This issue contains the announcement by Colin Blake, publisher since 1993, that he is leaving Digital and asking for a new publisher to take over.

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

 Edition : 3876            Wednesday 27-Aug-1997            Circulation :  4986 

        VNS ANNOUNCEMENT ..................................   15 Lines
        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................  180   "
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................  286   "

    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 mail to expat@expat.zko.dec.com (EXPAT::EXPAT) with the subject HELP.

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

   After almost 16 years with Digital, I will be leaving the company at
    the end of next week. This means that VNS is in desperate need of a
    new Publisher. What does being Publisher mean?

    These days VNS literally publishes itself. Since switching to
    Readers' Choice for the distribution list maintenance, I've had
    nothing to do except make sure that EXPAT has power! All you need to
    provide is an OpenVMS system (any size) that is up 24hrs a day
    (doesn't have to be a dedicated system), and some VMS/DCL/System
    Management skills in case anything falls over. I'll even let you
    have the EXPAT node name if you want it.

    If you are interested in continuing the great VNS tradition, please
    mail me at blake@star.zko.dec.com (STAR::BLAKE) immediately. Time is
    soon going to be running out!

VNS MAIN NEWS:                                   [Jamie Anderson, VNS News Desk]
==============                                   [Utrecht, Netherlands         ]

   De Klerk bows out to bury apartheid era

    SOUTH Africa's last white president, F W de Klerk, resigned as head of
    the National Party yesterday, citing the need for a new-look leader to
    break with the past.

    Tories were hopeless, says Diana

    DIANA, Princess of Wales, entered the party political fray for the
    first time yesterday by praising Labour's support for her campaign to
    ban landmines and denouncing the former Tory government as "hopeless". 

    Sinn Fein set to join Ulster talks

    SINN Fein is expected to be invited to join all-party talks on the
    future of Northern Ireland this week after security chiefs confirmed
    that the IRA had maintained its ceasefire for nearly six weeks.

    Nuclear waste leaked for 30 years

    A NUCLEAR waste storage plant north-east of Tokyo leaked radiation for
    30 years, Japanese nuclear officials admitted yesterday.

    Mir's crew fixes oxygen systems

    AFTER a few hours without fresh oxygen, the crew of the ailing space
    station Mir fixed their oxygen-generating systems but have had
    difficulty orienting the solar panels they repaired last week.

    Father finds girl and boy hanged

    A GIRL and a boy died last night after hanging themselves while playing
    in a bedroom as the girl's family sat downstairs.

    BBC presenter faces cancer operation

    HELEN Rollason, the BBC sports presenter, is in hospital with stomach
    cancer and will have an operation "within days".

    Parents appeal for help to find son's murderer

    THE parents of Thomas Marshall appealed to the public yesterday for
    information about their son's killer before the murderer strikes again.

    'Lake' husband remanded on murder charge

    THE husband of Carol Park, the "Lady in the Lake" victim, was remanded
    in custody when he appeared at Barrow, Cumbria, yesterday charged with
    her murder.

    Painkiller curbs to cut overdoses

    PARACETAMOL and aspirin are to be sold in smaller packs to reduce the
    risk of overdoses and suicides.

    Soldier jailed for racially abusing guests at party

    ONE of at least five soldiers who rounded on two black civilian women
    and racially abused them in front of 200 revellers at an all-ranks Army
    party was jailed and dismissed the Service yesterday.

    MI5 chief to send phone taps report to minister

    THE Home Secretary is to receive an urgent report from MI5 following
    allegations that during the 1970s the security service bugged Peter
    Mandelson, minister without portfolio, and Jack Straw himself.

    Homosexual can stay in Britain pending review

    A BRAZILIAN homosexual was yesterday allowed to remain in Britain after
    the High Court adjourned his appeal against being removed from the
    country pending a Government review of immigration laws.

    Climber saved by rucksack in cliff fall

    A CLIMBER was saved by his rucksack after falling 50ft from a cliff
    face on to rocks. 

    MPs admit they are addicted to cars

    MOST MPs, by their own admission, drive in preference to using public
    transport, tend to travel alone in cars with large engines and
    frequently exceed the speed limit on motorways.

    Plea for help as apple crop is cut by half

    ENGLISH apple growers, who have suffered their worst season for 63
    years, issued an appeal for help to consumers yesterday.

    Paddington Bear cleans up his act

    PADDINGTON Bear has gone to Canada and had what image-consultants would
    call a "make-over" in time for his 40th birthday.

    Spy phones trace cheating husbands

    A MOBILE telephone being developed by British Telecom could soon spell
    an end to the deceptions by idle employees, stressed executives and
    adulterers.

    Archer hate figure's exile may be permanent

    SIMON Pemberton, the ruthless landlord from The Archers, has not gone
    to the Middle East to escape recriminations after beating his
    girlfriend Debbie Aldridge. He is instead quietly launching a career as
    a television actor.

    Sausage overdose warning

    A MAN who collapsed after eating too many sausages may have been
    affected by the dangerous chemicals used in cured meats, a doctor
    warned yesterday.

    Couple fight for custody of their geraniums

    LAWYERS have been brought in by a divorcing couple to settle a bitter
    custody battle over the fate of eight hanging baskets.

    North Korean defectors tell of Mid-East missile sales

    TWO North Koreans who have defected to America are providing valuable
    information about the communist state's sale of missile technology to
    Iran, Syria and elsewhere, officials say.

    Haughey may face wider inquiry

    THE Irish government will consider setting up a wider-ranging judicial
    inquiry into the financial affairs of Charles Haughey, the country's
    former prime minister, at a Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

    Commonwealth urged to help volcano island

    CARIBBEAN leaders met in Antigua yesterday to appeal to the
    Commonwealth to stage a rescue mission to help Montserrat recover from
    the devastation wreaked by its volcano.

    60,000 sterilised in effort to make Swedes stronger

    THOUSANDS of Swedes are expected to seek substantial compensation from
    their government, as victims of the official sterilisation programme
    between 1935 and 1976.

    Landslide survivor 'wanted to die'

    THE sole survivor of the landslide in an Australian ski resort that
    left 18 people dead told yesterday how he considered suicide after his
    wife was killed next to him.

    Russia boycotts US exercises

    RUSSIA is boycotting the first naval exercises involving America and
    Ukraine, complaining that the presence of the US Navy in the Black Sea
    is "conflict-provoking".

    Bull-run mob besieges police station

    MOB violence took over a bull-running festival in southern France when
    a 200-strong crowd laid siege to a police station and shouted threats
    of murder.

    Cambodians 'need aid for fair election' 

    FREE and fair elections in Cambodia after July's coup are a "remote"
    prospect without international help, according to a senior interior
    ministry official.

    Wind velocity test on flatulent sheep

    SCIENTISTS have set up instruments downwind of flatulent and burping
    sheep to investigate methane gas emissions thought to contribute to
    global warming.

    Source: Electronic Telegraph - 
    Electronic Telegraph is a Registered Service Mark of The Telegraph plc
    For more details on any of the above headlines stories, visit the
    Electronic Telegraph on the Web at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

    The VNS newsroom staff do not write, select, or edit the headlines
    presented in the General News section. It comes, as is, from ET. 
    Feedback to anderson@ijsapl.enet.dec.com or IJSAPL::ANDERSON

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

Tuesday's Market                                        Fair Market Value
         Quote          Change  Dow Jones       Change   2-Dec-1996   $39.344
 IBM     103.312	-1 11/16			30-May-1997   $35.25
 HPkd	  62 3/8	-  1/4				 85% of lower $30.00
 Msft	 135 1/4	-1 1/2				 2-Jun-1997   $35.312
 DEC	  44 3/8	-  3/4	7782.22		-77.35
 DEC PRa  25 3/4	+  3/4

 Sun Microsystems, Oracle, IBM, Netscape - To join forces for Java
	{The Boston Globe, 23-Aug-97, p. F2}
   Sun, Oracle, IBM, and Netscape next week will join forces to persuade
 companies to adopt the Java language for their computer networks.  At the
 3-day Java Internet Business Expo in New York, the companies will show how
 corporations are using Java to build programs and promote their vision against
 Rival Microsoft's version of the language.  About 200 exhibitors, including a
 slow of closely held companies, will be showing ready-made programs and
 development software, including e-mail; groupware used to exchange documents
 between employees and customers; and programs used to manage expenses, human
 resources information, and track orders.  Analysts have said Java is the best
 hope for loosening Microsoft's hold on the software market because it lets
 developers and companies write programs that aren't tied to Windows software,
 used by 90% of the world's PCs.  Faced with Java, Microsoft quickly developed
 technology that solved some of the languages earliest problems, including slow
 performance, but only for Java programs that run on Windows.  Sun,  Oracle,
 IBM, and Netscape recently have stepped up their attempts to present a united
 front against Microsoft's attempts to link Java to Windows.  "There will be a
 gauntlet or two thrown down," said David Smith, an analyst at Gartner Group.
 Sun will showcase the technology it offers for corporate development, such as
 testing software, development kits and database technology.  Just as
 important, it will outline its efforts to make Java a standard.

 McAfee, Symantec - Exchange allegations, intensify legal duel
        {The Wall Street Journal, 26-Aug-97, p. B7}
   McAfee said late Thursday that it will ask a state court in San Jose,
 Calif., to throw out a copyright suit Symantec filed in April.  McAfee said
 that only 100 lines of disputed code in its VirusScan program resembles
 software of Symantec's, and that code was downloaded off the World Wide Web
 rather than stolen, as Symantec had alleged.  McAfee said it has deleted the
 code in question.  Symantec responded that McAfee thereby was admitting it
 had improperly used Symantec's intellectual property.  After the stock markets
 closed Friday, McAfee announced that it had filed a defamation and trade libel
 suit against Symantec in response to its statements to the media after
 McAfee's announcement.  The suit, filed in the same court, seeks $1 billion in
 damages.  Symantec didn't immediately comment on the latest action.

 Kodak - Launching service on Internet to store, print photos
        {The Wall Street Journal, 26-Aug-97, p. B8}
   In the short run, Kodak expects the service will attract only a few
 thousand subscribers.  In 5 years, the company hopes to have millions of
 people signed up.  After a free 90-day trial period, the basic fee for the
 service will be $4.95 per month, which will allow a subscriber to store up to
 100 pictures on the Internet.  For an extra fee, estimated at about $5 per
 roll, customers can get their pictures scanned electronically by
 photofinishers and posted on a password-coded Internet account.  In addition
 to ordering reprints, subscribers can send photos to others via e-mail.
 Friends and relatives with Internet access can also log on and view the
 pictures with a password.  In the long run, the company plans to make the
 electronically stored photos available at print stations in retail stores so
 that people without Internet access will be able to use the service.  Kodak
 has also launched a number of filmless, digital cameras, but the models that
 provide high-quality images are still too expensive for most consumers.

 Sun - Advertisement.  Digital not mentioned
        {The Wall Street Journal, 26-Aug-97, p. B9-16, B24}
 p. B9: "Your business isn't something you should entrust to people who think
	small."

 p. B10: "To build, you need a grand plan.

	As Sun, we look at the big picture, from the enterprise down.  Not from
 the personal operating system up.  For over fifteen years, we've been
 developing and refining technologies to meet the global demands of some of
 the world's most successful businesses.  Our vision of network computing is
 enabling innovation at companies like BT, Eastman Kodak, FedEx, MasterCard,
 Nortel (Northern Telecom), Nova Scotia Power, Pfizer Inc., Gap, and Volvo.
 Allowing them to push the frontiers of worldwide data access, streamline
 internal operations, create new revenue streams, and build closer customer
 relationships.  Taking them to a future of unlimited growth with Java.  And
 giving them with systems designed from the ground up for network computing,
 the means to create real competitive advantages.  No other computer company is
 doing this.  No other computer company can."

 p. B11 [Photo of a skyscraper and some of the products made by the companies
	listed on p. B10]

 p. B12: "To expand, you need powerful tools.

   Network computing without scalability just doesn't compute.  That's why, at
 Sun, we've developed a complete range of scalable servers and storage systems,
 with seamless integration from PCs to the desktop to global computer
 environments.  A single Sun system can manage an entire enterprise, providing
 superior price/performance, uptime and reliability.  Our end-to-end security
 allows you to confidently run your decision-support, enterprise resource
 planning, and intranet applications.  Our Solaris operating environment runs
 large-scale applications better than any other platform, accommodating one to
 thousands of users.  And our Java computing technologies offer a smooth
 transition to open computing in the next millennium.  Network computing
 without limitations.  That's why all those global companies are growing with
 Sun.  And that's why you should, too."

 p, B13: [Skyscraper with photos of several Sun machines]

 p. B14: "To grow, you need the right support.

   Get the best out of enterprise network computing with services from Sun.
 Nobody else knows it as well as we do.  Our multi-talented, multi-discipline
 experts plan, implement and manage everything from simple workgroups to global
 network computing environments.  Witness the way we helped guide the FedEx
 migration to global distributed computing.  Designed Pfizer's worldwide
 research network.  Gave Eastman Kodak an education in Java technology.  And
 continue to support BT's critical service management systems.  With our
 'nothing is impossible' attitude, we're helping to bring out the best in some
 of the world's most dynamic companies.  We can do the same for you."

 p. B15: [Skyscraper and photos of people meeting, working, etc.]

 p. B16: "To succeed, you need Sun.

   We have the plan, the products, the people.  We have over fifteen years of
 focused enterprise network computing experience.  We offer proven
 technologies, global solutions, and clear competitive advantages.  We offer
 you a future without limits.  If that's what you're looking for, look no
 further.  You've found an open door.

				The Network Is The Computer

						Sun
						Microsystems"

 p. B24:  [List of about 480 companies.  Digital isn't in the list - TT]
   "When was the last time this many companies agreed on one thing?

  In just 800 days, thousands of companies (including the ones above) have
 embraced the Java platform and put it to work.  To find out how you could be
 using it to your advantage right now, check out our website at java.sun.com.

						Sun
						Microsystems"

 Digital - DIGITAL AlphaServer, x86 platforms support PeopleSoft 7
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 25-Aug-97}
   DIGITAL today announced broad support for PeopleSoft 7, the newest version
 of enterprise applications from PeopleSoft, Inc. of Pleasanton, Calif.
   The PeopleSoft 7 Application Server will run on high-performance DIGITAL
 AlphaPowered systems running DIGITAL UNIX and Prioris x86-based systems
 running Windows NT.
   The announcement builds on a longstanding relationship that provides
 enterprise customers superior application performance, scalability, and
 service.
   PeopleSoft 7 customers will benefit from DIGITAL's broad server and client
 offerings, including 64-bit AlphaServer and x86-based Prioris servers, and
 DIGITAL personal computers and network terminals.  The underlying architecture
 supported by PeopleSoft 7 will enable customers to take advantage of
 processing on DIGITAL's UNIX, Windows NT, and OpenVMS platforms.  Customers
 gain improved performance across wide area networks, greater scalability to
 support more users, the flexibility to choose two-tier or three-tier
 transaction processing, and the use of PeopleSoft's Java-based Web Client.
   DIGITAL and PeopleSoft are conducting benchmark tests at the PeopleSoft
 Technology Center in Pleasanton, Calif. to optimize the performance and
 scalability advantages of deploying PeopleSoft 7 on DIGITAL AlphaPowered and
 x86-based Prioris systems in technical environments.  This ongoing engineering
 partnership provides PeopleSoft 7 customers with predictable solutions
 optimized to take advantage of DIGITAL's mature 64-bit technology.
   PeopleSoft 7, which includes PeopleSoft Financials, Manufacturing,
 Distribution, Human Resource Management System (HRMS), and Red Pepper supply
 chain planning products, as well as PeopleSoft's self-service Universal
 Applications, will be generally available in September.  Availability of
 industry- and geography-specific versions will be announced later this year.

 DIGITAL - Thunders into SAPPHIRE'97 with new R/3 servers, service packages,
	 R/3 performance leadership
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 26-Aug-97}
   DIGITAL continued its aggressive thrust into the enterprise by announcing 18
 new pre-configured SAP business servers, a major outsourcing services contract
 with Perkin-Elmer, quick-start R/3 implementation services with Ernst & Young,
 leadership R/3 Windows NT performance, and receipt of the prestigious SAP
 Award for Excellence -- for the fourth time.  The announcements were made at
 SAPPHIRE'97, the SAP North American users conference in Orlando, Fla.
   At the conference, DIGITAL also demonstrated Microsoft Cluster Server
 (MSCS), formerly known as "Wolfpack," for DIGITAL Windows NT systems running
 R/3.
   In addition, DIGITAL demonstrated AltaVista tunneling and firewall software
 for Web-enabled R/3 applications, which significantly increases the security
 of  R/3-based Internet and intranet sites.
   "At SAPPHIRE'97, we are taking advantage of a major opportunity to
 demonstrate to customers the benefits of DIGITAL's investment in the R/3
 solutions portfolio," said Toni Steiner, DIGITAL's Global SAP Business and
 Alliance manager.  "DIGITAL is uniquely able to implement complete, high-value
 R/3 solutions through a company-wide focus that includes systems, software,
 services, and improving customers' business performance while optimizing their
 long-term computing investments.
   "As a result, DIGITAL's share of SAP's worldwide business has increased
 nearly 20 percent in the past year, and our R/3 Windows NT business has
 quadrupled," Steiner added.  "At the same time, half of our new R/3 customers
 are also new DIGITAL customers."

   Preconfigured AlphaPowered R/3 systems

   DIGITAL's new SAP Business Servers are SAP-certified, preconfigured 64-bit
 AlphaServer systems that make it easier and faster for customers to implement
 R/3 solutions.  To minimize the risk of configuration error, the new systems
 include the hardware and system software required to support R/3.  At the
 request of customers, DIGITAL's SAP-certified specialists will install the
 customer's choice of R/3 applications in DIGITAL's ISO 9001-certified
 manufacturing facility, or at customer sites.  The preconfigured systems,
 priced from US$37,000, are available now.

   Perkin-Elmer, Ernst & Young choose DIGITAL

   DIGITAL Worldwide Services has signed a five-year, multimillion-dollar
 contract with Perkin-Elmer to manage the infrastructure supporting deployment
 of R/3 business solutions for 1,800 users in the United States and Canada.
 DIGITAL's Operations Management Services for Perkin-Elmer's Applied Biosystems
 Division include the management of computer systems running Oracle database
 software, large storage arrays, local area networks, and help desk support for
 data center personnel.
   DIGITAL Worldwide Services and Ernst & Young will offer quick-start R/3
 implementation and management services for small- to medium-sized
 organizations.  The services are targeted at companies that may not have the
 technical understanding or resources to plan, design, implement, and manage a
 new enterprise information system while maintaining existing operations.
 Ernst & Young is a three-time winner of the SAP Award for Excellence.

   Breakthrough R/3 Windows NT performance

   DIGITAL achieved R/3 Sales and Distribution (SD) client/server benchmark
 results of 2,001 SD benchmark users with an average dialog response time of
 1.45 seconds.  These record-breaking results -- 38 percent higher than the
 previous mark held by Data General, 79 percent higher than Compaq, and 122
 percent better than HP -- were achieved by combining the DIGITAL 64-bit
 AlphaServer and x86 Prioris platforms with Windows NT 4.0 and the INFORMIX
 Online Dynamic Server 7.X database.  The benchmark measured the equivalent of
 210,000 fully business processed order line items per hour.  This benchmark
 fully complies with SAP's issued benchmark regulations and has been audited
 and certified by SAP.
   "When we selected the DIGITAL platform for our SAP Windows NT
 implementation, we expected our R/3 project to grow rapidly," said Peter
 Filka, information systems manager at Lauda Air of Vienna.  "And we wanted to
 avoid future migrations.  Today's benchmark results confirm that DIGITAL will
 protect our investment, and we are confident that we can deploy R/3 with
 Windows NT system throughout our company."

 Digital - Robert Battye named to new position
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 26-Aug-97}
   Robert Battye has been appointed to the newly created position of vice
 president, DIGITAL Services Division Microsoft Alliance.  He will report to
 John Rando, senior vice president and general manager, DSD, and will be a
 member of the DSD management team.
   In announcing Battye's appointment, Rando said: "The Alliance for Enterprise
 Computing with Microsoft is critical to the DIGITAL Services Division's short
 and long term strategy.  Over the last three years we have built up our
 expertise and extended the boundaries of field engagements to encompass
 Microsoft products and technology. ...Robert completes a new partnership of
 DSD, Sales and Marketing, and the Products Division with Mike Howard and Jim
 Totton, respectively, demonstrating the intensity of our commitment to the
 Microsoft Alliance."
   Battye will be responsible for helping to formulate strategies within and
 across the three DSD business units, insure their successful deployment, and
 manage the critical interdependencies with Microsoft.  He will lead DIGITAL's
 efforts and be measured on the results of DSD selling to, with, and for
 Microsoft.  Battye will relocate to the Redmond, Wash., area over the next two
 months.
   Battye has spent 10 years in systems integration with DIGITAL, most recently
 as the NSIS Euro5 Territory Director and member of the Dutch CMT.  Prior to
 joining the company, he was research and development manager for business and
 IT applications with Harris Corp.
   Roger Rose, as vice president of NSIS Europe, will assume Battye's role
 managing Territory 5.

 Digital - Ramtron inks pact with DIGITAL
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 26-Aug-97}
   (Material from The Colorado Springs Gazette and wire services was used in
 this report.)

   Ramtron International Corp. of Colorado Springs, Colo., has signed an
 agreement that will put one of its powerful new memory chips into computers
 that run large corporate computer networks.
   The agreement was signed with DIGITAL and California chipmaker VLSI
 Technology Inc.
   The chip, designed by Ramtron subsidiary Enhanced Memory Systems, Inc., will
 be offered as an upgrade in servers using DIGITAL's Alpha microprocessor and
 VLSI systems integration chip sets.
   A Ramtron spokesman said samples of the chip should begin shipping late this
 year and volume production would begin early in 1998.  IBM Corp. and Nippon
 Steel have agreed to produce the chips at plants in Vermont and Japan,
 respectively.


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    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 mail to expat@expat.zko.dec.com (EXPAT::EXPAT) with the subject 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 : 3876   Wednesday 27-Aug-1997   <><><><><><><><>