up with all those new acronyms that are associated with memory devices and their configuration. Now we can add DDR SDRAM to the list. This newest acronym stands for-- Double-Data-Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. It became a token phrase last month when a company called Via Technologies Inc., Freemont, California, became the first chip-set manufacturer to announce support for the new memory platform. Via has begun sample production of a chip set that uses a DDR SDRAM-based memory interface, which is actually an innovation of its Apollo VP3 chip set. In addition to DDR SDRAM, the VP3 chip set will support EDO (Extended Data Out) DRAM and SDRAM. A company spokesman said that DDR SDRAMs will offer twice the speed of existing SDRAMs on the market, and will be crucial to the growth and acceptance of the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) standard for multimedia applications.
Topic 34
Gigabyte GrapeVine
Bottom Line ---------------
/// Year 2000 Coming... Ready Or Not! /// We only have two years and three months left, and then it will all be over! I'm not talking about a cataclysmic end of the planet as vividly portrayed by an ancient prophesy-- at least not this time. But the factual end-time for antiquated computers and their equally out-of-date software will come to pass after that mystical mid- night hour of December 31, 1999. The problem dates back to the infancy of the modern computer, when the CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) chip was designated to keep track of the time and date information within a computer. It was decided that only a two-digit code would or could be used to represent the current year to conserve memory, data entry, and computer processing cycles. The first two digits of the year code were always "19," so why bother? Either the reality of the year 2000 had not dawned on the minds of our pioneering computer scientists, or they figured that the machines of that era would have worn out and been replaced with newer technology before all those data banks and archives of information proliferated to the critical saturation point we now experience. While there are simple software fixes available online to cure the DOS/Windows-based home PC system, for businesses that still rely on the older "legacy" computer systems, the year 2000 peril will not be that easy to overcome. Those legacy systems include mainframe client-server networks, distributed systems, many types of workstations, and PBX-style communications systems. Some experts are not absolutely certain how the year 2000 will be interpreted by our computers. The most popular assumption is that they will simply display "1900." But other analysts, using what amounts to either new math or quantum theory, have come up with a variety of numbers including "1980." But no matter how you calculate it, the problem is real, and it is not going to go away. Some of the peril has already taken effect in the form of failed calculations where dates beyond the year 2000 are involved. An associate of mine works for a large corporation that has seen this thing coming, but other than warning its personnel not to run any projections that require calculations beyond the next two years, they have done very little to prepare themselves for the inevitable. Some of the more obvious businesses that require projection calculations would be insurance corporations, medical and health care industries, and investment firms, where it is essential to determine the status of their clients and their own financial resources in the future. But any company large enough to have a payroll will be hit by the two-digit plague. Assuming that employee John Doe was born in 1970, when the year 2000 rolls around, his age may be interpreted as 70 instead of his actual age of 30. There is also conjecture that the leap year phenomenon may not have been taken into consideration in all CMOS designs. It just so happens that the year 2000 [is] a leap year, which could throw a monkey wrench into some of the fixes already put into place. Some systems will try to decode the first day of the year 2000 as Jan. 04, 2000 instead of Jan. 01, 2000. Another question arises. What will happen if two computers or peripheral devices have to exchange information that includes time/date stamps, and one machine has the older format, will the newer device interpret it correctly? Then there is the Internet to contend with. They call it the "rumor mill" now-- after the year 2000 it may be called the "error mill." The notorious computer glitch built into millions of older personal computers, workstations, servers and main-frames will hit the business world with an impact of $100 billion or more between 1997 and the year 2000, says the forecasters at Killen and Associates, Palo Alto, Calif. And that is just for the U.S. and North America. Worldwide, the cost is expected to climb to $280 billion within the same time period. Our federal government appears to be in no better state of preparation than that of the business world, according to CRN magazine. One article in that publication mentioned the frustration expressed by Congress because no one seems to realize the urgency of the situation. Although some funding has been earmarked for the year 2000 situation, our Congressional leaders feel it is not going to be enough-- and they may be right. Financial analysts have estimated that the U.S. govern- ment has set aside less than $3 million to cope with a multi- BILLION dollar problem. Just try to imagine what the year 2000 bug might do to your Social Security and IRS records! If you think the government agencies are difficult to deal with now, wait until they wake up with Excedrin headache No. 2000. Some financial experts say that the year 2000 glitch may even collapse the computer- dependant stock market. Many resellers see the whole scenario as a business opportunity, where there is money to be made in bringing the business world up-to-date. Larger value-added resellers (VARs) such as Ikon Technology Services, Guard Data International, and Braun Technology have signed more than a few contracts for year 2000 remedies. Whether the antidote for the impending outbreak of digital paralysis can be found in software, firmware, hardware, or all three, more people need to take action... SOON! *** More information on this topic may be found on the Web at: The Year 2000 Information Center (www.year2000.com) Sun Microsystems' Year 2000 Program (www.sun.com/y2000) Novell Year 2000 Web Page (www.novell.com/p2000) Gary Miller