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This contains the last Main News from Andy Payne.

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

 Edition : 3368               Friday 11-Aug-1995            Circulation :  4531 

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................   58 Lines

    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 MAIN NEWS:                                    [Andy Payne, VNS UK News Desk]
==============                                    [Fareham, England            ]

    Here is the News at 09:00 BST on Friday 11th August 1995
    --------------------------------------------------------

    UK News
    -------
    [Television revolution ahead]
    The prospect of a huge increase in the number of television channels
    available as well as high-definition, widescreen pictures and CD
    quality sound, was heralded yesterday when the government published its
    policy for digital television and radio in Britain.
    {The Independent}

    [Offer ends rail strike threat]
    The threat of a national rail strike ended last night when drivers'
    union leaders accepted a revised deal which involved no change to
    British Rail's pay offer. The 12,340 Aslef members began the day by
    rejecting a three per cent offer and talks to shorten the working week
    from 39 to 37 within two years.
    {The Daily Telegraph}

    [Five die in fire]
    Five children, including twins aged three, were killed in a house fire
    yesterday in Wrexhan, Clwyd.
    {The Daily Telegraph}


    World News
    ----------
    [Evidence of 3,000 massacred by Serbs]
    Photographs of what are said to be the mass graves of unarmed Muslim
    men and boys shot in cold blood by Bosnian Serb forces when they
    overran the Srebrenica enclave in Bosnia last month were presented to
    the UN Security Council by America yesterday.  The evidence points to
    the worst single atrocity of the four-year war in former Yugoslavia.
    Nearly 3,000 unarmed Muslim males, some of them small boys, were
    allegedly shot.
    {The Daily Telegraph}

    [Iraq defections]
    Two of President Saddam Hussein's daughters and their husbands, key
    figures in Iraq's regime, have defected to Jordan.
    {The Daily Telegraph}

    [Murder Plot]
    Spanish police have thwarted an apparent plot by Basque terrorists to
    assassinate King Juan Carlos on holiday in Majorca.
    {The Daily Telegraph}

    [Leakey attacked]
    Dr Richard Leakey, the white Kenyan politician, was beaten up by
    government supporters yesterday as he visited President Moi's home area.

    [Smokeless zone]
    The Clinton administration has proposed new measures to curb under-age
    smoking, including a total ban on vending machines, further
    restrictions on advertising and a proof-of-age requirement for
    cigarette purchasers.
    {The Independent}


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    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 : 3368      Friday 11-Aug-1995   <><><><><><><><>

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   <><><><><><><><>

This issue from 8 December 1995 is the last one to have the four main sections of Main News, Computer News, Technology News and UK Sports News.

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

 Edition : 3448               Friday  8-Dec-1995            Circulation :  4518 

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................  153 Lines
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................  170   "
        VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH ..............................   39   "
        VNS UK SPORTS NEWS ................................   29   "

    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 MAIN NEWS:                            [Kevin Bowen-Nellthorp, VNS News Desk]
==============                            [Nijmegen, Netherlands               ]

Beef prices plummet in BSE scare

    AS CATTLE prices plummeted yesterday, John Major was criticised by the
    beef industry for failing to defuse scares over a link between mad cow
    disease and Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease in humans. Cattle prices crashed by
    about #80 an animal yesterday, almost 12 per cent down on last week.
    Farmers said that supermarkets were cancelling and reducing orders in
    anticipation of falling demand.

Concern at homeless appeal by Princess

    THE political dangers of the Princess of Wales's new career were
    underlined yesterday when her speech on the needs of homeless young
    people forced the Prime Minister on to the defensive in the Commons.

Germany and France turn up heat on Major over Europe

    FRANCE and Germany last night agreed a joint accord to fight for closer
    European integration in direct conflict with the wishes of John Major.

Inquiry at British "FBI"

    AN INQUIRY into allegations of corruption within the National Criminal
    Intelligence Service, which collects and analyses intelligence on
    leading criminals, was announced yesterday.

Night flying ban on Olympic doves

    THE doves traditionally released at the start of the Olympics are to be
    given the night off when the forthcoming Games get under way in Atlanta.

Blunkett accuses Tories of opt-out smear on Blair

    CONTROVERSY deepened last night over alleged Left-wing intimidation in
    Tony Blair's constituency to prevent a school opting for
    grant-maintained status.

Shop attack knifeman in assault with razor

    A MENTAL patient who stabbed 15 Christmas shoppers when he went on the
    rampage in a Birmingham department store 12 months ago, has tried to
    kill one of the nurses treating him at a high-security hospital.

Surgeon tells jury of theatre quandary

    A SURGEON who performed a hysterectomy on a woman he suspected was
    pregnant told a court yesterday that he had believed she did not want
    children.

Why the Budget has not improved Tory fortunes

    THE SAYING "give a dog a bad name" could have been invented to describe
    the present predicament of John Major's Conservative Party. Steep tax
    rises since the last election have clearly convinced millions of voters
    that the Tories are no longer to be trusted on taxation.

Backbench Tories call the Speaker to order

    THE SPEAKER of the Commons, Betty Boothroyd, moved to defend her
    position yesterday against a Tory backbench whispering campaign that she
    is biased against the party.

Guppy is freed pending prison appeal hearing

    DARIUS GUPPY, the architect of a #1.8 million insurance fraud, was freed
    on bail yesterday pending an appeal against a second jail sentence.

Scientists find agents that slow down Aids

    NATURAL molecules in the body that slow the progress of Human
    Immunodeficiency Virus infection towards Aids have been identified by
    scientists after a long search, it was announced today.

Wife tells of her relief when MP 'appeared to be a homosexual'

    SILVANA ASHBY told a jury yesterday that she was pleased when her
    husband appeared to admit that he was homosexual as it meant there was
    nothing wrong with her.

TV report blamed for cot death panic over mattresses 

    THOUSANDS of parents were caused unnecessary alarm when ITV's Cook
    Report made the erroneous claim that cot deaths were caused by toxic
    gases from mattresses, the Government says today.

Gangland clue to men shot dead in Range Rover

    THREE men were shot in the head as they sat in a car after apparently
    being lured to a remote farm track in Essex.

'Failing' grant-maintained school receives clean bill of health

    THE FIRST grant-maintained comprehensive to be identified as failing was
    given a clean bill of health by inspectors yesterday after two years'
    work to raise academic standards and reduce pupils' under-achievement.

Quick draw puts cowboy in hospital, then court

    A WILD West fan who shot himself while practising for a quick draw
    contest had his gun taken away yesterday after he admitted altering it
    so it could fire live ammunition.

Accident victim's mother joins fight to ban bull bars

    THE MOTHER of a teenage girl who was seriously injured when she was hit
    by a vehicle fitted with bull bars joined Labour MPs and road safety
    experts yesterday in calling for them to be banned

Contract frauds 'cost MoD #22m'

    FRAUD cost the Ministry of Defence about #22 million last year as money
    was skimmed off procurement contracts, a committee of MPs said
    yesterday.

Bonus years of longer life are blighted by ill health

    MEN and women are living much longer but their extra years are
    increasingly spent in poor health, according to new Government figures.

Women find sex bias in company car parks

    SEX discrimination still exists in the company car park with men getting
    more powerful and prestigious cars than women in equal jobs, according
    to a new study.

Fishermen cast in their lot to save dwindling stocks

    FISHERMEN are to join Government scientists in an attempt to conserve
    Britain's dwindling stocks of cod and plaice, which are at their lowest
    levels since records began due to over-fishing.

TV sex alert signs 'may act as turn-on'

    THE Broadcasting Standards Council, the watchdog for television, is to
    look at the use of symbols to warn viewers about sex, bad language or
    violence after a survey suggested their use.

Father tackles school over rugby for girls

    A FORMER rugby player has been told that his daughters must play the
    game or be removed from their school. Peter Gregory, who broke his leg
    and hand and lost four teeth on the rugby field, does not want to force
    Katie, 11, and Lucy, 13, to play.

Aintree bowler enters charity stakes

    THE bowler hat which came to symbolise the disastrous 1993 Grand
    National is to take on a new role, raising funds for charity.

Source: Electronic Telegraph - Friday December 8, 1995
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/

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

   Thursday's Market					Fair Market Value
	 Quote		Change  Dow Jones	Change   1-Jun-1995   $45.625
 IBM	   94 3/4	-1				30-Nov-1995   $59.062
 HPkd	   82 1/4	+1 1/4				85% of lower  $39.00
 Msft	   90 1/2	-  1/8				 1-Dec-1995   $58.187
 DEC	   62 1/2	-1 1/4	5159.39		-39.74
 DEC PRa   26 3/8	-  1/4

 Microsoft - Chairman Bill Gates will unveil company's Internet strategy today
	{The Boston Globe, 7-Dec-95, p. 48}
   As of last night, Microsoft was still said to be fine-tuning its strategy
 for tackling this new medium, but analysts and industry watchers predicted an
 ambitious series of moves aimed at providing tools for every aspect of the
 Internet experience - from publishing programs, to security tools to digital
 "platforms" for commerce and information gathering.  Gates has authorized
 Microsoft to spend up to $1 billion to put the company ahead of its Internet
 rivals.  In an apparent vote of confidence from investors, Microsoft stock
 rose 4 5/8 yesterday to close at  90 5/8 in heavy Nasdaq trading.

 House - Agrees to restrict on-line smut
	{The Boston Globe, 7-Dec-95, p. 45}
   House lawmakers agreed yesterday on a plan to make it illegal for a company
 to knowingly transmit sexually explicit and other "indecent" material to
 minors over computers.  The plan is part of negotiations on a larger
 telecommunications bill and settles differences among House members who were
 deeply divided on how to best limit children's exposure to smut carried on
 computer services, including the Internet.  The plan not only toughens an
 anti-smut provision contained in the House telecommunications bill, but brings
 it in line with a provision in the Senate's telecommunications bill.
 Supporters are scrambling to bring a final bill to each chamber for a vote by
 Dec. 15.  The House's antismut plan - a combination of dueling proposals from
 Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.) and Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) - would prohibit content
 providers on a computer service from "knowingly sending or directly sending"
 sexually explicit material to anyone 18 years old or younger.  Companies that
 provide access to computer networks, like America Online and CompuServe, would
 not be liable, White said.  The Department of Justice would enforce the
 provision, which also carries criminal penalties of up to two years in jail
 and $100,000 in fines.

 SoftKey - Closing in on Learning Co. deal
	{The Boston Globe, 7-Dec-95, p. 45}
   Software firms to work out merger; white knight looks to have lost the
 bidding war.  Bankers and attorneys representing the two companies met through
 the night Tuesday and all day Wednesday in New York trying to hammer out a
 merger, said R. Scott Murray, SoftKey's chief financial officer.

 Hewlett-Packard - Favorable review of he $350 OmniGo pocket organizer
	{The Boston Globe, 7-Dec-95, p. 48}
	{Michael Putzel, a Boston Globe staff member}
   "...
   I've carried a variety of Casio and Sharp organizers in recent years and
 have relied on them to help me stick to my schedule, maintain my address book
 and store reminders., but I confess it takes someone with a measure of
 patience and fascination with gadgetry to learn to use them.
   Any of these devices, to be successful on a large scale, must be small
 enough to fit unobtrusively in a jacket pocket or purse, share information
 with a desktop or laptop computer and be easy enough for nontechnical people
 to use without raising their blood pressure more than a point or two.
   The OmniGo is getting there.
   While it's on the market in what I regard as an unfinished state, the
 concept and execution show real promise, and improvements are sure to flow
 from this first effort.
   ..."

 Spacetec IMC - Stock up 28% on 1st trading day
	{The Boston Globe, 7-Dec-95, p. 52}
   Lowell-based Spacetec IMC Corp.'s stock rose 2 3/4 to 12 3/4 on Nasdaq
  trading of 1.31 million shares.  The shares traded as high as 13 3/4.  The
 computer graphics company's initial public offering was 2.25 million shares,
 including 750,000 shares held by certain stockholders.  Spacetec will have
 7.02 million shares outstanding after the sale is completed, according to
 Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

 Fiscal News - Apple
 Apple - 4th quarter profits fall 48% amid record sales
	{The Boston Globe, 19-Oct-95, p. 41}
   Apple. battered by fierce price competition,  parts shortages and product
 delays, yesterday said 4th quarter profits plunged despite record sales.
 Apple said earnings for the 3 months ended Sept. 29 fell to $60 million from
 $115 million a year ago.  The drop was larger than expected and particularly
 troubling in light of the 20% rise in sales in the quarter to $3 billion from
 $2.49 billion.  Apple president and CEO Michael Spindler, under fire to turn
 the struggling company around, blamed the shortfall on pricing pressure for
 Apple's new line of PowerPC-based products, shortages of components and
 increased competition from Japan.  "The quarter's earnings results are clearly
 not indicative of the financial results Apple is striving for in the future,"
 Spindler said in a statement.  Most analysts had already lowered their
 expectations for Apple after its executives warned 4th quarter earnings would
 fall.  Apple said the problems conspired to push down its gross margin - the
 difference between what it pays for raw materials and sells it products for -
 to 20.7% from 27.2% a year earlier.  Chicago Corp. analyst Chris Garland said
 the profit margin pressures are going to result in lower earnings estimates
 for 1996.  Apple's troubles come as demand for its Macintosh products is
 reaching record levels.  During the 4th quarter. Apple shipped more than 1.25
 million units, but still ended the year with about $1 billion in unfilled
 orders.  A spokeswoman said the company expects supply constraints to persist
 until early calendar 1996.

 Digital - Cuts cost of supercomputing
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 7-Dec-95}
   Digital has introduced new technology -- PCI Memory Channel interconnect --
 that enables its highly scalable AlphaServer systems to deliver new levels of
 affordability and price/performance for the technical computing market.  Users
 who would never have been able to afford supercomputer-class power can now do
 so.
   Digital delivers new levels of price/performance by leveraging commodity
 hardware and software components.  A standards-based PCI bus Memory Channel
 interconnect is used to link multiple AlphaServer systems.  This low-latency
 (less than 5 microseconds), high-bandwidth (100 Mbytes/sec) interconnect
 provides high-speed, memory-to-memory communications among up to eight
 AlphaServer 8400 systems, which allows the multiple systems to operate
 essentially as a single system with 57.6 GFLOPS of power.
   The Memory Channel interconnect can also link lower-cost AlphaServer 2000
 systems for extremely cost-effective high-performance solutions.  Digital also
 provides a suite of software tools that allows technical users to optimize
 their applications for the new technology.
   "Digital is making high-performance computing affordable for more
 applications than ever before," said Dr. Michael Levine, scientific director, 
 Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.  "We're finding that Digital's approach to 
 connecting AlphaServers is elegantly simple, and both very powerful and very 
 cost effective.  We can connect AlphaServers of different sizes, which is 
 important to us because it enables us to match our systems and applications 
 most efficiently.  We're currently using the system for molecular dynamics, 
 visualization, finite element and simulated annealing code, and think this 
 technology prepares us for the future of high-performance computing." 
   "Digital's new scalable AlphaServer 8400 array offers a preview of the next
 generation in enterprise supercomputing," said Gary Smaby, president, Smaby
 Group, Inc.  "By linking dozens of its blazingly fast Alpha microprocessors
 through a robust memory interconnect architecture, Digital has constructed a
 mainframe-class computing platform for high-end technical users tackling
 applications that benefit from parallel processing.  The system leverages the
 cost benefits of commodity componentry to deliver a compelling
 price/performance alternative to traditional supercomputers and MPPs."

 Digital - New chip brings video authoring, conferencing to PCs
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 7-Dec-95}
   Digital introduced a powerful, new video coder/decoder (codec) chip that
 delivers high-quality, 30-frames-per-second (fps) video compression and
 decompression for desktop PCs.
   The PCI-based 21230 codec chip puts affordable video authoring and video
 conferencing on a wide range of platforms based on Pentium, Alpha, and PowerPC
 microprocessors.
   "With the 21230 video chip, PC vendors can deliver affordable capability on
 the desktop for creating and using video-enhanced presentations, interactive
 training, video conferencing, on-line monitoring, and other forms of
 multimedia communication," said Ed Caldwell, vice president, Digital
 Semiconductor.
    Susan Yost, Digital Semiconductor's multimedia marketing manager, called 
 image compression/decompression "essential" to reduce the heavy data storage 
 and bandwidth demands of video applications.  
    "Video authoring and video conferencing need a video codec that not only 
 compresses data efficiently, but delivers high-quality video that accurately 
 represents the original material.  And they need it in real time," she said.
    "The 21230 chip is the first video codec to meet this challenge at an 
 affordable price," Yost continued.  "The 21230 video chip implements 
 state-of-the-art compression and filtering techniques that provide efficient 
 data compression, exceptional image quality, and realtime performance.  In 
 addition, as a PCI-based, single-chip implementation, it is designed and
 priced for the PC market."
    According to Peter Hess, manager of OEM development for FAST Electronic US,
 Inc., a manufacturer of multimedia products, "The 21230 chip is capable of
 encoding video and audio data from tapes and laser disks into MPEG-1 format in
 real time for storage and playback on digital compact disks."  Designed as a
 coprocessor, the 21230 chip takes advantage of host CPU computing resources
 while concentrating on codec core processes to achieve maximal functionality
 in a cost-effective package.
   The superior image quality of the 21230 video chip reflects the product's 
 sophisticated filtering, motion estimation, and scene characterization 
 capabilities, which enable optimal video compression and decompression for 
 excellent image sharpness.

VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH:                     [W. Stuart Crippen, VNS Correspondent]
=====================                     [Hudson, MA, USA                     ]

		            Device goes for the glow
		            ------------------------

        From Science News, November 25, 1995, Vol. 148, No. 22, Pg 359
	Author - R. Lipkin

    Silicon, already the staple material of computers and electronics, would 
    become even more useful if it could be made to glow.  But its
    crystalline wafers, though friendly to electrons, turn a cold shoulder
    to photons, emitting light only weakly. 

    Zheng H. Lu, a materials scientist at the National Research Council of 
    Canada in Ottawa, and his colleagues, however, have found a way to coax
    the stubborn crystals into luminescence.  In the Nov. 16 NATURE, they
    describe a method of stacking alternating layers of silicon and silicon
    dioxide to create a structure that can convert electron energy into
    light. 

    The scientists layered extremely fine sheets of the two materials - like 
    sheets of filo dough - to create a "silicon superlattice."  The light
    emission, they explain, arises from "quantum confinement" of electrons
    in the material's layers. 

    Quantum confinement occurs when electrons become penned into 
    nanometer-sized spaces.  Thus confined, they behave more like trapped
    waves than particles.  Transitions between trapped wave states can then
    lead to emission of photons. 

    Given the increasing importance of optoelectronics for computing, 
    telecommunications, compact disks, and holography, such silicon-based
    light generators could prove "an attractive option" says David A.B.
    Miller, who is a materials scientist at AT&T Bell Laboratories in
    Holmdel, N.J. 

    These new results show "strong evidence" that quantum confinement 
    occurring in such superlattices may "allow us to turn silicon into a
    shining example of an optoelectronic material," Miller says in NATURE.
    "This work will surely stimulate more activity in this field and may yet
    give silicon an even brighter future." 

VNS UK SPORTS NEWS:                                           [Tom Povey       ]
===================                                           [Reading, England]

Cricket
-------

In case you haven't heard, England won the final day of the second test in
South Africa to draw the match. 

The team played poorly for the first four days and a crowd of 14,300 turned
up to watch South Africa win on the Monday. However, Mike Atherton, the
England captain, had other ideas. In an innings acclaimed in the English
media as one of the best ever, he batted for 10hrs 45mins, faced 492 balls
and made 185 not out.

His partner in a stand of 119 was Jack Russell who faced 235 balls and
scored from only 14 of them to make 29 not out.  They came together 45 mins
before lunch and withstood the South African attack until 5.23 pm when the
South Afican captain led his team off, admitting "defeat" with 7 minutes of
the scheduled time remaining.

The pitch played a large part in the outcome of the game. England put SA
into bat and then regretted it as they scored 332 with Kirsten making 110.
England then replied with just 200, Robin Smith being the only player to get
over 50 with 52. South Africa then made 346 for 9 declared and left England
to bat from just after noon on Sunday. Stewart made 39 and Smith 44 before
Russell joined Atherton to see out the game.

The series has now seen two draws, the first being due to the weather. The
next test begins in Durban on 14th Dec.

{Source: London Times 5 Dec 1995}


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
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    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 : 3448      Friday  8-Dec-1995   <><><><><><><><>

From 18 December 1995, this is the last issue containing the UK Sports News with, of course, the cricket scores.

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

 Edition : 3454               Monday 18-Dec-1995            Circulation :  4510 

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................  190 Lines
        VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH ..............................   49   "
        VNS UK SPORTS NEWS ................................   10   "

    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 MAIN NEWS:                            [Kevin Bowen-Nellthorp, VNS News Desk]
==============                            [Nijmegen, Netherlands               ]

Major plays Euro-sceptic card

    Writing in The Daily Telegraph today on his return from the Madrid
    summit - where Continental leaders agreed to call the single currency
    the Euro - he says: "Time is short, but it is still not too late for
    Europe to think this through." He flatly rules out Britain's return to
    any form of exchange rate mechanism.

Lottery chief defiant as resignation calls grow

    PETER DAVIS, regulator of the National Lottery, remained defiant last
    night in the face of demands for his resignation.

Portillo plan for Japanese forces

    MICHAEL Portillo is preparing to risk the wrath of war veterans by
    trying to persuade the Japanese to allow their forces to join United
    Nations peacekeeping duties.
	(He denied this on Radio 4 this morning, saying he's going to Japan
	 to talk about security for British interests in the Far East. - KBN)

Hooligans fear after European Championship draw

    THE DRAW for next year's European soccer championship brought together
    the sport's oldest rivals yesterday, but promised a headache for police
    trying to prevent hooliganism from ruining the event.
    (Draw below - KBN)

Vicar says sorry for spoiling mystery of Father Christmas

    A VICAR who told children that Father Christmas and the tooth fairy were
    not real apologised yesterday.

Sinn Fein leaders insist there is 'no hope' of arms surrender before talks

    SINN FEIN leaders will today tell the international disarmament body
    that there is "not the remotest possibility" of IRA weapons being handed
    over before any political settlement in Northern Ireland.

Two die in police chase crash

    A MOTORIST and a policeman in a marked patrol car died yesterday when
    their vehicles collided during a high-speed police chase.

Major faces revolt over European fishing quota cuts

    THE Government faces an embarrassing defeat over European fishing policy
    tomorrow with more than a dozen Tory MPs threatening to rebel in the
    Commons amid fears that fishermen will face huge cuts in the size of
    their catches next year.

British QCs win Death Row hearing

    TWO London-based barristers have been granted the right to appear in the
    Florida Supreme Court on behalf of a British citizen sentenced to death
    for a double murder nine years ago.

NHS 'forced to employ more locums'

    A SHORTAGE of specialist doctors is forcing some hospitals to rely on
    locums for up to 10 per cent of their staff, according to Department of
    Health figures obtained by Labour from Parliamentary questions.

Father 'critical' after attack by gang of youths

    A FATHER was in a critical condition in hospital last night after
    challenging a gang of youths who threw a beer can through the bathroom
    window of his home.

Lottery cuts High Street spending by #2.6bn

    BRITAIN'S National Lottery has permanently altered the spending habits
    of 30 million people, resulting in a #2.6 billion fall in expenditure on
    other gaming, leisure and food in its first year, according to a report
    published today.

Bar Council launches aid scheme

    A SCHEME to encourage senior barristers to provide free legal advice or
    representation to those denied legal aid but unable to afford normal
    legal fees, is being launched by the Bar Council.

Service chiefs reject changes in the ranks

    DEFENCE chiefs have rejected radical proposals to simplify rank
    structures and bring personnel management into line with civilian
    practice.

Husband wins #23,000 for loss of housewife

    A HUSBAND has been awarded #23,000 for "loss of domestic services",
    including three-course breakfasts, after a court heard that his second
    wife did not measure up to her predecessor.

Schism over a lavatory in the vestry

    A DISPUTE over a lavatory for a Norman church has reached the Lord
    Chancellor. A former churchwarden of St Peter and St Paul, Oxton, Notts,
    has asked Lord Mackay to intervene in a five-year battle over plans to
    build a lavatory in the vestry.

McCartney's wife has breast surgery

    LINDA McCartney has had an operation to remove a small lump from her
    breast and is now recovering at home.

St Paul's virger wins her unfair sacking case

    STAFF at St Paul's Cathedral have been criticised for using language
    "affecting the dignity" of working women in an industrial tribunal
    ruling that the only female virger was unfairly dismissed.

Angler lands 1,963 fish

    STEVE Thomas's haul of small silver fish called bleak weighed 54lb 8oz,
    three times that of his nearest rival who concentrated on larger roach.

TV spotlight falls on Royal Opera

    JEREMY Isaacs, the Opera House's director, is understood to be unhappy
    with the way the opera company is portrayed in the six-part BBC2 series,
    which shows its management divided.

If this is a reservoir in winter, what will it be like in June?

    THE drought still threatening water supplies in Yorkshire, the North and
    South West is likely to spread to southern and eastern areas next year
    if the winter remains dry, according to a report prepared for John
    Gummer, the Environment Secretary.

RAC in 'green box' call

    A 'GREEN box' fitted under the bonnets of new cars could cut exhaust
    emissions by up to half by alerting drivers to failures in their
    pollution control equipment, the RAC claims today.

Injection to make you slim is years away, say experts

    INJECTIONS to destroy fat and reduce appetites are years away at best,
    say scientists, and in any case unlikely to end the need for exercise
    and dieting.

TV farm is a 'classic' but cannot be restored

    YORKSHIRE Dales sheep farmer locked in a planning dispute is considering
    High Court action in a last attempt to be allowed to restore his
    family's ancestral home.

Call for warning on stereos

    POWERFUL music equipment can damage listeners' hearing and should carry
    a public health warning, an action group said yesterday.

Source: Electronic Telegraph - Monday December 18, 1995
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/

Here is the forecast for the United Kingdom until dawn tomorrow.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England will be rather
cloudy, although there will be bright intervals. scattered showers
in the north and east will be light at first but will become
heavier. tonight the showers will turn to sleet and snow over
scotland, especiallly on northern hills. 

Wales, central and southern England will be mostly cloudy and
misty with patchy light rain or drizzle. the best of any
cloud breaks will be in the south and west.

outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Cold in the north with heavy snow showers, and widespread frost
overnight. rather cloudy in the south with rain, sleet or snow at
times.  

Source: UK Met Office 'http://www.meto.govt.uk/sec3/sec3.html'
) Crown Copyright 1995


European Championship Draw:
GROUP A : England, Switzerland, Holland, Scotland
GROUP B : Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, France
GROUP C : Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Russia
GROUP D : Denmark, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia

Source: Electronic Telegraph - Monday December 18, 1995
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/

VNS TECHNOLOGY WATCH:                     [W. Stuart Crippen, VNS Correspondent]
=====================                     [Hudson, MA, USA                     ]

		      Wine, beer, liquor benefit the heart
		      ------------------------------------

        From Science News, December 2, 1995, Vol. 148, No. 23, Pg 380
	Author - L. Seachrist

    They call it the French paradox: Despite a diet high in saturated fats, 
    the French suffer far less heart disease than do their U.S.
    counterparts. In studying the phenomenon, researchers noted that the
    French drink more red wine than people in the United States do. 

    Armed with that information, some scientists claimed that flavonoids in 
    the wine serve as antioxidants, which protect the heart.  Several recent
    studies have maintained that red wine is more healthful for the heart
    than other types of alcohol. 

    Now, scientists from Harvard Medical School in Boston report that a cold 
    beer provides the same heart benefits as the fruit of the vine.

    J. Michael Gaziano and his colleagues studied 340 men and women who had 
    suffered heart attacks and compared their drinking habits to those of an
    equal number of healthy people of the same ages.  The team found that
    drinking one-half drink to two drinks - regardless of the type of
    alcohol - per day reduces the risk of heart attack by 45 percent. 
    Moreover, beer, wine, and liquor all raised the concentrations of HDL,
    or "good" cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent. 

    Gaziano maintains that the increase in HDL explains the reduction in 
    heart attack risk.  "Two martinis is no different from two glasses of
    red wine," he says. 

    That's not to say that flavonoids don't benefit the heart.  John D. 
    Folts of the University of Wisconsin - Madison maintains that it takes a
    lot of alcohol - three times the legal limit for driving - to help the
    heart by reducing platelet activity. 

    He and his colleagues studied the effects of a capsule form of 
    flavonoids on blocked arteries in monkeys.  The flavonoids worked as
    well as, if not better than, aspirin at turning down the platelet
    activity and thus unblocking the monkeys' arteries. 

    There is an advantage to flavonoids.  "Adrenaline can completely wipe 
    our aspirin's beneficial effects," says Folts.  "But adrenaline doesn't
    affect the flavonoids." 

    Whether it's the alcohol alone or the flavonoids in the alcoholic 
    beverages, a drink a day may protect the heart.  But before you say,
    "Bottoms up!" Gaziano cautions, remember that drinking more than
    moderate amounts of alcohol damages the heart. 

VNS UK SPORTS NEWS:                                           [Tom Povey       ]
===================                                           [Reading, England]

Cricket
-------

In the third test in Durban, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
After a good start, they lost their first wicket at 54 and then lost 4 more
to go 89 for 5. Rhodes and McMillan then stabilised the situation to take SA
to 139 for 5 when first bad light and then rain stopped play.  Peter Martin
had taken 3 wickets and Richard Illingworth 2.

{Source: BBC Teletext 14 Dec 1995}


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<><><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 3454      Monday 18-Dec-1995   <><><><><><><><>

This is the last issue of the VOGON News Service in 1995. It was sent to 4477 direct readers within Digital and copied to over 60 readers outside of Digital, using the expanding Internet.

The publishing system continued running automatically throughout 1996 and 1997 mainly containing the Main and Computer News sections.

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

 Edition : 3458            Wednesday 27-Dec-1995            Circulation :  4477 

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................   74 Lines
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................  401   "

    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 MAIN NEWS:                            [Kevin Bowen-Nellthorp, VNS News Desk]
==============                            [Nijmegen, Netherlands               ]

Thousands hit by Arctic freeze

    THOUSANDS of people in the north of Scotland endured their third day
    without power yesterday as their worst winter weather for 40 years
    showed no signs of abating. Storm-force winds brought Arctic conditions
    to the whole of Scotland and Shetland council declared a state of
    emergency as snow continued to fall.

'Death on Rock' court costs paid

    THE Government found itself at the centre of another row over European
    courts yesterday after it confirmed that it had paid the legal costs of
    almost #40,000 for the relatives of three IRA members killed by the SAS
    in Gibraltar.

Dial 192 for chummy inquiries

    BT IS LIKELY to introduce a chummy first-name approach to Directory
    Inquiries callers next year following a pilot scheme in Lincolnshire 

French student feared murdered

    DETECTIVES searching for Celine Figard, the French student who went
    missing after accepting a lift from an English lorry driver, fear she
    may have been murdered.

ID cards not to be forced on British

    PLANS for compulsory identity cards are to be abandoned. Michael Howard,
    the Home Secretary, will announce in the spring that a voluntary scheme
    based on a photocard driving licence is the favoured option.

Murdered headmaster voted personality of the year

    PHILIP Lawrence, the headmaster stabbed to death outside his school
    while protecting a pupil from a gang of youths, was named personality of
    the year yesterday by listeners to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Wrong-way driver's 14-mile trip on M4

    A MAN drove for 14 miles in the wrong direction along the outside lane
    of a motorway yesterday with only three tyres on his car.

Tour firms cut prices after bookings slump

    DISCOUNTS of up to 15 per cent are being offered by holiday companies on
    summer packages following a slump in pre-Christmas bookings.

Halifax says house prices on verge of mini-boom

    FORECASTERS are predicting that house prices in Britain are set to
    recover in 1996 and will continue to rise.

MI5 to join fight against illegal immigration rackets

     MI5 is to join the fight to eliminate the traffic in illegal
    immigrants, with major racketeers being targeted in the new year.

Experts solve computer snags

    EXPERTS are manning telephone helplines over the Christmas holidays to
    help children solve problems with their new computer games.

Fish cuts provoke anger in the ports 

    FISHERMEN'S leaders and politicians from all parties reacted angrily
    last night to new cuts agreed in Brussels for quotas throughout British
    waters, bringing renewed demands for Britain's withdrawal from the
    European common fisheries policy.

Source: Electronic Telegraph - Friday December 22, 1995
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/

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

   Tuesday's Market					Fair Market Value
	 Quote		Change  Dow Jones	Change   1-Jun-1995   $45.625
 IBM	   91 3/4	+  1/2				30-Nov-1995   $59.062
 HPkd	   85 5/8	+1				85% of lower  $39.00
 Msft	   90 1/4	-  1/4				 1-Dec-1995   $58.187
 DEC	   63 1/2	-1 1/8	5110.26		+12.29
 DEC PRa   26 3/4	+  1/4

 Digital - SkyConnect to market Mediaplex ad insertion systems
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 22-Dec-95}
   Digital and SkyConnect, Inc. of Boulder, Colo., announced an alliance that
 will provide cable television operators with the industry's first national
 online system that will automatically distribute commercials and insert them
 locally into cable channels.  By eliminating much of the time and expense
 local cable operators now spend preparing, inserting, and verifying local
 spots, Digital's Mediaplex ad insertion systems, combined with SkyConnect's
 software and services, will help cable operators profit from spot advertising
 revenue.  SkyConnect will begin selling and installing Digital's ad insertion
 systems immediately.  SkyConnect, which had been developing its own digital ad 
 insertion system, will now modify its software products and services to
 operate as a front-end to Digital's Mediaplex servers.  The alliance with
 SkyConnect significantly expands Digital's reach in the market for digital
 video advertising systems.  SkyConnect, through its acquisition of Ad Systems
 in April 1995, has an installed base of 950 cable systems using analog ad
 insertion technology.  SkyConnect is a digital video management company
 applying its technologies to develop automated advertising solutions for the
 cable industry.  SkyConnect launched its Across Media Network video publishing
 channel with Tele-Communications, Inc. in October 1995.
   Across Media Network is the nation's first centrally managed, local cable
 advertising and information channel.  SkyConnect also offers Ad Systems analog
 ad insertion products and services and is developing digital advertising and
 other video distribution services.

 Digital - Wins network service award from Data Communications magazine
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 22-Dec-95}
   Digital is the clear favorite vendor for network software service and
 support, according to a survey of readers by Data Communications magazine.  
 Digital won a Users' Choice award topping IBM, Microsoft, Lotus, Novell and 
 Banyan in a poll of U.S. subscribers last September.  Responses from 386
 readers covered such topics as technical competence of phone and on-site
 staff, the speed of problem resolution and overall value for the money.
 Digital's rating was 3.69 with IBM next at 3.51 out of a possible five points.
   The results appeared in the December 1995 issue of Data Communications 
 magazine.

  Digital - Technology Exchange Program offers "PC Integration" session focus
	on Windows 95 & Windows NT
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 21-Dec-95}
                   February 5 through March 1, 1996
 
   The Technology Exchange Program (TEP), Digital's  premier program for
 developing multivendor  knowledge, information, capabilities and skills for
 Services and Engineering, will hold a "PC Integration" session specifically
 focusing on Windows 95 and Windows NT.  This session is scheduled to run from
 Feb. 5 through March 1 in the NIO facility, Salem, N.H.
   This particular session will focus on Windows 95 and Windows NT networking,
 application  support, migration, troubleshooting, and interoperability with
 other Network Operating Systems such as Novell Netware and Digital PATHWORKS.
   The target audience is highly  skilled specialists who are or will be
 expected to advise, consult, develop, integrate applications or troubleshoot
 in this environment.
   TEP is  not a "training course."   Rather, it provides an opportunity for
 field engineers to experiment, research, and learn in our multivendor
 interoperability lab.
                                                   
   Network Services
   Training Management will subsidize tuition for MCS participants.  MCS
 participants' cost centers will also receive some level of reimbursement to
 offset travel expenses.  The exact amount of this financial support has not
 yet been finalized.
 
   The deadline for admission is Jan. 10.  To apply:
         (DECnet)        Set host to FOUNDR, Username: TEP_REGISTER
         (TCP/IP)        telnet foundr.nio.dec.com,  Username: TEP_REGISTER
 
   This will log you into the TEP Information & Registration System where you
 can apply for the participation, as well as find a significant amount of
 general program information.
   For more information, contact Julie Plourde at FOUNDR::TEP or DTN 285-2672,
 or check the TEP home page at URL http://tep.zko.dec.com/homepage.html

 Digital - Delivers storage management software tools
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 21-Dec-95}
   Digital delivers high performing storage management software tools Digital
 unveiled two OpenVMS software tools that help users simplify the
 administration of network computing, protect their mission-critical data and
 manage the data consistently.
   Both the new POLYCENTER Archive/Backup (PAB) for OpenVMS Version 1.1 and the
 POLYCENTER Sequential Media Filesystem (SMF) for OpenVMS Version 1.2 combine
 robust features with measurable performance improvements.  
   "Companies today are faced with a rapid increase of information to be
 managed within both file systems and databases, as well as with increased
 pressure to control or decrease storage management costs," said Tom Shea, 
 senior product manager with Digital's Storage Management Software Group.  
   "Our software tools for a growing number of platforms help solve this
 dilemma.  Digital offers the industry's most complete suite of storage
 management software products for OpenVMS users.  Plus, we help reduce the 
 overall cost of storage ownership and further maximize users' OpenVMS storage
 hardware investments."

 Digital - Storage business launches incentive program for VARs
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 21-Dec-95}
   Storage business launches incentive program for VARs Digital has launched
 "The PERFECT FIT Program," an awards promotion that provides value-added
 storage resellers in Europe and North America with additional incentive to
 sell the StorageWorks product line.
   Perfect Fit offers both an immediate cash award for product sales, as well
 as a point program that results in additional cash rewards ranging from $500
 to $20,000, depending on the level of sales achieved over a nine month period
 (Oct. 1, 1995 through June 28, 1996).
       For more information, VARs can call: 
       North America
       Phone (Toll-Free): 1-800-STORWORK (786-7967)
       Fax: 508-841-5841
       Internet mail: 1800storwork@shr.mts.dec.com
      
       Europe
       Phone: 31-24-352.9985
       Fax: 31-24-352.9965
       Internet mail: storageworks@stowks.enet.dec.com

   The StorageWorks product line is a comprehensive family of disk, tape and
 optical storage subsystems, offering modular, competitively-priced,
 industry-standard solutions in customizable desktop, deskside, departmental
 and datacenter enclosures.  
   StorageWorks products are available on multiple operating systems and
 hardware platforms, including Digital, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Sun
 workstations and servers, and Novell and Windows NT environments.

 Digital - Digital's Learning Services business moves to WCAS
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 21-Dec-95}
   Digital and privately held equity capitalists Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe
 (WCAS) today announced that they have signed an agreement to move Digital's
 Learning Services business to WCAS.
   Digital's Learning Services currently provide information technology
 training to Digital's customers worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement,
 WCAS has established a new training-focused company called Global Knowledge
 Network (GKN) that will assume the assets and retain all of the current
 Learning Services employees. In addition, the companies have entered into a
 strategic alliance in which Digital will continue to develop courseware on its
 products and GKN will be the preferred provider for Digital proprietary
 training to customers and Digital employees.  Further details of the agreement
 are confidential by mutual consent of the two companies.
   John J. Rando, vice president and general manager of Digital's Multivendor
 Customer Services Division, commented, "This agreement supports Digital's
 global strategy.  By partnering in this area, we can better focus our
 resources in areas that represent core competencies for the company while 
 still having training available for our customers from a trusted and
 experienced provider.
   "We are very pleased to add Global Knowledge Network to the 25 companies
 that already make up our information technology portfolio," said Thomas E.
 McInerney, general partner of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. "We see great
 opportunity in Global Knowledge Network as a free-standing company with an 
 experienced, technically expert, performance-driven workforce and are
 enthusiastic about the strategic partnership with Digital."  
   Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe was formed in 1979 and is headquartered in
 New York City. It is one of the largest firms in the United States providing
 private equity capital.  The firm specializes in acquiring and building
 established businesses within the health care and information services
 industries. WCAS manages limited partnerships with resources of approximately
 $3.5 billion and has portfolio companies with combined revenues of
 approximately $9 billion.
   Digital Equipment Corporation is the world's leader in open client/server
 solutions from personal computing to integrated worldwide information systems.
 Digital's scalable Alpha platforms, storage, networking, software and
 services, together with industry-focused solutions from business partners,
 help organizations compete and win in today's global marketplace.

 Digital, Cirrus Logic - Sign agreement to enter into semiconductor
	manufacturing relationship
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 19-Dec-95}
   Digital and Cirrus Logic, Inc. of Fremont, Calif. today announced that they
 have completed a memorandum of understanding to enter into a semiconductor
 manufacturing relationship to produce wafer products at Digital's
 state-of-the-art Fab 6 facility in Hudson, Mass. 
   Under the arrangement, Cirrus Logic will provide approximately $355 million
 of leased equipment financing and fixed payments to maximize the capacity of
 Fab 6.  Cirrus Logic will have a take-or-pay contract to purchase wafers
 manufactured by Digital, primarily using Digital's leading edge, 8-inch CMOS
 technologies.  The contract will have an initial six-year term and will have
 provisions for renewal.  The transaction is subject to execution of definitive
 agreements and final approval by the Boards of Directors of both companies.
   Digital's Chairman Robert B. Palmer commented, "We have evaluated a number
 of opportunities to optimize our investment in our world-class facility in
 Hudson and we are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Cirrus Logic.
 This arrangement will preserve Digital's capacity requirements and provide
 additional guaranteed capacity for Cirrus Logic.  The result will be reduced
 manufacturing costs for both companies."
   Michael L. Hackworth, president and chief executive officer of Cirrus Logic,
 noted that the manufacturing agreement with Digital will support his firm's
 phased expansion program to build a world-class manufacturing infrastructure.
 "Over the next five years, we intend to build a manufacturing capability to
 serve the opportunity created by our product and technology investments." 
   Cirrus Logic is a leading manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for
 the desktop and portable computing, telecommunications and consumer
 electronics markets.  The company applies its system-level expertise in analog
 and digital design to innovate highly integrated, software-rich solutions.
 Cirrus Logic has developed a broad portfolio of products and technologies for
 applications spanning multimedia, communications, mass storage and data
 acquisition.

 Digital - Selects Shandwick as lead, worldwide PR agency
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 15-Dec-95}  
   In a move designed to unify and integrate its communications on a worldwide
 basis, Digital today announced it has hired Shandwick International as its
 strategic, global public relations firm.  The account will be led by
 Shandwick's largest agency, Golin/Harris Communications.
   The consolidation of full service public relations activities with
 Shandwick, the world's second-largest public relations firm, will streamline
 and improve Digital's communications in the 100 countries in which it now does
 business. Over time, Shandwick is expected to represent the company and its
 ten business units in all geographic regions.  The move follows a similar step
 taken a year ago when Digital hired DDB Needham Worldwide as its lead
 worldwide advertising agency.  
   "We are pleased that Shandwick has been named Digital's lead public
 relations agency on a worldwide basis.  The agency was selected after the most
 rigorous public relations agency selection process in Digital's history," said
 Charlie Holleran, vice president, Communications. 
   "Our task now is to create the powerful and clear positioning that our
 resurgence as a global leader in information systems solutions demands.  We
 are moving fast to accomplish that goal," he said. 
   "This move is the result of our top-to-bottom re-engineering of Digital,"
 commented Art Fiacco, vice president, Information Programs.  "We believe that
 Shandwick is well positioned to provide the depth of expertise and breadth of
 geographic reach to help us create a clear, unified brand image worldwide.
 Also, the Shandwick people mirror our 'whatever it takes' attitude."
   "With this action, Digital is making a bold statement endorsing its unified
 worldwide brand, and is at the forefront, leading a trend toward global public
 relations," said Dermot McNulty, group chief executive, Shandwick
 International.  "At Shandwick, we are redefining the role of public relations
 in a worldwide marketplace; therefore, we see synergy in our two
 organizations' missions.  We are thrilled and excited about being chosen as
 Digital's partner in this global communications effort."
   Gary W. Thompson, head of Golin/Harris' technology practice, will serve as
 worldwide account director.
   Shandwick plc is the world's largest independent public relations agency
 servicing its clients through 90 principal public relations offices located in
 North America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and Asia Pacific.
 Founded in 1956, Golin/Harris is one of the fastest growing firms in North
 America with offices in nine cities.  

 Digital - Develops Internet's first 'Super Spider'
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 15-Dec-95}
   Digital today introduced the Internet's first "super spider" software, as
 part of the most advanced information search and indexing technology available
 for the World Wide Web.  Blazing fast, it conducts the most comprehensive
 search of the entire Web text orders of magnitude faster than spiders used in
 conventional information search services.
   Under development at Digital's Corporate Research Group in Palo Alto,
 Calif., the technology promises to surpass the limitations of current
 information services by delivering the most complete, precise, and up-to-date
 information of the Web's entire text.  The technology's super spider and super
 indexer employ next-generation software and advanced networking, powered by
 the highest-performing 64-bit Alpha computers.
   The advanced technology is set to undergo its toughest testing starting
 today (Friday, December 15), as Digital makes a "beta" version available to
 tens of millions of Web users worldwide.  
   Users can test the super spider's Web index and provide feedback through
 Digital's Internet address at:   http://www.altavista.digital.com
      
   Thousands of Digital employees worldwide are testing the new technology
 behind the corporation's Internet firewall.

                                Cyber Search
   
   "Finding a 'cyber needle' in an ever-growing 'cyber haystack' has long been
 a dream of Web users," said Samuel H. Fuller, vice president, Corporate
 Research.  "This technology is a major step in that direction.  It features
 the most complete and precise Web index.  In fact, it's the only one with the
 potential to keep up with the phenomenal growth of the Web," he added.
   Fuller said the super spider has been crawling the Web at up to 2.5 million
 pages per day, and already has found and indexed more information than any
 other spider or crawling service.  It is enroute to finding every page and
 indexing every word of text on the Web.  "We believe users will find Web pages
 they have never seen through any other indexing technology," he added.
   Digital said the technology has implications for market research because of
 its precise search capabilities.  For example, users for the first time can
 pinpoint the exact number of "hot-links" or references to their home page from
 other Web sites.
   
                                What It Does
   
   The super spider creates and dispatches a "brood of spiders" that crawls the
 entire Web.  Second-generation scalable software simultaneously locates and
 indexes text as it finds Web pages.  
   A powerful search engine enables Web users to conduct precise searches for
 specific information by looking for phrases, specifying key words, using
 case-sensitive matches, and restricting searches to titles or other parts of a
 document.  Network connectivity is provided through Digital's fiber optic and
 high-speed network switching technologies.  Ultra-high-speed search and
 indexing is enabled by Digital's Alpha computers, the industry's
 highest-performing 64-bit servers.  This powerful combination of software, 
 networking, and hardware overcomes the limitations of conventional
 spider/indexing technologies.  Patents are pending.
   Fuller said current Internet search and indexing technology is much slower
 due to the constraints of 32-bit technology.  "Users do not receive all of the
 information available on the entire Web, and frequently miss entire documents.
 Digital's second-generation technology indexes every word of every document,"
 he added.
   "Businesses will find this powerful indexing and search capability will
 assist them in instantaneously locating information on markets, customers, and
 competitors," said Rose Ann Giordano, vice president, Internet Business Group.
 "This new capability complements Digital's portfolio of industrial-strength
 Internet servers, security, and service offerings."

 Digital - AlphaServer 1000, Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Power World's Best
	Single-Processor TPC-C Price/Performance Result
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 15-Dec-95}
   Today Digital and Microsoft Corporation announced the world's best TPC-C
 benchmark price/performance results for a single-processor system. 
   Breakthrough results of 1153.7 transactions per minute (tpmC) at $229/tpmC,
 based on the TPC-C benchmark Revision 3.0, were achieved on the uniprocessor
 AlphaServer 1000 4/266 system running Microsoft Windows NT Server operating
 system V3.51 and Microsoft SQL Server V6.5 client/server database management
 system in a heterogeneous client/server environment. 
   With a total system cost of $264,653, the AlphaServer 1000 4/266 system
 delivers 57% better throughput performance and $149/tpmC less than the IBM
 RS/6000 E20. It even delivers superior performance and price/performance to
 the dual-processor Sun SPARCserver 20. 
   TPC-C Comparisons with Competitive Systems
          System                             tpmC   $/tpmC     Total 
                                                               Cost
       ----------------------              ------    ------------
       Digital AlphaServer 1000 4/266     1153.70   $229    $264,563
       IBM RS 6000 Model E20              735.27    $378    $278,029
       HP 9000 Series 800 Model E55       728.73    $424    $308,982
       Sun SPARCServer 20 (2 CPU)         1063.90   $440    $467,863

   Earlier this month, Digital and Microsoft announced results of 3194 tpmC at
 $196/tpmC on an AlphaServer 2100 5/300 with three CPUs running Microsoft SQL
 Server 6.5. 
   "Today's results for Microsoft SQL Server reconfirm the commitment of
 Microsoft and Digital to provide superior value for transaction processing and
 database applications," said Rich Tong, general manager, Business Systems
 Division, Microsoft. "The combination of Microsoft BackOffice and the Digital
 Alpha platform is a powerful tool for corporate MIS." 
   According to Michael Goulde, of Patricia Seybold Group in Boston, "Digital
 is one of the few major computer makers that have actively supported NT, and
 as a result will be in a unique position to capitalize on NT's success."
   "Once again, Digital and Microsoft have raised the bar considerably in
 database performance and affordability," said Pauline Nist, vice president,
 Alpha Server Business Segment. "Our customers continue to benefit from our
 combination of superior performance, price/performance, and value."
           
           Alpha Tops in Watermark Application Performance
           
   Digital also announced performance results for the AlphaServer 1000 4/266
 system running the Watermark Enterprise Image Server 2.1 application under
 Microsoft SQL Server 6.0. The uniprocessor AlphaServer/Microsoft SQL Server
 ensemble far outperformed an Intel 90 MHz dual processor server in both
 performance and cost per transaction. 
   The performance of the Alpha system is nearly twice that of the Intel server
 (28,644 files accessed per hour, compared with 15,024 files on the Intel
 server). And since the Alpha server costs about the same as the Intel system,
 the Digital system provides twice the performance for the same price.
   Similarly, a dual-processor AlphaServer 2100 5/250 SMP system accessed
 nearly three times as many files as the Intel system.
   "Watermark Enterprise Image Server running on the Digital AlphaServer system
 delivers outstanding throughput and performance," said David Skok, President
 and CEO of Watermark. "The price/performance characteristics of the Digital
 AlphaServer make it an ideal platform for customers deploying mission-critical
 document imaging and workflow applications." 
   Watermark Enterprise Image Server software, from Watermark Software, Inc.,
 of Burlington, Mass., provides specialized network storage for document images
 and other document types, using magnetic and/or optical media.  Watermark
 Enterprise Image Server enables users to integrate document images into
 existing applications and workflow processes, streamlining communications and
 improving access to information. 
           
           Heterogeneous Computing Environment  

   The AlphaServer 1000 4/266 TPC-C benchmark was conducted using a single 266
 MHz Alpha microprocessor and 1 GB of memory.  These results were achieved in a
 heterogeneous computing environment, using Visigenics ODBC client software for
 SCO UNIX running on Digital's Intel-based Prioris PC systems. 
   "No longer must customers limit themselves to a single operating system to
 get interoperability, performance, and affordability," said Nist.  "With these
 results, Digital has proved that one of the best ways to solve business
 problems can include a heterogeneous environment.  Digital demonstrates that a
 customer can leverage the strengths of both Windows NT and UNIX to provide a
 cost-effective high-performance solution."
   The TPC-C benchmark is the industry-standard test for measuring database
 transaction processing performance and price/performance.  The $/tpmC result
 reflects the cost of acquisition and ownership of the system over a five-year
 period, including hardware and software maintenance, software upgrades, and
 extended warranties.
           
           The Digital-Microsoft Alliance for Enterprise Computing
           
   Digital's AlphaServer systems provide a highly scalable enterprise platform
 for the Microsoft BackOffice family of integrated server applications, which
 includes Microsoft Windows NT operating system, Microsoft SQL Server,
 Microsoft Systems Management Server, Microsoft SNA Server, and Microsoft Mail
 Server. In June, Digital announced an OEM agreement with Microsoft to bundle
 Microsoft BackOffice with Digital AlphaServers and Intel-based Prioris
 servers.
   In  August, Digital and Microsoft announced their strategic Alliance for
 Enterprise Computing, which helps customers implement and support
 Windows-based computing across the enterprise.  The performance numbers
 announced today demonstrate the results of the joint efforts of Digital and
 Microsoft to deliver Windows NT-based solutions to the enterprise.


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    For information on subscribing to VNS, backissues, contacting VNS staff
    members, etc, access our Web service at http://expat.zko.dec.com/vns/ or
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    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 : 3458   Wednesday 27-Dec-1995   <><><><><><><><>

This edition announces the movement of VNS distribution from direct email to Readers Choice. The announcement indicates from VNS is now published as a Web edition as well as continuing on DEC VTX.

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

 Edition : 3734              Tuesday  4-Feb-1997            Circulation :  3761 

        VNS ANNOUNCEMENT ..................................   23 Lines
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................  215   "

    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           ]

ere is an important message for readers who receive VNS by email. Note
that this only affects readers who receive their VNS via mail each day.
The VTX and Web editions of VNS are unaffected.

Starting Monday 17th February, the VNS mail distribution list will be
maintained by Reader's Choice. This means your VNS will be delivered to
whatever mail address you have defined in your Web Reader's Choice 
Profile.

If you already have a Reader's Choice Profile, you should check that VNS
is selected. If you don't already have a Reader's Choice Profile, you
need to obtain one by accessing Reader's Choice (see below).

You have until February 17th to make sure that you are registered with
Reader's Choice and that VNS is selected, otherwise you will stop
receiving VNS.

Reader's Choice can be accessed on the internal web at
http://webrc.das.dec.com and via VTX using the keyword PROFILE. Using the
web you will find VNS in the "Employee Interests" section. Using VTX you
select "Topics of Interest" from the Main Menu. You will then find VNS in
the "Newsletters, Publications/Tools" section and
"WORLDWIDE - ELECTRONIC"  sub-section.

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

Monday's Market					Fair Market Value
	 Quote		Change  Dow Jones	Change   3-Jun-1996   $51.235
 IBM	 154 7/8	-2				29-Nov-1996   $36.812
 HPkd	  52 1/8	-  1/2				 85% of lower $31.50
 Msft	 102 3/8	+  3/8				 2-Dec-1996   $39.344
 DEC	  36 3/4	-1	6806.16		- 6.93
 DEC PRa  25		unch.

 Kodak - To pay Wang $260 million in cash for software unit; 700 keep jobs
	{The Boston Globe, 30-Jan-97, p. C2}
   The unprofitable software business will operate as a separate unit under
 Kodak's Business Imaging Systems division.  Robert Weiler, president of Wang's
 software operations, will become president of the new entity.  The companies
 first said they were talking about the transaction in October.  Kodak said it
 plans to retain the 700 employees now working at Wang's software unit.  The
 business will continue to operate out of its current headquarters in
 Billerica, Mass.  The purchase gives Kodak access to Wang's workflow
 management software, which lets companies update and track huge amounts of
 paperwork.  It also helps make up for the decline in Kodak's traditional
 microfilm business and boost its relatively new commercial digital imaging
 business.  Software is replacing Microfilm as a way to quickly retrieve
 archived documents.  For Wang, the sale will free the company to focus on its
 main business of integrating network and desktop computers and give it extra
 cash to buy a company in its main computer services business, analysts say.

 America Online - Users getting a nudge to avoid idle time
	{The Boston Globe, 31-Jan-97, p. D2}
   AOL has begun flashing a message on the screen of customers who've been on
 line for 45 minutes.  The message asks whether they plan to keep using the
 system.  Users who reply by clicking a "yes" button can continue.  But those
 who don't respond will be logged off 10 minutes later.  AOL has long had an
 automatic feature that disconnects active users after 15 minutes of idle time.
 But now it will ask even the most active users to consider hanging up.

 MCI - Develops phone line to carry voice and data
	{The Boston Globe, 30-Jan-97, p. C7}
   MCI Communications unveiled technology it says will let customers use their
 PCs to simultaneously surf the Internet and make a telephone call over a
 single phone line.  MCI said it will introduce several products using the new
 technology in an effort to generate $2 billion in sales from the Internet by
 2000.  MCI said it didn't have to install equipment to combine the voice and
 data traffic.  Instead it changed the way it transmits calls over phone lines.

 Microtouch - Loses case against Japanese firm
	{The Boston Globe, 30-Jan-97, p. C7}
   Microtouch Systems said an international arbitration panel in Paris ruled
 that the maker of computer touch screens will have to reimburse its Japanese
 distributor despite proving the distributor breached its agreement with the
 company.  Although the panel has not determined the costs Microtouch must pay
 Nissha Printing Co., the reimbursement could exceed the $2 million Microtouch
 has spent on the case.  The panel ruled that while Nissha breached its
 distribution agreement with Microtouch by selling competing screens, a statute
 of limitations clause prevented Microtouch from collecting damages.  Late last
 month, Microtouch restated and lowered its 1995 and 1996 earnings because of
 higher than expected costs from the protracted legal battle.

 Systemsoft - Lashes out at Forbes article
	{The Boston Globe, 30-Jan-97, p. C5}
   Systemsoft officials issued a statement yesterday saying the article, which
 appears in Forbes' Feb. 10 issue "incorrectly and unfairly criticizes the
 company's accounting practices."  Systemsoft is the leading maker of software
 that controls the PC cards used as modems and network interfaces in laptop
 computers. ... As for the Intel royalty question, a tax expert who criticized
 Systemsoft's policy in the Forbes article has changed his mind.  Robert
 Willens, a tax and accounting analyst for investment firm Lehman Brothers, now
 says, "I didn't get quite as much information as I needed to adopt a view on
 their accounting."  Willens said he had not studied Systemsoft's records in
 detail, but simply responded to information he was given over the telephone by
 a Forbes reporter.  "I have to admit I kind of reacted based on our phone
 conversation."

 Apple - Plans to unveil major reorganization on Monday
	{The Boston Globe, 1-Feb-97, p. F3}
   The reorganization will include a spot on the decision-making executive
 council for Apple's co-founder Steven Jobs, who returned in December as part
 of a deal to buy Jobs' Next Software Inc.  As part of Amelio's restructuring,
 sources say, Apple's half-dozen business units will be streamlined into three
 divisions focusing on key market segments: desktop publishing, Internet
 content creation, and education.  Amelio will create an umbrella marketing and
 research and development organization to serve the divisions.

	{The Boston Globe, 3-Feb-97, p. B7}
   The restructuring may include job cuts of up 25% of Apple's 13,000 work
 force, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. ... To meet its goal, Apple
 has to cut another $400 million in costs this year to break even, Apple
 executives have said.  Last year, Apple laid off 1,500 employees.  But as
 customers avoid buying computers from the troubled company, revenue has
 declined faster than Apple executives expected.

 Nets Inc. - Jim Manzi's Internet firm to cut 54 jobs in Pennsylvania
	{The Boston Globe, 1-Feb-97, p. F1}
   Some of those dismissed were in telemarketing, sales and marketing.  The
 company is hiring engineering and marketing people in Cambridge, a Nets
 spokesman said.  The company is also consolidating its marketing, sales and
 editorial functions in Cambridge.  The Pittsburgh office is a production and
 operations center with some engineering functions.

 Fiscal News - Wang
 Wang - 4th quarter earnings drop on sales increase
	{The Boston Globe, 30-Jan-97, p. C5}
   Wang said its earnings dropped 35% to $4.5 million in the last quarter of
 1996 compared to $6.9 million a year ago.  Quarterly sales rose 24.3% to
 $363.7 million from $292.5 million.  Foe the year, Wang lost $8.7 million
 versus a year-ago loss of $81.4 million.

 Digital - New Prioris Servers offer big-business performance at small-business
	prices
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 3-Feb-97}
   DIGITAL rounded out its award-winning Prioris Pentium Pro processor server
 line today with the introduction of two new entry-priced server series.
   Priced significantly below similar competitive products, the new DIGITAL
 Prioris XL 6000 series entry-level and DIGITAL Prioris MX 6200 departmental
 servers are ideal for Microsoft Windows NT Server deployment of
 Inter/intranet, mail and messaging, and business applications as well as for
 file/print and shared-resource services.  Both servers are available this
 month.
   The company also introduced a 19-inch rackmount enclosure, which is designed
 to support the complete DIGITAL Prioris line; Revision Manager, an optional
 CD-ROM subscription service that provides channel partners and LAN
 administrators with a complete revision history of system software and driver
 updates; and support for Tivoli's TME 10 NetView.

   Easily managed with ServerWORKS

   Included with the new Prioris XL 6200 and Prioris MX 6200 systems -- at no
 extra cost -- is DIGITAL ServerWORKS Manager, an easy-to-use software package
 that extends the capabilities of traditional server management to provide
 critical network management functionality.  Also included with the systems is
 ServerWORKS Quick Launch, an installation and configuration utility designed
 to save customers hours of installation by auto-replicating customized server
 configurations in distributed computing environments.
   The company also announced new advances in enterprise management integration
 resulting from Tivoli Systems' agreement to assume development of the
 POLYCENTER NetView enterprise management product.  DIGITAL's ServerWORKS
 Manager product now features tight integration with TME 10 NetView allowing
 customers to retrieve detailed data on their DIGITAL Prioris and DIGITAL Alpha
 servers from within the TME management environment.  Customers can "snap in"
 ServerWORKS Manager software into their TME 10 NetView management console,
 allowing them to perform queries and set alarms directly from the console.
   The Prioris MX 6200 series includes DIGITAL's Intelligent Server Management
 for proactive monitoring of critical subsystems, such as CPUs, RAID, fans,
 power supplies and memory based on the company's innovative design and use of
 inter-integrated circuit technology to provide system administrators with
 up-to-the minute status and alerting.  The Prioris MX also includes optional
 support for Remote Server Manager, the company's out-of-band system management
 for remote sites or "lights-out" environments.

   Performance Pro

   Priced at Pentium processor-based levels, the new systems come with a number
 of high-end features for value and investment protection.  Both lines
 incorporate 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors with 256KB on-chip cache with
 double the performance of equivalent Pentium processor-based systems in
 Windows NT application environments.  Other standard features include an
 integrated Ultra/Wide SCSI controller, PCI Fast 10/100 Ethernet controller,
 and 12X SCSI CD-ROM drive.  Available in single and dual processor
 configurations, the Prioris MX 6200 supports up to 1 GB of ECC memory,
 integrated 32-bit graphics and hot-pluggable drives.
   U.S. estimated street prices for the new services start in the mid-$2,000
 range for a typical configuration of the DIGITAL Prioris XL 6000 series, based
 on configuration.  For a typical configuration of the DIGITAL Prioris MX 6200
 servers, U.S. estimated street prices begin in the mid-$3,000 range, depending
 on the configuration.  The DIGITAL Prioris Rackmount estimated street price
 starts at US$2,000.  DIGITAL ServerWORKS Quick Launch Revision Manager is
 available at a nominal charge for shipping, handling and media.

 DIGITAL - To operate Asia Pacific's most advanced computer helpdesk from
	Singapore
	{Livewire, Worldwide News, 31-Jan-97}
   Digital Equipment Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has formally opened its multimillion
 dollar customer helpdesk in Singapore.  The multi-lingual center will be the
 most advanced available in Asia and will offer real-time support and advice to
 DIGITAL customers.
   DIGITAL anticipates committing over S$5 million to the facility by the end
 of 1997, serving more than 10,000 regional users.
   In Singapore for the official opening of the facility, Tim Leisman, vice
 president, Operations Management Services said, "Businesses in Asia Pacific
 are leapfrogging in their use of information technology and bypassing entire
 generations in computing development. The result of these advances is an
 increasing shortage in support resources as computing requirements become more
 complex.
   "DIGITAL can meet these needs exactly," he went on.  "A single point of
 contact will help customers whether they are calling from North Korea or New
 Zealand in South Asia, providing real-time support with rapid solutions.  Each
 DIGITAL analyst has a computer running the software applications that
 particular helpdesk is set up to handle.  An analyst can access the respective
 applications and customer's corporate network in order to understand a problem
 described by a caller," he said.
   "Besides offering helpdesk services, DIGITAL helps to monitor customers'
 networks and take corrective action when necessary, such as re-routing servers
 in an emergency. The Singapore helpdesk is a single point of contact for
 first-line support. However, if a Hong Kong caller needs an engineer to do
 maintenance work, local resources are used.  DIGITAL's analyst in Singapore
 will inform the engineers in Hong Kong and track the call through completion,"
 Leisman explained.
   Bobby Choonavala, corporate vice president and president of Digital
 Equipment Asia Pacific said, "The helpdesk will offer three primary benefits
 to users. First, it will help clients boost profitability. The helpdesk
 represents an operating expense rather than the much heavier capital expense
 of companies creating individual system support infrastructures.
   "Second, the team that responds to client calls is multi-lingual with both
 hardware and software expertise. Clients will feel they have their own
 computer experts on hand, wherever you are in Asia-Pacific, in whatever
 language they choose.
   "Finally, DIGITAL offers the best-in-class technology infrastructure to
 customers. Presently, no facility in Asia comes close in terms of the
 technology or support that the DIGITAL helpdesk is able to offer to clients,"
 he concluded.
   DIGITAL's helpdesk service offers customized solutions to meet specific
 requirements. The service is unique in that help is also extended to customers
 of the subscriber companies. Users who face difficulties while working with
 computers can call DIGITAL and obtain specialist advice from employees
 regarding their particular software applications or hardware equipment.
 Helpdesks in Asia, Europe and the U.S. are interlinked so that DIGITAL can
 provide 24-hour support to customers, 365 days per year.


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    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 : 3734     Tuesday  4-Feb-1997   <><><><><><><><>

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
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    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   <><><><><><><><>

This is the last known issue of the VOGON News Service. It is not known whether no further submissions were sent in or the server running the publishing system was taken down.

Ex-employees may want to look at the final entry in the Computer News.

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

 Edition : 3950             Thursday 18-Dec-1997            Circulation :  5562 

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................  245 Lines
        VNS COMPUTER NEWS .................................   98   "

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

    Winnie Mandela refuses to stand for key ANC post

    WINNIE Mandela bowed out of the race for high office in the African
    National Congress yesterday, bringing a temporary check to her
    turbulent career.

    Clinton pressed to hold Brown murder inquiry

    A NUMBER of black leaders are urging President Clinton to investigate
    evidence that his Commerce Secretary, Ron Brown, found dead after a
    plane crash last year, may have been murdered.

    Swill ban after warning over pig disease 'like BSE'

    THE Government is to ban swill with pigmeat after a warning from
    scientists that there is a remote risk of a fatal brain disease similar
    to BSE breaking out in the national pig herd.

    Cartoon puts 120 children in hospital

    ABOUT 120 children were treated in hospital yesterday for conditions
    similar to those of epilepsy after a television cartoon triggered
    convulsions and other ill effects.

    Microsoft fears grow

    MICROSOFT, the software company being sued for its business practices
    by the US Department of Justice, could be under attack on another flank
    after a strategy meeting last week of US attorneys general.

    Tories to disclose foreign funding

    THE Tories agreed last night to disclose how much foreign money they
    received in the run-up to the last general election.

    Church seeks freedom from human rights Bill

    THE Church of England is on a collision course with the Government over
    its human rights legislation which clergymen fear could make them to
    act against their religious beliefs.

    Brown denies hoarding cash for 'giveaway Budget'

    GORDON Brown has denied secretly building up a "pot of gold" in
    preparation for a pre-election giveaway Budget but indicated yesterday
    that the Government might soon have more money than it is currently
    predicting.

    Boys force council to repair their classrooms

    TWO pupils at a "squalid" comprehensive school claimed victory
    yesterday after a year-long battle to force a local council to carry
    out urgent repairs.

    'Underclass' fear over genetic tests for insurance

    PEOPLE should not be asked to provide results of genetic testing in
    order to obtain insurance, a report said yesterday.

    Blair offers olive branch to MPs in benefit rebellion

    TONY Blair offered an olive branch to the Government's backbench
    critics of benefit cuts yesterday but warned Labour MPs that they would
    face an even tougher crisis of conscience over welfare reform in
    future.

    MP denies poll fraud charge

    MOHAMMED Sarwar, Britain's first Muslim MP, yesterday rejected calls
    for his resignation after appearing in court on charges of election
    fraud.

    A third of smear test centres are below par

    MORE than one in three laboratories where cervical smear tests are
    examined fail to meet national standards, a Department of Health report
    disclosed yesterday.

    Man who killed teenager was out on bail

    TWO police forces are under investigation after a teenager was stabbed
    to death by a drifter who was given bail despite doubts over where he
    lived.

    Fishing curbs relaxed after 'hard bargaining'

    FISHERMEN will not have to stay in port under compulsory days-at-sea
    restrictions aimed at meeting EU fish conservation targets, the
    Government announced yesterday.

    Doctors on alert over 'bird flu'

    SIR Kenneth Calman, the Government's Chief Medical Officer, is to write
    to all doctors alerting them to the possible risks of a global flu
    epidemic following the emergence of a new strain of flu in Hong Kong

    PCs slashed trying to arrest driver

    TWO policemen who stopped a man for erratic driving were slashed across
    the throat as the driver went berserk and tried to escape, a court was
    told.

    MPs set to get close inspection of Queen's accounts

    PARLIAMENT is expected to be given direct access to the accounts of the
    Royal Household for the first time in a move signalled by the
    Government yesterday.

    Solicitor's ill-health stops him facing trial

    A SOLICITOR accused of stealing 100,000 from clients' funds will not
    face trial because the effect on his health could be "catastrophic", a
    judge has decided.

    Snow chaos as Britain shivers in the grip of Siberian chill

    SNOW driven by Siberian winds disrupted travel, closed hundreds of
    schools and cut off remote villages across southern and central Britain
    yesterday.

    Student applications down by six per cent

    THE number of potential students seeking a university place next year
    has fallen by almost 21,000 compared with last year's record total, the
    Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) said yesterday.

    Mother accepts 1m over Chinese meal

    A WOMAN who claimed that a salmonella-infected Chinese meal caused the
    deaths of two of her triplets shortly after their birth accepted a 1
    million out-of-court settlement yesterday.

    Man is fined 600 for damaging newt pond

    A MAN was fined 600 yesterday after being convicted of damaging the
    habitat of great crested newts.

    Cuts 'leave motorists in the dark'

    DRIVERS face the prospect of blacked-out streets and unrepaired pot
    holes because of a 130 million reduction in Government support for
    local council transport projects, motoring organisations said last
    night.

    Researchers discover short cut in TB fight

    THE fight against tuberculosis took a major step forward yesterday with
    an announcement that scientists have pieced together the order of the
    four million components that make up its genome.

    Hague dives for cover from Carlton strippers

    CONSERVATIVE MPs, peers and party officials turned out in force last
    night for a champagne reception to mark the wedding tomorrow of their
    leader, William Hague, to Ffion Jenkins.

    No winners for lottery jackpot

    THERE were no jackpot winners in last night's National Lottery draw.

    Israeli agent who risked war on trial

    A FORMER Israeli spy whose allegedly false reports nearly triggered a
    war with Syria denied charges of fraud, embezzlement and intending to
    harm state security at the start of his secret trial yesterday.

    Blair disciple favourite to save S Korea from ruin 

    A VETERAN South Korean politician who for years led a radical
    pro-democracy movement has emerged as the narrow favourite in today's
    presidential election as the country teeters on the brink of financial
    collapse.

    Snubbed Turks set to withdraw EU application

    TURKEY will withdraw its application to join the European Union unless
    it is included in the list of candidate states by June, its Prime
    Minister, Mesut Yilmaz, said yesterday.

    Tutu's son involved in atom deal with China

    TREVOR Tutu, wayward son of Bishop Desmond Tutu, who retired as
    archbishop of Cape Town last year, emerged yesterday as a key figure in
    a mysterious nuclear deal between South Africa and China.

    Algeria 'keeping civil war alive'

    THE Algerian regime was accused yesterday of sustaining the conflict
    with Islamic fundamentalists to hold on to power by Salima Ghezali, the
    country's most prominent human rights campaigner.

    Flu adds to Hong Kong economic woes

    WITH the stock market and tourism in the doldrums and people suffering
    from the deadly bird flu, Hong Kong is nearing the end of the year on a
    gloomy note.

    British 'squatter' held in Caribbean shooting

    A BRITISH man who set up home on a Caribbean island over 30 years ago
    to protect its endangered wildlife, including the West Indian whistling
    duck, was under arrest last night after the Antiguan prime minister's
    brother was shot in a dispute over land rights.

    Jackal keeps his best weapon - his mouth - until last

    THE trial of Carlos the Jackal lurched this week into high melodrama,
    taking in the genres of farce, whodunnit and menacing thriller en
    route.

    Gang makes millions from stolen air tickets

    A RASH of thefts of blank airline tickets is being investigated by the
    FBI as travel agencies and airlines report losses running into millions
    of dollars.

    KGB heirs set to spy for foreign business

    AFTER years of snooping on westerners and trying to stamp out private
    enterprise, Russia's security police - heirs to the old KGB - are
    touting their services to foreign businessmen.

    Official, the moon is 15,654,023,458 inches away

    THE distance from Earth to the Moon has been measured to the nearest
    inch - a feat described by astronomers as "extraordinary".

    Reindeer off menu after lichen crisis

    SWEDES and Norwegians face the prospect of Christmas without their
    traditional reindeer roast because of European Union red tape.

    Gripping time for the First Couple

    PRESIDENT and Mrs Clinton will shake 7,500 hands this Christmas in a
    marathon of White House conviviality.

    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 JAMIE.ANDERSON@DEC.COM or IJSAPL::ANDERSON

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

Wednesday's Market                                        Fair Market Value
         Quote          Change     Dow Jones    Change   2-Jun-1997   $35.312
 IBM	 102		-1 3/4				 1-Dec-1997   $48.968
 HPkd	  63 3/16	unch.				 85% of lower $30.250
 Msft	 135 5/8	-3 7/16				 2-Dec-1997   $
 DEC	  38 1/8	+  3/8	   7957.41	-18.90
 DEC PRa  26		-  1/8

 Notes:
 Note the 1st: I'm on vacation the Christmas and New Year weeks, and VNS
		Computer News may not consist of too much more than the stock
		prices on some of those days.
 Note the 2nd: My subscription to the Wall Street Journal runs out in
		February. Two year subscriptions run $299. VNS is all-volunteer
		and has no management, official support or budget from the
		company. Years past, generous readers have offered to help
		defray part or all of the subscription fee and I've paid any
		balance necessary to continue the subscription, and that'll
		continue this year. I'm not going to out and out ask for
		financial support, however if you want to contribute anyway,
		you can to contact me at TLE::TALCOTT or talcott@zko.dec.com.
		- TT

 Intel, Sun - Ready to unveil alliance based on Merced
	{The Wall Street Journal, 17-Dec-97, p. B4}
   Intel and Sun, long fierce rivals in the computer industry, announced a
 broad technology alliance centered on Intel's forthcoming Merced
 microprocessor chip.  The agreement includes a patent cross-license that will
 allow the two companies to share semiconductor, computer-system and software
 technologies.  Sun will also adapt its version of the Unix operating system,
 called Solaris, to run on Intel's Merced chip.  Although Hewlett-Packard and
 Sun are rivals, the deal isn't expected to disrupt the Intel and HP alliance
 because each player has decided to support the Merced chip for different
 reasons and in different ways.  Intel's Merced deal with Sun is the first that 
 involves the cross licensing of patents.  Janpieter Scheerder, president of
 Sun's software subsidiary SunSoft, and John Miner, VP and general manager of
 Intel's Enterprise Server Group, declined to comment on whether Sun would take
 the extra step of building computers based on Intel's chips, and whether Sun
 has the right to engineer its own compatible versions of the Merced chip.

 FBI - Sting operation, with IBM's aid, nabs 16 brokers in parts theft scam
	{The Wall Street Journal, 16-Dec-97, p. B6}
   A Federal Bureau of Investigation-created undercover company, working with
 IBM, has helped capture at least 16 computer brokers in 5 states for trading
 in what the brokers believed were stolen IBM minicomputer parts.

 Cypress Semiconductor - 4th quarter earnings, revenue will be below estimates
        {The Wall Street Journal, 16-Dec-97, p. B4}
   Cypress said it would miss analysts' 4th quarter expectations, largely
 because of an ill-timed production transition, sending its shares down 9.5%
 The company said revenue for the quarter will be $140-143 million, compared
 with First Call's analysts' estimate of $152-155 million.  Earnings per share
 are expected to be breakeven to one cent.  A year ago, Cypress reported 4th
 quarter earnings of $1.3 million, or 2 cents a share, on revenue of $113.1
 million.  Cypress' stock fell 81.25 cents to $7.75 a share on the news.  The
 company will lose out on $10 million in revenue because it started production
 of a new SRAM chip later than scheduled at a factory in Round Rock, Texas.
 The company also said revenue will be $5 million lower than its estimates in
 the 4th quarter because of a falloff in demand for Cypress' foundry services,
 in which it sells factory capacity to chip designers Altera Corp. and Quick
 Logic Inc.  The lost business will cut profit by $3.3 million in the 4th
 quarter.  In addition, the company said it would end its assembly and test
 operation in San Jose, Calif., because of increased efficiencies at its
 factory in Manila, the Philippines.  It also disbanded a chip-set design
 division because of market conditions, including stiff competition from
 Intel's chip-set division, and it said it would exit the commodity market for
 EPROMS.  The company said neither the changes at the assembly operation nor
 those at the design division would result in layoffs at the company.  The
 company said its three other divisions - programmable products, data
 communications and computer products - are on schedule to meet revenue
 estimates for the quarter.  The company said it expects its directors to
 approve a two million share increase in its stock buyback program, doubling
 the number of shares it is authorized to buy back.

 Digital - Holiday message from Bob Palmer
	 {Livewire, WOrldwide News, 17-Dec-97}
   (The following message from Chairman Bob Palmer is being distributed today
 to all employees worldwide via Readers' Choice.)

   The end of a calendar year has different meanings around the world.
  Religious holidays of special significance are celebrated at this time by
 many people.  For some individuals, the arrival of December inspires them to
 reflect on what they have accomplished during the year and where they are
 headed.  And in many cultures the start of the year is celebrated as a new
 beginning -- a time of rebirth and regeneration.
   As I look back on the past year, I am proud of what you have accomplished by
 your hard work and dedication.  Your efforts on behalf of this company have
 yielded many positive results upon which we will build in 1998.  I am
 confident in our ability to grow our business in the year ahead and to achieve
 competitive levels of profitability because I am confident in DIGITAL's
 employees and our will to win.
   I want to take this opportunity to thank you for what you have done to make
 DIGITAL a valued vendor and partner throughout the world.  Our customers do
 not choose to do business with DIGITAL only because of the excellence of our
 products and services.  One of the most important reasons they choose us as
 their partner is because of the core values that are reflected in your work
 every day.
   I wish you and your families a healthy and prosperous 1998.


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
    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 : 3950    Thursday 18-Dec-1997   <><><><><><><><>