From October 1995 with an announcement asking for a new editor for the Main News.

<><><><><><><><>  T h e   V O G O N   N e w s   S e r v i c e  <><><><><><><><>

 Edition : 3403             Thursday  5-Oct-1995            Circulation :  4556 

        VNS Announcement ..................................   22 Lines
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................  348   "

    For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
    members, etc, access our Web service at http://expat.zko.dec.com/vns/ or
    send a mail to EXPAT::EXPAT with a subject of HELP.

VNS Announcement:                                   [Colin Blake, VNS Publisher]
=================                                   [Nashua, NH, USA           ]

    Here at VNS we are looking for someone to take over at the UK News desk.
    Andy Payne, our current UK News writer, has been working off-site for a
    while (hence the lack of UK News on VNS) and unfortunately he will
    continue to be offsite for quite some time. Because of this, he has asked
    me to try and find someone else to take over the news.

    As editor of the UK News you would submit daily, or as often as possible,
    reports containing both local and world news. For information sources you
    would use newspapers, radio, on-line news services, or whatever method
    suited you.

    You don't need any previous writing experience, so don't worry if
    you've never done anything like this before. VNS is "published" on or
    before 10am GMT so your report would have to be submitted before then.

    VNS is obviously entirely voluntary "work". The current team provide
    their time in addition to their regular jobs. The quantity of reporting
    often varies as job pressures change. This is expected and understood.
   
    If you're interested in becoming part of the VNS team and would like
    more information, please either send me mail at STAR::BLAKE or give me
    a call on DTN 381-1435.

VNS COMPUTER NEWS:                            [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
==================                            [Nashua, NH, USA                 ]

   Wednesday's Market					Fair Market Value
	 Quote		Change  Dow Jones	Change   1-Dec-1994   $32.375
 IBM	   93 3/4	-1 1/8				31-May-1995   $44.312
 HPkd	   80 7/8	-2 1/8				85% of lower  $27.75
 Msft	   86 1/8	-2 3/4				 1-Jun-1995   $45.625
 DEC	   44		-  3/4	4740.67		- 9.03
 DEC PRa   25 1/2	unch.

 Internet - Information on Pope John Paul II's trip to the U.S. can be found at
	{The Boston Globe, 4-Oct-95, p. 49}
   http://www.nj.com/popepage/

 Packard-Bell - Will launch estimated $15-$20 million campaign to build its
	{The Wall Street Journal, 29-Sep-95, p. B13B}
   brand image throughout Asia.

 IBM - Chooses J. Bruce Harreld to be chief strategist
	{The Wall Street Journal, 28-Sep-95, p. B12}
   Mr. Harreld, 44 and the president of Boston Chicken Inc., has been a big
 customer of computer companies during his career in various management and
 strategy jobs, which made him attractive to IBM's customer-minded chairman.
 At IBM, Mr. Harreld will oversee a small staff at IBM's headquarters.  He
 faces the tough task of finding new sources of revenue for IBM, which has
 turned around its financial performance by cost-cutting but has yet to latch
 onto a winning formula for new business to supplant its fading
 mainframe-computer franchise.  Mr. Harreld, named an IBM senior VP, will
 remain a director of Boston Chicken, the fast-food chain he joined in 1993.
 At Boston Chicken, Mr. Harreld oversaw the installation of an elaborate
 computer and communications network that links the fast-growing chain's
 stores, which now operate under the Boston Market name.  Boston Chicken prides
 itself on its lean headquarters staff, which communicates among itself and
 with the stores  through Lotus Notes.

 Hewlett-Packard - Lobbies for its encryption plan that would satisfy tough
	export rules
	{The Wall Street Journal, 27-Sep-95, p. B7}
   Hewlett-Packard said it has been lobbying government agencies for more than
 a year to gain support for its proposal, which uses a data-scrambling
 technology to protect transactions from tampering or theft of data.  Strong
 encryption technologies ordinarily fall under tough export rules that limit
 technologies which could impede U.S. wire-tapping capabilities, a source of
 continuing friction between the government and high-technology companies. HP,
 in a plan developed with the French company Gemplus SA, wants to split the
 code-making technologies into two pieces that would be approved under
 different government standards.  One devices, which could fit in a standard
 computer, would contain a basic encryption capability that is designed to be
 broadly exported without the need to seek a separate export license for each
 foreign user.  That device, dubbed an encryption engine, would be useless
 without the addition of another tiny piece of hardware that contains a
 code-making formula set at a specific strength.  The second device, called a
 policy card, would be separately reviewed by the U.S. State Department for
 each customer.  Government agencies, including the National Security Agency,
 would still have a say over the strength of encryption exports.  But customers
 could build applications around the proposed encryption engine, knowing that
 it will work with any code-making formula that governments might adopt in the
 future.  Now they run the risk that their work will become obsolete amid
 policy changes in Washington, D.C., and other countries.  State department
 officials weren't immediately available for comment.  Stewart Baker, a former
 NSA general counsel who now practices law in Washington, D.C., termed the HP
 plan a clever answer to the problem of shifting government policy.  "There was
 a lot of skepticism when H-P first proposed it," said Lynn McNulty, a former
 encryption specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
 "But it looks to me that they are well on the way to the next step."  Doug
 McGowan, an HP manager involved with the project, said he expects to receive
 U.S. approval by next year to begin shipping the encryption engine freely to
 Western Europe and Canada.  "We believe we will receive relaxed export
 controls," he said.  HP's plan fits some of the NSA's objectives.  For one
 thing, its technology embeds encryption technology in microchips that can't be
 easily modified by computer hackers or terrorists.  HP's policy cards also
 could be adapted for a controversial Clinton administration proposal called
 key escrow, in which mathematical keys to break codes could be stored for
 later use by law enforcement or intelligence agencies, Mr. McGowan said.  The
 plan complements a parallel HP effort to develop a new generation of "smart"
 data cards to let consumers buy goods and services around the world
 electronically.  Gemplus, a huge supplier of credit and debit cards in Europe,
 is supplying technology to that effort along with Informix, a database
 software maker in Menlo Park., Calif.  Jeff Hudson, an Informix VP, said the
 partner's proposed cards could store money and a database worth of personal
  information, such as medical records.  That approach could eliminate the need
 to connect multiple companies or agencies to manage such information, since it
 would be stored on each card, the companies said.

 Cabletron - Unveils new family of "smart switches" for data highway
	{The Wall Street Journal, 27-Sep-95, p. B7}
   The new MMAC SmartSwitch family uses a second generation of ASIC.  Cabletron
 has effectively quadrupled the number of workstations able to be tied to a
 single point of consolidation.  The speed of the products, meanwhile, has been
 boosted to 750,000 packets per second from 150,000 per second previously.
 Paul Johnson, technology analyst at Robertson Stephens in New York, said
 Cabletron's new products as "faster by a factor of 10 to 100 than competing
 products," giving the company a technology lead over competitors Cisco Systems
 and Bay Networks, Mr. Johnson said.  Cisco is currently the leader in the
 switching industry.  Cabletron currently holds around 14% of the switching
 industry market, but aims to have 35% market share by the year 2000, said Mike
 Skubisz, Cabletron's director of product marketing.  The first products in the
 smart switch family - a dual port FDDI switch which costs $19,995 and a
 24-port Ethernet switch costing $38,995 - focus on large customers.  Beginning
 in the first quarter of 1996,  Cabletron will begin rolling out lower-end
 products to go after the volume market.  Mr. Johnson said the market for
 switching products at $700-$800 million this year, and is expected to grow to
 $1.5 billion next year and $3 billion in 1997.  Some industry analysts say it
 could be as much as a $10 billion market by the end of the decade.  Cabletron,
 which currently has revenue of around $1 billion, could see an increase of
 $100-$200 million in annual revenue on the strength of the new products,
 analysts said.

 Digital - Next DVN telecast to focus on 'OpenVMS Today: Taking the Initiative'
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   The third broadcast in the Foundations '96 Product Education Program,
 "OpenVMS: Taking the Initiative," will be broadcast on the Digital Video
 Network on Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 2-4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
   The program is focused on providing sales reps with the product, business,
 and competitive information they need to succeed in selling Digital's OpenVMS
 solutions today.
   Upon completion of the program, attendees will be able to discuss the
 following topics confidently with both partners and customers:
   o  OpenVMS Today - Digital's value-added proposition; 
   o  The implications, value, and deliverables of the OpenVMS-Windows NT
	Affinity Program;
   o  Why OpenVMS is still the best value in the 24x365 computing market;
   o  How the Installed Base Initiative will help sales reps drive more
	business and protect the installed base of OpenVMS customers.  
  
   Additionally, attendees will receive pointers on how to meet competitive
 objections head-on, in a proactive manner.
   There is no formal pre-course for this program.  However, those who plan to
 attend are strongly encouraged to read the OpenVMS Software Strategy prior to
 attending the program.  To access this document via the Integrated Repository,
 follow these steps:
   o  At the local systems prompt type in VTX IR
   o  Choose number 2 (New/Revised)
   o  Type in SS and hit PF1 Enter
  
   The document is titled "Digital's Platform Software Strategy-OpenVMS."  The
 document ID number is SS0022.
   The DECmentor OpenVMS mastery test will be available at the time of the
 broadcast.  More information on this will follow.

 Digital - Digital's Windows NT software strategy
 	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   [See Livewire for the contents of this article - TT]

 Digital - Palmer elected to AlliedSignal's Board of Directors
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   Digital President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert B. Palmer has
 been elected to the Board of Directors of AlliedSignal, Inc.  The announcement
 was made today by Lawrence A. Bossidy, AlliedSignal's chairman and chief
 executive officer.
   With the election of Palmer, AlliedSignal now has 13 directors.
   AlliedSignal is an advanced technology and manufacturing company serving
 customers worldwide with aerospace and automotive products, chemicals, fibers,
 plastics and advanced materials.

 Digital - George Cooney joins Digital; will head Finance for ABU
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   George Cooney has joined Digital as vice president of Finance for the
 Accounts Business Unit (ABU), reporting to both Vincenzo Damiani, vice
 president and general manager, ABU, and to Tony Wallace, vice president,
 Finance, Computer Systems Division (CSD).
   Cooney will be responsible for managing all financial aspects for the ABU,
 including the achievement of profitability goals and the effective management
 of finance resources.
   Cooney has spent the past 12 years at Northern Telecom, in a progression of
 jobs with increasing responsibilities.  His most recent assignment was vice
 president, Strategy & International Development, Nortel World Trade,
 headquartered in London.  

 Digital - Technology Exchange Program to offer 'Network System Management'
	session
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   The Technology Exchange Program, Digital's program for developing
 multivendor knowledge, information, capabilities and skills for Services and
 Engineering, will offer a session focused on "Multivendor Network System
 Management."  Deadline for application is Oct. 25.  This session is open to
 Digital employees only.
   This session is scheduled to begin on Nov. 20 and run through Dec. 15.
 Lectures will be held in the Novotel Hotel, Sophia Antipolis, France, Nov. 20
 through Nov. 24.  Labs will be conducted in the VBE facility, Valbonne, Nov.
 27 through Dec. 15.
   TEP is a "high end" learning experience.  Participants have already attended
 relevant courses and are gaining experience in the field.  The target audience
 is highly skilled specialists who are or will be expected to advise, develop,
 integrate applications, or troubleshoot in this environment.
   Tuition is $US3,000 and will be cross-charged directly to your cost center.
 The amount covers tuition only.  Hotel, rental car, travel and other expenses
 are not included.
   To apply for admission via DECnet, set host to FOUNDR,
 Username TEP_REGISTER.  Via TCP/IP, telnet foundr.nio.dec.com, Username 
 TEP_REGISTER.  This brings users into the TEP Information and Registration
 System, where they can apply for the program, as well as find general program
 information.
   For additional information concerning the Technology Exchange Program in
 general or this session in particular, contact Julie Plourde at FOUNDR::TEP or
 DTN 285-2672.  Also check the TEP home page at URL
 http://tep.zko.dec.com/homepage.html.

 Digital - Sarah Sumner named vice president, Worldwide Compensation
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Oct-95}
   Sarah Sumner has been named vice president, Worldwide Compensation,
 reporting to Side Ferrales, vice president, Worldwide Human Resources.
 Sumner's specific area of responsibility is compensation strategy and
 development worldwide.  This includes base pay, variable compensation, sales,
 and executive/management compensation programs.
   In making the announcement, Ferrales said: "This promotion is in recognition
 of her considerable responsibility on a global scale as well as her exemplary
 performance in managing the compensation function in support of the company
 strategy.
   "Recently, I chartered Sarah and Bob Mulkey to co-champion a key companywide
 human resources initiative on 'Performance Management/Rewards Systems,'"
 Ferrales added.  "This key assignment will focus on implementing a performance
 management system across all parts of the company that aligns the company's
 reward system strategy and its deliverables to the company's and business
 units' key objectives.  Sarah's leadership will ensure our fundamental goal of
 re-energizing the Digital workforce to higher levels of achievement."
   Since joining Digital in 1984, Sumner has held several positions in
 Corporate Compensation.  Her accomplishments include the formulation and
 implementation of a management compensation strategy, which over the last
 several years has resulted in significant change to the company's equity
 programs and a competitive Executive Incentive Plan (EIP).  She has managed
 the Compensation and Stock Option Committee of the Board of Directors and has
 made significant contributions in the development of Digital's corporate
 compensation philosophy.
   Prior to Digital, Sumner worked in various compensation positions, including
 consultant in direct compensation for Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, and
 Corporate Compensation and Benefits manager for Simplex Time Recorder Co.

 Digital - Worldwide version of wireless LAN products announced
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 2-Oct-95}
   Digital today expanded its award-winning RoamAbout wireless LAN products
 into the international marketplace.  Mobile users worldwide can now connect to
 their network infrastructure -- wirelessly -- with reliable, high-performance
 client/server access. 
   With this announcement, Digital's RoamAbout product line will include
 wireless modems, both PC Cards (formerly PCMCIA) and ISA NICs, that use the
 2.4 GHz frequency band and support the two major types of wireless modem
 technology known as frequency hopping (FH) and direct sequence (DS).  This
 gives customers a choice of wireless technology that best suits their mobility
 and application needs. 
   In addition, Digital's RoamAbout Access Point, engineered with a standard PC
 Card slot for its wireless interface, is now the first and only wireless
 bridge to support both FH and DS radio technologies in the 2.4 GHz band, and
 the DS radio technology in the 915 MHz band.  This protects customers'
 investment by providing the flexibility to easily add new technologies, and
 also enables network and IS managers to manage and support multiple wireless
 technologies with only one bridging platform. 
   
   Digital's RoamAbout solution

   Digital's family of RoamAbout wireless LAN products capitalizes on Digital's
 high-performance bridging expertise.  The RoamAbout Access Point is a
 full-featured, compact, easy-to-install, and SNMP-manageable wireless bridge
 offering protocol independent bridging, address and protocol filtering, and
 down-line load capabilities.  Because of its wireless bridging design, adding
 new wireless technologies to the RoamAbout Access Point is a simple software
 upgrade. 
   As part of a fully manageable and scaleable product set, Digital's RoamAbout
 Access Point can be used as a standalone device, or installed in Digital's
 MultiStack System, DEChub 900 MultiSwitch, or DEChub 90.  Customers can now
 have untethered access to basic networks, as well as to sophisticated networks
 such as virtual LANs. 
   Powerful roaming capabilities embedded in Digital's RoamAbout solution give
 customers unlimited mobility across multiple LAN segments, and across routed
 subnets with a complementary software product, RoamAbout Mobile IP.  By
 allowing customers to "roam" while they work, these products increase employee
 productivity and reduce costs by allowing continuous wireless connections to
 the wired network. 
   
  New products now internationally available

   As part of its RoamAbout announcement, Digital is introducing:
   o  Digital RoamAbout Access Point -- a robust, full-featured,
 technology-independent wireless bridge.  Allows wireless portables, desktop
 PC's and handheld devices (with or without embedded radios) equipped with 
 RoamAbout or compatible technologies to access the wired network. Priced at
 $1,795 and available immediately. 
   o  Digital RoamAbout 2400 FH/PC Card -- A high-performance wireless modem
 based on FH radio technology that is installed in the PC Card slot of a
 portable or handheld computer, or Digital's RoamAbout Access Point.  Priced at 
 $695 and available immediately. 
   o  Digital RoamAbout 2400 FH/ISA NIC -- A high-performance wireless modem
 based on FH radio technology that is installed into a standard PC/AT ISA bus
 slot.  Priced at $595 and available immediately.
   o  Digital RoamAbout 2400 DS/PC Card -- A high-performance wireless modem
 based on DS radio technology that is installed in the PC Card slot of a
 portable or handheld computer, or Digital's RoamAbout Access Point.  Priced at 
 $695 and orderable in November. 
   o  Digital RoamAbout 2400 DS/ISA NIC -- A high-performance wireless modem
 based on DS radio technology that is installed into a standard PC/AT ISA bus
 slot.  Priced at $695 and orderable in November.
 
   All RoamAbout PC Cards and ISA NICs include point-to-point diagnostic tools
 to assist customers in positioning their wireless devices for optimal
 performance. 

 Digital - Transcript of Q1 'Employee Forum' DVN broadcast
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 2-Oct-95}
   [See Livewire for the contents of this article - TT]

 Digital - Digital in the U.S. to participate in national depression screening
	project
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 2-Oct-95}
   Today through Dec. 31, Digital will offer an interactive, computerized
 telephone screening program for depression to employees in the United States.
   Designed by Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry, the
 confidential screening is provided by the National Depression Screening Day
 Project to major U.S. companies.
   "When the system was piloted last year at Digital, some 1,200 individuals
 contacted the screening system over a 10-day period," according to Bruce
 Davidson, manager of Digital's Employee Assistance and Family Resource
 programs.
   To participate in this free, anonymous screening, call 1-800-615-2210, any
 time of the day or night, between now and Dec. 31.  You'll answer pre-recorded
 questions using a Touch-Tone telephone key pad.  Members of your immediate
 family also can participate.  All responses are completely confidential.
   Only a full medical evaluation can diagnose depression.  However, the
 screening program can tell you if your symptoms are consistent with depression
 and where you can go for further help.  If your score indicates that you may
 be suffering from depression, you will be given additional information on who
 to call to make an appointment for a follow-up examination.
   "It is important for people to recognize the early symptoms of depression in
 order to manage their emotional well-being," said Sid Ferrales, vice
 president, Human Resources.  "This project helps to create awareness of the
 symptoms and to make employees and managers aware of the resources available
 to them." 
   Typical symptoms of depression include changes in weight, appetite, or
 sleeping patterns; feelings of hopelessness, sadness, or restlessness; loss of
 interest in activities you used to enjoy; irritability; fatigue; thoughts of
 death or suicide.
   Depression is not caused by one's personal inability to cope with life's
 demands.  Nor can a depressed person simply "snap out of it."  According to
 Dr. Douglas Jacobs of Harvard Medical School, clinical depression is a medical
 illness that responds exceptionally well to treatment.  In more than four out
 of five cases, it can be treated successfully with psychotherapy and/or
 medication -- often in three months or less.
   Employees and managers have immediate access to help through the Employee
 Assistance Program (EAP).  To schedule a confidential appointment with an EAP
 counselor, call 1-800-889-4017.
   "We have the resources in place to help individuals who may be concerned
 about a friend, family member or themselves," said Davidson.  "Managers who
 are concerned about an individual in their group can contact the EAP for
 consultative help in how to discuss their concerns with the employee or
 co-worker.  Experts emphasize that early intervention is key to preventing the
 disruption such illnesses and their associated problems can have on family,
 friends and careers." 
   Depression strikes more than 17 million Americans each year, according to
 the National Institute of Mental Health.  In a study conducted by MIT and the
 Analysis Group, depression costs an estimated $24 billion in lost productivity
 and absenteeism-related costs.  


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
    members, etc, access our Web service at http://expat.zko.dec.com/vns/ or
    send a mail to EXPAT::EXPAT with a subject of HELP.

    Permission to copy material from this VNS is granted (per DIGITAL PP&P)
    provided that the message header for the issue and credit lines for the
    VNS correspondent and original source are retained in the copy.

<><><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 3403    Thursday  5-Oct-1995   <><><><><><><><>