1998 09 canadian computer wholesaler by The Computer Paper

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THE T E C H N O LO G Y R E S O U R C E F O R ' RE S EL'LERS

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w SM P S M V P 3 VIA VP3+Chipset, 66/100MHzSocket 7 BATMain-board

Processor intel Pentium MMX,AMD K6/ K6ll, Cyrix/IBM 6x86/M2 Multiplier 1.5x to 5.5x,CPUclock 50 to 100MHz

Memory 512K L2Cache 2 DIMM+ 2 SIMM sockets, support BMB 256MB of FPM, EDO and SDRAM.

Expansion I AGP,3 PCIand3 ISA(1 shared) I/O 2 Serial, 1 Parallel, I Floppy,PS/2 Mouseand2 IDE (UDMA), Optional USB and IrDAconnector,

Other Support both AT orATXPower with ACPI Build in LM75System Management

S MP6 BX 2 ~ Intel 440BXChipset, 100MHzSlot 1 ATXMain- Board

Processor Intel Celeron, Pentium II 233-450MHzCPU Multiplier 3.5x to Bx,CPUclock 66 or 100MHz

Memory 3 DIMM socket, support 8 - 384MBSDRAM

Expansion 1 AGP,4 PCIand 3 ISA (I shared) I/O 2 Serial, I Parallel, I Floppy, 2USB,PS/2 KBMouse and 2 IDE(UDMA), Optional IrDAconnector

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Intel 440EXChipset, 66MHz BATMain-board

Processor Intel Celeron, Pentium II 233-333MHzCPU Multiplier 3.5x to Bx,CPUclock 66MHz

Memory 2 DIMM sockets,support8 to 256M B SDRAM

Expansion I AGP, 3PCIand 3 ISA (1shared) I/O 2 Serial, I Parallel, I Floppy,PS/2 Mouseand2 IDE (UDMA),Optional USBand IrDAconnector.

Other Support both AT orATXPower with ACPI

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S EPTEMBER 1 9 9 8 V o l.4 N o . 9 : e4'g

NEWS

ULBTEST

ScottishTheftwill put

TheWell-BalancedPC

CounterfeiSoftware t inChannel ...

By SeanCarruthers

By Akn %warts

MOTH ERBOARDS

Printer MarkethitsOverdrive! ..

...18

Motherboards Speeds andFeedsare Important; ihut aQuality Mainboardis Crucial ..

By Jef Beans

Compute rAssoci atesmakesnew ChannelPush . 20

...42

By Graeme Bennett

By EodLaminmd

MICROPROC ESSORS

THEINDU STRY

...34

TooMuchofaGoodThing'?....

I sCanadaReadyforaMacRelaunch? ... ...22

...46

By JegEII

By Jef Ewms

TECH TAN

EYEONTHEINDUSTRY CominS glowly: WritingtoDVD! ...

..50

I stheG3PowerPC 'TwiceasFast'?...

...24

By Jdan 7imran

SOFWARE

DATA BASES

NT5.0; What is Gates' Strategy? ...

Obje ctsfaceaToughSell: DatabaseVendorsareSlowtoMoveto Object-Oriented Technology..........

...52

By GeofWheeiwright

By ttoruetmPaaeschi

TRAINING

PROD UCTREVIEW

Transcen der:Excellent Preparation for Microsoft Certification .............

Delphi 4is Slick,FastandRockSolid ... ....30

By StePhen Ibarahr

By JohnHamm

BUSINES SBASICS

INTEG RATION TheIntegrationOpportunity....

Do You haveaGreat Idea? Caut ion:AvoidInvent ionSchemesandSeams..57

....32

By PaulWe inberg

By Douglas Gray I

The Editor's Desk • • •

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Canada Watch Industry Flash

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People

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LEGE NDQDI' Legend apQDI latest Intel 440BX Pentium" II Processor Based Motherboard

Brilliant 1

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• AGP Slot • 100MHz • Supports slow down • IM80 • MAXIM 1617

• Dual Intel Pentiume II Processor • AGP Slot ' • 100MHz • Supports slowdown

• LM80 • 2 MAXIM 1617/LM75 • Adaptec 7880/78808 • Intel 8255810M/100MbpsIAN

(f FCc NOICOMPUTER(CANAOA), INC. 75 ShieldsCourt, Unit 4, Markham, Ontario, L3R 974 Tel: 1-905-9403827 Fax: 1-905-9409709

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OOICOMPO TERlVANCOUVER),INC. Unit 4, 13520CrestwoodPlace, Richmond,O.C.CanadaV6V2G2 Tel: 1-604-2786789 Fax: 1-604-2788918

NOICOMPUTER (MONTREAL),INC.

I the complexbonesstructure, turbinales,

2845 HalpernStreet, St. Laurent, Ouehec,H4S1PS,Canada Tel: 1-514-3356011 Fax: 1-514-3356822

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T HE

ED I T O R ' S D E S K

arlier this decade, the Canadian dollar floated happily for the longest time somewhere above 70 cents American. Prevailing w i s d om holds that a low dollar is good for the export business (remember, the trade balance with the U.S. is in C anada's favor), and a higher dollar helps importoriented businesses. But the reality of the situation is much more confusing than that. If you sell computer systems,whether to domestic o r f o r eign m arkets, they' re a complex mix of foreign and domestic parts and labor. Thomas Klein, investment executive for Scotia McLeod Inc.inVancouver, says about 40 per cent of Canadian exporters are actually hurt when the dollar drops, because of the rising costs of components. In recent weeks, the Canadian dollar and the Japanese yen have experienced records lows against the U.S. dollar. Here's a generalization for the Canadian computer business: Asian components and products are moreaffordable,but American components and products are more expensive. "Overall I think it's a wash," comments Richard Morochove, a Fellow Chartered Accountant and president of Morochove & Associates Inc. in Toronto. "Computers imported from the U.S. will go up in price in the short term due t o t h e u nfavorable U.S./Canadian exchange rate. However, U.S. manufacturers will then cut prices more than usual due to falling prices of Asianmade parts." He adds: "In the short term, this could favor Canadian-assembled PCs." Ken Jung, the president of Patch Computers Ltd. in Vancouver, says the currency issues haven't had much impact on his business or pricing to date. However, he says Asian currency woes have contributedto supply and shipping issues, including shortages of RAM, for example. Cam Janzen,an owner of Pro-Data Inc. in Calgary, says the low Canadian dollar has increased some prices, "but it has not hampered our business." (And while the prices of Asian goods may be coming down, because they' re purchased mainly in U.S. dollars, the actual costs stay about level, after the conversion to Canadian money.) Because prices have been dropping substan-

t ially over t h e p ast s i x months, he says: "I see it almost as part of a market correction." But he adds: "As an importer, it will concern me if things keep going south. At this point we' re dealing with i t o n a d a y -to-day basis." For th e i n v estment community, an u ncertain market can actually be a chance for seriousprofits. "The more volatility there is, the more opportunity there is to make money," says Klein. While some p arties may have a vested interest in a higher or lower dollar, the consensus generally has beenthat a stable dollar is really in everybody's best interest. Computer companies are in the business of developing and selling technology, not hedging currency. However,few economistshave wanted the Bank of Canada to intervene with higher interest rates, as that could slow the economy. For example, higher interest rates could impact the willingness of consumers and businesses to i n vest i n t e chnological improvements and expansions. Because, of course, technological advancement is what this industry is all about. This issue, we start a two-part feature on motherboards (page 42). Watch next issue for detailed test results of some of the leading players in the market. Key to motherboards are processors, and competition i s e v er-fierce. (See "Microprocessors: Too Much of a G o od Thing?" page 46, and "Is the G3 PowerPC 'Twice as Fast' ?" page 50. ) And we bring it all together this issue with a Lab Test (page 34) called "The Well-Balanced PC' offering an in-depth review of nine PCs that nicely balance the price tag with the feature set. We' ve reviewed 266MHz and 300MHz systems falling in the $2,000 to $2,500 price range. Impressive computing products at decent prices mean Canadians are getting substantial technological solutions for the buck. While this industry is extremely competitive, the Canadian economy is healthier than it's been most of the decade. Let's hope

The Other Side of the

(Canadian) Coin

that can continue.

A Canadian penny...for your thoughts. Drop me a line at gracec@netcom.ca. LCC W

~ CA N ADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998ht t pitwww.ccwmag.corn

Grace Casselman Editor

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I read Alan Zisman's article on CPU alternatives,(w(l(forthwhile CPUAlternatives," CCIIII July, page 54! and l agree with mast of your views. However there is one very important DpU you failed to mention. The Digital Alpha chip is by far the most advanced CPU in the market-place today. Unfortunately, Digital screwed up its company, and now Intel owns the rights to (the chip). I rarely get the opportunity to work with Alpha chips. I don't mind Pentium chips, but the architecture suffers from too many bottlenecks. I know that Microsoft favors the Alpha chip when it comes to writing a 64-bit (or 128-bit) version of Windows NT. Who knows? Intel may abandon the Pentium chip in favor of the Alpha in the future. As for the PowerPC, it will never become a serious contender in the market-place. When I think PowerPC, I think Macintosh. When I think Macintosh, I think of obsolescence. Sure it's a very fast chip, but I think the Mac DS is horrible. The choices in the future will not be: Celeron, K6 or PowerPC. (How many people do you know who buy Cyrix chips these days?) The choices will be Pentium II, Alpha, or maybe Pentium III. mII1

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CCW BULLETIN BOARD Looking for a product, service or partner? Write to CCIIIIBulletin Board, at ccw@tcp.ca, or fax: (403) 262-7892.

"Corporate Canada has taken a pass on Windows 98.

Letters to the Edstor

T hey' ll meit for NT 5. " — Robert Gsro sman, vi ce-president andgeneralm anagerof

Toshiba ofCanadaInformation SystemsGroup.

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We welcome your letters on industry issues and concerns, as w ellas yourcomments on our magazine. We reserve the right to edit your contributions for length and clarity. Please write to The Editor, via e-mail at ccw@tcp.ca, or fax: (604) 608-2686.

bet li,' So fi a (csb)a,@t"L1'L '~ruat. gne,finecompanyyouIwve. Xjustgaveyoursystem administrator acopyofaurnew softwaresoyou ccm "apgradetgtgetf your office computers.

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CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998

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Please tell me you hcwea patchfor this bug.

$4995 per license, it'sa steal.I have thedisksrighthere how manywoukl you

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Simply Put SamsungOnTop 7 out of 10 leading PC brands do just that. W hichever PC system you choose,Samsunghas the perfectmonitor to pair with it. With leading-edge technology, quality value and unsurpassed performance,it' sno wonderSamsungmonitors have won the PCMagazine Editors' Choice award for three consecutive years in the demanding 17" corporate class. High quality standards produce high quality products. That's why SyncMaster" moni tors are TCO'95 compliantand are designed to promote user safety by loweringharmful emlssions and to support ecological responsibility by reducing environmentally a damaging substances. Scale new heights...

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LG Electronics signs up EIILI

(NB) — Canadian security agencies have become good, hard look at it," said CSIS spokesperson increasingly alarmed over the prospects of com- Marcia Wetherup. puterhackersbreaking intothe country'ssensitive The Southam articl e says that since last data banks, says the Canadian Securit y October, CSIS has held briefing sessions for six Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada's spy agency. agencies, including National Defence, Immigration, According to documents obtained by the the Supreme Court of Canada, and an association Southam newspaperchain under the Access to of federal employees with sensitive security InformationAct and published recently, CSIS has clearances. conducted a series of briefings for several federal Concern is growing in intelligence circles that departments aimed at sensitizing them to a grow- future conflicts or terrorist attacks could target ing cyber break-in threat. electronic networks due to growing dependence of The Canadian Department of Defence is also governments on computer-based communication reportedly working with the U.S. military to devise and information technologies. measures to keep intruders out of sensitive military CSIS, responsible for advising the government computersites. of potent ialthreats, sees the Internet and other "We take the matter quite seriously and we do electronic tools as new means for extremists to consider it something that necessitates us taking a sabotage vital institutions or steal valuable information. The agency warns that individuals or groups could do extensive damage to power grids, communication and transportation systems as well as stock markets and financial institutions. "Such attacks could have wide-ranging social, Sea Change Corp. of Mississauga, Ont., has combined with Peapod pic of the U.K., economic and political ramifications," CSIS mainto create anew company named BorderWare Technologies Inc. tains, and adds that the Canadian situation is The new company will focus on developing and marketing an characterized by a lack of awareness of computer enhanced version of the BorderWare Firewall Server. The security dangers, as well as the absence of BorderWare Firewall Server is designed to be a unique combinae a formalstructure to dealwiththe issue." tion of firewall (a system for regulating or preventing external Authorities identify three types of hackaccess to the network) and an Internet gateway. ers: neophyte, skilled and elite."The first two categories are the ones that are caught by enforcement agencies," briefing material states. "The elite hacker seems to be able to operatewithin networks and systems without being detected." The briefings describe many hackers as young computer fanatics who enjoy the excitement of entering forbidden territory — a thrill that has landed several cyber-joyriders in jail.

LG Electronics Canada Inc. has signed EMJ Data Systems Ltd. to distribute its line of CE devices, optical products and monitors in Canada. According to a statement from Jim Estill, president of EMJ Data Systems, LG is "one ofthe world's leaders in micro-computers and peripheral technology." Alok Sama, business development manager of LG Electronics Canada Inc., said: "EMJ provides a unique technical-sales environment which LG feels will contribute strongly to the penetration of LG products in Canada." LG Electronics Canada products include monitors, portable CD-ROMdrives, memory, and hand-held PCs. Its flagship monitor is the flat Flatron 7BFT,which reduces eyestrain.

•

John Alscp,president of BorderWare

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BEST BI PC Portables 000mmeer 0000

Sceptre Technologies Inc. is running a "One to Show, One to Go" half-price demo program for resellers, around the Sceptre Dragon Eye D73A 17-inch monitors or FT15 14.5-inch flat panel LCD monitors. Stephen Liu, CEO and president of Sceptre Technologies said in a statement: "This is a great opportunity for resellers who have wanted to bring the latest technology into their showrooms but have been leery about the cost." Resellers can buy the first unit at the regular

price, and get50 percent offthe second unit. POS materials and marketing support services are also available. EUAOCOM 7200

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esktop Replacement Notebooks

Jvlate0fdp /gag 7u4'waif'aI, With 5 Eurocom model series to choose from and hundreds of j Q possible configurations, fmpaq offers something for every need and budget. Eurocom - winner of many accofadee including a PC Portables "Best Buy" and Computer Paper's "Editor's Choice" r

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10 ~ CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998 ht t p i A vwwccmrmag.corn

Golf Champions:Congratulations fo the Comtronicteam,winners of theCanadaChineseComputer' Association's 4thAnnualGolf Tournament.Fromleft to right are:, CCCApresident FrankLuk, along with thewinningteam:JohnTee, Clarry Meclellan,RonaldBiand BensonSy.Canadian Computer Wholes alerwaspleasedfobea title sponsorof theevent.

Then build your own with ABIT's 100Mhz

BX6 Pentium' ll basedmotherboard with'Data Buffers! ABIT's BX6 includes the following: • Soft Menu® II the new generation of Jumperless CPU auto-detection from the company that invented the Jumperless mainboard. Supports the Pentiumo I I 233MHz — 400MHz. • Write Protect Anti-Virus Function from Award's BIOS to protect the vital Boot sector of your hard drive. • Year 2000 ready and fully compliant. No worries here. • 6 chip data buffer solution recommended by Intel for increased Ram stability when using 4 DIMMs of SDRAM/8 Banks of memory. • Top quality 48 Pin clock generator to allow specialized functions such as 133Mhz and Infrared and USB penpheral support. • Top quality tantalum capacitors for increased long term reliability. • Hardware monitoring thanks to National Semiconductors LM79 chip which checks on system temperature, system voltage and system fan speed.

Soft Menu ™ II circuitry

Check out more of the details at ABIT's web site at http: //www.abit.corn.tw ,t'.

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E-Moil: sales@obit.corn.tw

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Mini-MicroSupply,lnc. Tel: (416)321-8898/(888)309-8898 Fax:(416)321-2303 ResonantConsulting Inc. Tel: (604) 270-4455/(800) 394-2233 Fax:(604)270-4488 E-Mail:resononls@aicom.corn

C ANA D A

WA T CH

CIPS' I.S.P.s are official!

The Ontario Legislature has passed legislation recognizing holders of (.S.P. and IPA designations as a self-regulating body in Ontario. The Information Systems Professional of Canada (I.S.P) (and the French equivalent Informaticien professional agree (IPA)) is a designation of the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS). Ontario joins Alberta and Nova Scotia as provinces in which CIPS' certified members are recognized as self-regulating professionals. Once certified, members are required to re-certify each year by maintaining a set

ABIT (510) 623-0500

hnpt/www shit -osa.corn

ACP (604) 278-281'I

http ttwwwacp.catecp/

Compu Factory (604) 207-0916 DFI' Components 1-888-294-7130

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hrtp/twww empec.c a

Eurene (604) 273-9600 1-888-338-9600

hnp ttwww corona.corn

Impaq Technology Inc(a ' (604) 261-1800 KDS I-888-KD&-9001 httpdtwwwfdscaneda.ca

Lapro Marketing (604) 244-7798 hnp trtsrww proIa corn LCH Resources Inc. (604) 27&-0708

•

statement.

There are about 2,000 certified I.S.Ps in Canada.

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hn pd/wwtst pcmore.corn

Empac Computer Corp. (905) 940-3600

•

level of continuing professional development, and by working at least 60 per cent of their time at a professional level in the information technology field. These stringent requirements ensure that anyone who holds the ISP designation stays up-to-date in their chosen field of endeavor. "The I.S.P. designation is about quality; it's like an IS09000 registration only for an individual," said Bill Saunderson, a member of Ontario's provincial parliament, in a

The iMation LS120SuperDisk is a 120MB removable disk system which is a direct competitor with the (omega Zip Drive. Unlike the Zip, however, the SuperDisk format is also compatible with the venerable 3.5-inch floppy diskette. A PC with a SuperDisk drive in place of a regular floppy can read and write to both the 120MB LS120 and 1.4MB floppy drive. The SuperDisk drive was a rarity on Canadian store shelves until recently, but since the spring of 1998, iMation has been raising the product's profile in Canada. According to Canadian distributor Simple Technology: "Sales of the SuperDisk product are strong and increasing steadily. We' ve been very pleased with its performance." The SuperDisk drive is available in several versions, including an external parallel port version, as well as an internal IDE version. A dual Mac/Windows-compatible USB (Universal Serial Bus) version was announced at the recent MacWorld exposition. In addition to more aggressive marketing, the SuperDisk product line has benefited from substantial recent price drops, from over $300 SRP to a less than $180 estimated street price. Formatted LS120diskettes sell at a retail price of about $18, and can hold the equivalent of about 87 regular 3.5-inch diskettes. ~L'

http t /www ichres.corn

Lucky Tech (604) 273-8088

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Pro-Data 1-800-567-3274

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QDI Computer (Canada) (965) 940-3827

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LETfERI

Samsung (905) 940-3600

Cariarft'att:,C/gtn/rr/ter 5'he~/er welcomes your t)phlioa&cd~rent i~ br the market, plus ydtrr feedback 00-sur publication.

Sceptre Technologies Inc. 1-800-78&-2878httpr//wwwsciptretech.corn

SMC (714} 707-2460

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White Knight 1-800-668-6188 1-800-852-5039hnpt/wwwwhfa-hnlghtcom

We we!NA'your ideas regardingnews andfeature topics, pdi a rt Caeyeter I@ho/esaler. '"' tact th0;liters directly witt(,'. ~ I Fha( f" y our su n s . ~ q /

We"d like to hiearyour c k and' suggestions onour Test.Labsreviews section.

12 ~ CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998 httpdtwww.ccwmag.corn

Pleasewrite: The Editor; CanadianComputer Who(easier 200 - 99 Atlantic Ave., Toronto, Ontario MBK3J8 Fax: (41 6) 588-8574 E-mail:ccw@tcp.ca

Edit or;GraceCasse(man',

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The ongoing litigation war between Lucent Technologies and, seemingly, everybody else in the networking world, was cranked up a notch when Lucent was countersued by Cisco Systems Inc. for patent infringement. Cisco also denied Lucent' s charges that Cisco had violated Lucent patents. According to Kevin Kennedy, senior vice-president for the service provider line of business for Cisco: "We view Lucent's action as a marketing tactic to slow down industry leaders. Lucent has sued or threatened to sue the majority of data networking players, large and small. We are concerned about the damage this action could have on the industry as a whole."

The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock Software director of digital retail services: "This is an (TUCOWS) Interactive Ltd. has added an on-line extremely exciting time for us. For the first time, software store to supplement its shareware and the millions of people that visit our site each freeware download service. month now have a clear It's called eBarn (which and easy to use way to stands for Electronically purchase the products Buy And Register Now). that they download from This is a partnership TU COWS." between TUCOWS and The The Vision Factory has Vision Factory designed to designed a product called allow customers around the Cat©log, which can offer globe "to purchase and thousands of different softdownload their favorite software titles for sale, calcuware titles without waiting late millions of transacfor shipping, approvals or . p ' :,r fsq ' tions,and manage the P@ other unnecessary delays." , « 4 I ful f illment of orders. Visit According to RossRader, 'I htfp//www.ebarn.corn. '

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(NB) — Novell lnc. says that its long-awaited NetWare 5 network operating system (NOS) will ship by Sept. 20. Powered by NetWare Directory Services (NDS) Novell says that version 5 is a Year-2000ready platform that "combines the maturity and reliability of the traditional NetWare with the global reach and open standards of the Internet" NetWare uses the Internet Protocol (IP), and simplifies protocol management, says the company. NetWare 5 also includes an enhanced version of NDS, support for the LDAP Version 3 communication standard, and new directory-enabled security features. It also offers Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for running server-based applications and services written in Java. Other new features include a five-user licence of the Oracle8 database management software from Oracle Corp. and an integrated Netscape FastTrack Server. A NetWare server with a five-user licence retails for US$1,195.

(NB) — Intel Corp/s patent infringement lawsuit against flash memory chip developer Silicon Storage Technology has been dismissed by a U.S. District Court in Delaware. The case was thrown out on grounds re garding jurisdiction, the company said. U.S. District Court Judge McKelvie handed down a ruling statingthat i chip manufacturer Intel had been unable to establish a basis for the I Delaware court to pursue the disagreement that involved the two compa- ' nies, both of which are headquartered in the Silicon Valley area of California. Intel brought the suit against Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Silicon Storage in Delaware because the chipmaker, like many other U.S.-based corporations, was incorporated in that state. Intel said that it had hopedthatthe case would be brought to trial more quickly in Delaware than it may have been k in California. Intel had charged in its suit that Silicon Storage was p +4 i,, infringing on four Intel patents covering flash memory circuits and memory cell architecture. Silicon S t orage replied that its patented splitgate cell technology is original, designed around a different technology and does not infringe on any of Intel's patents. Intel says it has not decided where or when it will re-file the case.

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El Segundo, Calif.-based Merisel Inc. says it has more than doubled its second-quarter net income for the quarter ended June 30. The company also reported a 22.4 per cent increase in sales and 11.3 percent increase in operating income on a year-over-year basis. Net income was US$5.1 million on sales of US$1.10 billion for the quarter. Notable strong performance came from these market segments: retail, commercial/dealer, the Merisel Open Computing Alliance (MOCA) and Canada, said the company.

(NB) — O utsourcing information Among the problems reported technologyservices may look good were: service level failure, scope dison paper, but a significant number of agreement,unexpected costs and Fortune1000companies have discov- dissatisfaction with vendor personered that what appears to work in nel, Weiss said. theo r y can cause real problems. But despit e these diff iculties,the A survey released by information survey found that fewer than 25 per technology law firm Gordon fk cent of respondents have renegotiatGlicksonPC said thatalthough some ed key points of their outsourcing 80 per cent of the 85 Fortune 1000 relationships, and only 13 per cent companies responding to the study have made adjustmentsbased on embrace outsourcing as a primary benchmarking. means of providing some IT funcIn addition, just six per cent of the tions, 54 per cent reported their companies said they use Internet facoutsourcing relationships have simile, while only one per cent deploy gone "severely awry." Internet telephony. "Corporate America may And when it comes to dealing need to reassess the strategies with the Millennium Bug, the comit employs when engaging in panies are also behind the curve, outsourcing r elationships," the survey found. Although some 98 Barry D. Weiss, a partner with per cent of the respondents anticiGordon fk Glickson, said. pate Y2Kconversions to be com"Unless companies prepare for pleted by the year 2000, 48 per cent the risk and liabilities associated of the companiessurveyed have with working with an outsourcer, failed to c oordinate their Y2K they may continue to jeopardize the efforts with the entities with which success of their mission-critical IT the corporation has network consystems." nections. CCW

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By Alan TIrrvairs huge heist of about 115,000 Microsoft Windows 98 manual So we' re working hard at getting in front of them to explain it all, both covers including Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) will via direct access seminars and with CAAST (the Canadian Association have worldwide implications for the computing channel. The Against Software Theft). And we' re mounting a new strategy to get the theft, which occurred this summer at Thompson Litho Ltd. in East message to consumers, through working with elementary schools, high Kilbride, Scotland, was valued at an estimated US$17 million. schools, and school boards. We need to get to consumers as early as The manualcovers were meant to accompany OEM versions of we can." the Windows 98' operating system. Interestingly, the integrated Business-savvy retailers can be part of the solution, as demoncover/COA was a strategy by Microsoft to combat software fraud, as strated by Ron Hu, president of Ottawa-based Inly Systems. In July, counterfeiters would previously remove COAs from inexpensive Inly won the first Northern Lights Award form Microsoft Canada for product to include with higher-priced software, explained Kimberley its efforts to combat software piracy. The award, says Microsoft, is the Lauder, anti-piracy manager for Microsoft Canada Co. company's way of recognizing channel partners who demonstrate She predicts the Scottish activity will impact the Canadian leadership in the anti-piracy battle. "Day to day, we see faxes from people selling software at prices industry. "It's highly probable. There's certainly an active channel that sells counterfeit product." too good to be true," says Hu. "It's a real concern, because it takes The risks are high, as people found dealing in illegal software in away from my market share — like anyone else, I want a fair marketCanada could face up a $1 million fine, or five years in jail, under place in which to compete. We all complain about this, but we don' t criminal law. always follow up on our concerns. At Inly, we decided to be quite diliEven end-users who may purchase the product unwittingly, could gent about it, so we' ve been feeding information about our concerns to find the software doesn't work properly, and they won't have access to Microsoft. We also take time to explain to our customers, when they Microsoft technicalsupport,says Lauder. use our service clinic, all about the need for licences on each machine But she said resellers can avoid buying counterfeit product. "The they' re using, and that kind of thing. Most of the time, we find there' s easiest way is: Only buy from the authorized distribution channel." more ignorance than malicious intent. Most consumers misunderstand For end-users, Windows 98 CDs (both the OEM and retail ver- the conceptof the ownership and use ofcomputer software." sion of Windows 98), sport a hologram that says "Microsoft" and Of course, Microsoft isn't the only player in the anti-piracy game. "Genuine." (Lauder emphasizes that users should never buy OEM In fact, most of the computer industry's biggest names are part of software, unless it's being sold with a PC.) The spine of the Windows CAAST, which positions itself as "an industry alliance of software 98 retail box includes a heat-sensitive label containing the word publishers who share the common goal of reducing software piracy." "Genuine." "We have a commitment to ensure that people know what' s In other news, customs officials in Germany have reportedly bogus," says Mike Eisen, secretary and general counsel for CAAST. seized thousands of illegally copied versions of Microsoft's Office "Our message is aimed at everyone — through our anti-piracy hotline, Professional and Standard editions, Windows 95 OEM, Windows NT our Web site, and the presentations we do, we focus on the reseller Workstation OEM and Windows NT Server software. (Some of the community, small- and medium-sized businesses, and the consumer. illegal materials were tracked back to the Scottish heist.) It's an effort that needs to be made, because the amount of counterfeit In Canada, an estimated 39 per cent of application software is and illegal product coming into Canada is simply unbelievable." CCW pirated, and 47 per cent of channel piracy is counterfeit software. It' s estimated that software theft cost the Canadian economy more than Qo • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • $425 million in 1997. QgtggtS o According the Business Software Alliance, software piracy in the CAAST Anti-Piracy Hotline U.S. cost the economy 130,000 jobs in 1996, and cost U.S. businesses 1-800-263-9700 US$6 million in fines and legal fees in 1997. By 2005, piracy is CAAST Web site: expected to account for the loss of 300,000 jobs. hrtp:/twww.caasr.org/ "We know it's tempting for Canadian system builders to buy from Microsoft Anti-Piracy Hotline: the unauthorized channel," says Lauder, manager of Microsoft 1-800-RU-LEGIT Canada's Anti-Piracy unit. "But they need to recognize that 80 to 90 Microsoft Anti-Piracy Web site: per cent of the product sold through the unauthorized channel is ille- http: /Iwww microsoft.corn /canada/piracyl gal or counterfeit. Using the unauthorized channel is an extremely risky business." — with/les from ccw stag "It's a real tough battle," says Lauder, "because the unauthorized channel markets very aggressively. But resellers need to recognize that Alan Thwaits is a Tomnto-basedjournalist who specializes in highthey' re putting their businesses at risk by using unauthorized product. technologyreporting.He can be reached atnomad lproxcomm.corn. 16 ~ cANADIAN coMpUTER wHQLEsALER september 1998 ht tp Jtwwwccwmag.corn

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Unicenier i» an c n (crpnsc-le>el solution usccl tn m inagc I I I Psnc»'c<'.s. Inc luch ng heterogeneous networks, systems. Lippl icntions 'inrl d«tnbases. An implc.n)en(ation can cost. up to;) couple million clnlitirs. (Fni example. In Au< ust '98. Bhar(i B I. Inclia's le;iding stiiclh(c con»1)tlnication seiuices pro<ider. Seiccrcd Unicenter to inie rue iis help clesk with its desktop and seiner management operation~. A I'ew days kiter. RndioShack Can«da announced Unicenler vroulcf bc impleincnte<l to

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on fnr cvcrybndy lo gct skillccl I'I' profcssiori;Ils.'.Siiid McH;ilc. Thc' b <sic produci. niighl be lust;I loot in ihe door to (h;i( sci vices rn;ir i<Pi (VARs) can then gcl entry i nfo morc itccounls ; inc( b«.'»tt I<> cxp;)rid their se) vice side. CA's D e v i ) i ) s'cild ( hi s I ' cpt'c:sct)ts "Lhe siiigle l i i r<'est <»ou'lli "

opi30)(ui)ity In I CI'»1s of I cvenuc iincl pi oil( I I 0»1 ii sr»glc s cncfni' I» thc next ye<ir oi Lwo."

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upgr<idcs to (he l u l l U n i c entei, I n cic<ised cleni;ind lo i C A - t r ;i»ice( icchnici'iiis. «nd of' course, Incieiisc.cl rc) enue.

Br<ink To, presiclent ol Sybcx Systems lnc., a Richmoiicl, B,C.-hnsccl util(i< cicfclccl syst< »1s»)lcgl etio), th»)lcs (l s tno 0'»'I) (0 t'cll tl thc f310<I-

ancl pretty n)uch e<eiyth»)a else that i lai oe network neecls. By paclcaging the h)cli) iclual components;is shrink-u rnppecl products co~ting ;i leu hiinclied dollars each. CA is tryingto reach ncw customers. "Nou wc ctin go into areas like help desi'. Iirewall or Ieinotc conti'ol and hase pioducts on their own." s;iys Chris Dc.vltn. assistant vice-prcsidenl I'oi CA C;inticln "This nllov.s pi.oplc who foe<I'i nl'lly

sees tlic Iicw f>roclticls iis f30(<.ntlnlly positive bccaiise tl)e) ca» acl<h'css i)ot nrily pi'opr'Ict'il'3' Icg(icv »1'ichines 13(l(

The »Pu plocicict I»1<-:. Call<el Wol'kgl'oup Editions. ( ir< ets businc,'ises v, ith up to 250 computers. («icl inclucies snf>tu!aie like ShipIT. which pros icles distribution. installation. nncf up< rades to sol'tv:arc applications. oper")ting svstcl ns (i»el flIPB. GLII)r clIT is (1 fir cu' Ill sol (it ion t'h'll co»linis i)etu ol I' access to protect systems. AimIT is a solution I <or manag»ig co»1pLIting assets thi'OLlgl'iotlt a »P(woi'I ecf c») ironn)ent. CryptIT is a datn enciyf>tioi) piogrnn) that safeguarcls business inf'ormn(ion;igaiiist poicii-

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on those n)aikeis...io use rechnologics thcii h<ive only been availnble in Unicent r bef corc"

v I ' i ii) t i o i i n l ity fcrom Uni e i i ici 1 NIG bui iio( br » i l, i n » i u p . T l i

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T HE

I N D U S T RY

Column Canadian public seems ready to embracetheMac again.The rekindled love affair for the Apple Mac brand resembles the public acceptance of the "new" Volkswagen Beetle automobile earlier in the year. The question is, will the burst of hype over the iMac translate into a long-term reversal of Apple's slide in market share and gross revenues?

Sold Before They Hit

the Shelves? According to Apple Canada representatives, Apple's dealer channel has taken an unprecedented number ofpre-orders for the new iMac computer. This latest Macintosh is aimed squarely at two of Apple's traditional strong market segments: home and education. The third stronghold, the professional graphics market, is served by more traditional desktop Mac models.

The Apple Advantage

by Jeff Evans ow that the Apple iMac computer is shipping to Apple dealers, the stage seems setfor a revival of consumer interest in the Macintosh platform. Will it exceed the excitement over the original launch of the Mac in 1984? The culmination of Apple founder Steve Jobs' attempt to revive the well-loved Mac personal computer comes just in time for the busy "back-to-school" and holiday consumer buying seasons. After months of Apple's often striking a n d i n n ovative "Think Different" ads on TV, radio, in print and on billboards, at least a certain segment of the

22 l

CANADIAN COMPUlER WHOLESALER September 1998

The iMac is an "all-in-one" computer, with a monitor built into the same chassis as the computer CPU and other components. The iMac features a very fast PowerPC main processor, a built-in, high-speed modem, ATI graphics chipset, and, interestingly, it has no built in floppy disk drive. Apple's thinking seems to be that today's modern Mac user will demand a high-capacity removable cartridge drive such as an iMation LS120 SuperDisk, or Iomega Zip. Apple claims the iMac is perhaps the easiest to use computer on the market today: set-up takes literally only a moment or two, including connecting to the Internet. To facilitate the attachment of peripherals, the iMac comes with a USB port that can also function as a hub for multiple USB devices. That simple feature instantly creates a significant potential third-party market for the sometimes maligned USB product category. Notably, at the most recent MacWorld computer show, third-party hardware manufacturers such as iMation announced the imminent availability of USB products compatible with the iMac. At a time when third-party developer support for the Mac had been sagging, the iMac offers an opportunity for the Mac community to benefit from third-party innovation.

tions. First, it has third-party technology standardized on its motherboard (such as the ATI graphics microprocessor). Also, it combines very high performance with a (for Apple) very low price. In the past, Apple tended to sell underfeatured, somewhat crippled and slow models at lower price points, and reserved the fastest performance for high-priced models aimed at the pro graphicsmarket. Apple appears to have learned at least one thing from its disastrous Mac clone licensing fiasco: today's consumer market simply won't buy computers based on slow,obsolete microprocessors. A large part of Apple's near meltdown a couple of years ago was caused by Apple getting stuck with more than US$1 billion in Macs based on obsolete Motorola 68040 microprocessors. The Mac cloners in 1996 wouldn't even look at the older Motorola processors for their products. Instead, they hunted for the fastest PowerPC chips they could find, to offer an attractive price/performance ratio to the customer. According to Apple, the basic iMac model offers processing speed as good or better than high-end Pentium II PCs. The iMac is expected to sell for around $1,999 in C anada, very competitive i n t e rms o f price/performance with a name-brand Pentium II-based Windows PC with a color monitor. The releaseof the iMac, coming after two profitable quarters for Apple, should give the company some additional momentum. The may be Apple's first major opportunity in many years to attract significant numbers of new customers to the Mac platform. The company's return to profitability has until now been based on ruthless cost-cutting, resulting in a leaner and meaner company. The iMac is the first new Apple product with a good prospect for selling to more than the hard core Mac faithful. Apple has breathed new life into the computer that m ade t e chnology seem humane, desirable, and worth believing in. For Apple's resellers particularly, the iMac couldn't be coming at a better time. CCN Jeff E v an s i s Can a dian C o mputer 8%olesaler's Associate Editor. He can be reached at j eg@tcpon. corn.

Big Bang for Less Buck

"Applha esdreathednewlife intothe compu terthat madetechnologyseemhumane,

The iMac is innovative in terms departing from of a number of outdated Apple tradi-

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EYE

TH E I N D UST RY

Column ou may find a growing number of your customers will be asking about hardware that allows them to record DVD disks. Who wouldn't be interested in a technology that allows you to take a disk the size of a CD and record multi-gigabytes of data onto it? Your customers will refer to these devices as rewriteable DVD, recordable DVD, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and maybe a few other variations — and therein lies your selling minefield. This market hasn't matured to the point where clear product sub-categories exist. And standardization continues to progress slowly: if you looked at the market last year, the picture would have been just about the same. • I I However,there are trends emerging. The write-once technologies are primarily of interest to people who I want to back up or archive multi-gigabytes of data. Most of the interest has been in the area of DVD disks that you can rewrite like a floppy or hard drive. Here, the battle lines have been drawn formore than a year mainly between proponents of DVD+RW (DVD+Rewriteable) and DVD-RAM. Among the supporters of DVD+RW are Sony, Hewletta Packard, Philips Electronics, MCC (Mitsubishi Chemical), Ricoh, and • • Yamaha. Forming the DVD-RAM camp are Toshiba, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Hitachi. At its booth during Comdex Canada in July, Panasonic was demonstrating its latest DVDRAM drive. Based on what I saw, DVD-RAM has emerged as the front-runner. When I saw Panasonic's first-generation DVD-RAM drive a year earlier, the seemingly fatal flaw was that it used a sealed cartridge design patterned after its PD cartridge. PD products weren't exactly rushing off the shelves, and basing an advanced design on PD seemed destined to failure. The clear advantage of the other rewriteable DVD design was that the media wasn' t wrapped in a proprietary case, and could therefore potentially be read by any machine that had a DVD player (potentially because the DVD player specification has to support this). This is analogous to the situation with recordable CDs, where a recorded disk can be plopped into any reasonably new CD-ROM player. The advantagesare costand ubiquity.CD players are cheap and plentiful.A company would only invest in a few (more expensive) CD recorders, but would be able to distribute disks of data that could be read by any modern multimedia computer equipped with a CD drive. Analysts are predicting that DVD players will soon be as common as CD-ROM players. If this happens, a company would be able to follow the same strategy of investing in only a few DVD recorders, knowmg that the DVD player could read the disks on anyone's PC. Okay, back to the DVD-RAM design's fatal flaw. The cartridge holding the recording " media can only be read by a DVD-RAM drive. In order to make the DVD-RAM media more generally accessible, Panasonic's solution was simple — make the platter removable. Thus, Panasonic offers a 2.6GB removable disk cartridge. It looks like other DVD-RAM (or PD) cartridges, but has a hinged door at one end that allows the disk to be removed. Once , removed, the disk can be used in a DVD player. The catch is that the player must support the DVD-RAM specification. Panasonic's new 4X DVD-ROM player does, and other next-generation DVD players may as well. Panasonic said its DVD-RAM drive would be available in August, at a suggested tail price of about $1,150. The 2.6GB removable media cartridge will sell for about $40, while the 5.2GB fixed media cartridge will cost $60. Another fact that's giving DVD-RAM the current edge is that Creative Labs — with 'the marketing weight to help push the product into the mainstream — is supporting the specification. Creative has introduced its own second-generation DVD-RAM drive that is ; selling for US$599. It is also selling 5.2GB media five-packs for US$170. Creative says a revised DVD player is coming in September that will read DVD-RAM disks. For its part, DVD+RW offers larger storage capacity (3GB versus 2.6GB) on its rewriteable media. Sony, one of the DVD+RW backers, claims that it will also be cheaper '",to make DVD-ROM players compatible with DVD+RW than with DVD-RAM disks. Sony '' was scheduled to introduce a DVD+RW drive during this summer. In a couple of months, when DVD players that support DVD-RAM disks appear, I'd be ; illing to recommend the technology. But not without some strong cautions that the ground for writeable DVD is still shifting. [cCcg

Y ComingSlowly:

c„,

David Tanaka isa Vancouver-based journalist and Editor of The Computer Paper. He can be reached atdavidl tcp.ca. ':September 1998 ht t pitwww.ccwmag.corn

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Software ~ts)

Database vendors are slow to move to object-oriented technoogy. I

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by Antonietta Palleschi

orget the U.S. PowerBall Lottery, remember when the ' smart money was on object-relanonal databases? Just over a year ago, vendors and pundits alike were touting object database technology, and promises of flexible application systems that adapted rapidly as business needs evolved were plentiful. Fast forward to the fall of 1998 and instead of a tidal wave, object database technology is more of a trickle. The universal database or object-relational database management system — eagerly touted by vendors as a key enterprise system that would let organizations mix and match conventional text and numeric information with business objects, components, and varied multimedia data types — hasn't lived up to early expectations. And while overall adoption of object-oriented technologies continues to rise, adoption rates for object-relational databases haven't gotten off to an auspicious start.

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26 l CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998

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Oracle Corp., after years of talking about objects, ended up tacking relatively limited object capabilities onto its Oracle8 software released last June. And for its part, Informix Software Inc. o verhyped its UniversalServer before the software was really there, giving the whole object-relational concept a black eye in the process. Informix's object-relational technology originally was a s eparate database called Universal Server. After a repackaging in November,the object features became the Universal Data O ption t o In f o rmix's Dynamic Server relational database. "It's an upgrade strategy the database vendors hooked on to, and it ended up being a total failure," says Michael Barnes, an analyst with the Hurwitz Group Inc. in Framingham, Mass. "The people who need the functionality to support multiple object and multimedia types are using pure object databases, not the universal hybrids. And that's turned out to be a small market."

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The Jasmine database, which CA first officially introduced nearly two years prior to shipping, supports such object capabilities as inheritance, encapsulation and object identity, as well as complex data types and multimedia. Jasmine can also extract data from legacy relational databases. Analysts say Jasmine may have a purer pitch, since it does not carry the baggage of the relational database world. Some objectrelational databases don't have all the capabilities of objects. But the less-than-meteoric riseof Informix Universal Serverand Oracle8 however, shows that most developers are simply not ready to put objects in their databases, some analyst argue. JulieKaufman, senior research analyst for software research with Toronto-based International Data Corp. (Canada) Ltd., says migrating from a proven relahonal model to something new like objects is tough. "It is a paradigmshiftto ask users to m ove from relational to object databases and people are just not ready for it. Informix has suffered largely due to the fact that they pushed the Universal Server concept way before people were ready for it," she said. "Users are still getting their heads around relational database and optimal efficiencies and the object-oriented approach forces you to change the way you see thing." For now, the outlook for both types of databases remains hazy.

•

Just Blem|ng Smoke Some traditional relational database vendors agree the market for object requirements is not as great and has not developed as rapidly as proponents would have anticipated. "To some extent this is an example of a solution looking for a problem and that is a e I wonderful tenant of this industry," says Guido Smit, president of Sybase Canada Ltd. in Mississauga, Ont. Last year, Sybase released its Adaptive Server based on its Adaptive Pure objectdatabase management sys- Component Architecture. The architecture is tems finally have a vendor bigfoot on their based onopen component logic,development side: Computer Associates International Inc. tools and optimized data stores. The multishipped its long-promised Jasmine software tiered framework is designed to manage and last December. But pure object databases deploy components across a distributed comstill make up just a sliver of the overall data- puting environment. "The software industry and the infrabase business. "It's a teeny-tiny market," says Carolyn DiCenzo, director and princi- structure industry are loaded to the gills with pal analyst, database and data warehousing incredibly inventive minds, almost restless worldwide program for Dataquest in San souls figuring out clever and neat things. They occasionally bump into challenges and when Jose, Calif. Dataquest projects the worldwide sales of they resolve them they run around saying, pure object databases will increase from 'Here is a solution the world must be waiting US$122 million in 1997 to US$164 million in for.' But that isn't always the case," Smit adds. Although acknowledging his company 1998 while at the same time relational databaswas party to the hype, John Sawler, server es that include object-relational hybrids will marketing manager for Mississauga, Ont.grow from US$5.3 billion to US$6.2 billion. http Jtwww.ccwmag.corn

September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER ~ 27

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based Oracle Corp. Canada Inc., says the message that niche or w i t h Microsoft Canada Co.'s specific applications can best utilize objects such as multimedia data types, has been lost in the claims that objects are the next revolution in database technology. "A typical organization doesn't have the need for storing, accessing or manipulating multimedia data. It's complex and involves specific applications," he said. But according to Sawler, although still very much a niche market, users will begin to see the benefits of objects especially with the evolution of Web applications. When Oracle 8.1 becomes available this November, the Internet will play a big part of that release. According to Sawler, included will be: Internet features and functionality to extend the database over the Internet, support for Java, and integration with Internet application servers. "A lot of organizations are extending existing databases and making them accessible through the Web whether through traditional means or application servers," he said. IBM Canada Ltd. delivered Starburst technology in DB/2 Version 2 on OS/2, Windows NT and Unix platforms in 1995. It is object-relational, with support for image, audio, video and text data types. But according to Hershal Harris, director of database technology at IBM's Toronto Lab, IBM didn't hype its object-relational extensions and still today wouldn't hype DB/2's object-relational capabilities. "We early on recognized the need to extend the relational model to include object support. And we did that at the same time we were solving other customer database issues like scalability and ensuring high performance," he said. "When objects are part of a complete product that is appealing to customer — not the only characteristic — users are buying it and trying it but still running their traditional applications." Accordingto Harris,customers are far more focused on business intelligence and support for e-commerce than objects. That is why IBM continues to focus on the broader aspects of DB/2 standard SQL query and provide along with object support. datainformation from an array of sources," he said. rUNWUU S how Me th e Benef i t s T he result, according t o IBff Dataquest's DiCenzo says users NIH W U U McKee, is that IT shops can build have been frustrated by the failure NN I H N I W N * I NI W NW I IN W IW database systems that easily leverI I II on the part of universal database age legacy data and are easy to vendors to deliver a sound econombuild,extend and manage. ic model to justify relational system Bad timing is another reason migrations. No one doubts the techthat object excitement has slumped. nology's advantages, but few have According to Don Jackson, been able to sell it s return on country manager for Informix investment. As with previous overSoftwareCanada Inc.,people on V NV U V NNN b hyped technologies, object-relathe database administrative side tional is a technical success but a have been overwhelmed with the marketing failure. Year 2000 situation and haven' t "Object-relational is not a high TerraServerusesMicrosoft SQLServer 7.0Enterprise Edition to hostwhat had the time to invest in learning pnonty in IT today," says Hurwltz Microsoft calls theworlds largest on-line database.Therepository of aerial object-relational technology. Group's Barnes. "Embracing tech- photographsandsatellite imagesis athttp.//wwwterraservermicrosott.corn "A lot of IT shops have been nology initiatives used to be seen as focused and consumed by year a value-add, even when they didn't have demonstrable bot2 0 0 0 and that has becom e a much more pressing need than the tom-line impact. Today, more companies pass on new tech- business advantage clearly available to them with a objectnologies until they can clearly understand how they' re going r e l ational database," he sald. to return economic profit. That aspect still isn't clear with uniThose business advantages include "faster, more accuversal servers." rately revealed patternsin a company's data which result in Michael McKee, marketingmanager database servers asavingsof money,tim e and eff ort," according to Jackson. •

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Relational database makers have themselves also seen "If you really want and believe in objects and if you look better days. Along with the Year 2000 concerns, issues such as at all the development tools people are using today everything marketsaturation, poor marketing, foreign currency crises,and is virtually object-oriented. Certainly Java is the hottest and vertical industry mergers are causing losses in some instances, most recent case of a pure object development environment. So at Informix, Oracle, and Sybase. if you are going to do development with tools like that, then it According to Kaufman, IDC Canada figures show that the only makes sense to have a database that can support the same overall database market in 1997 was model of objects that your tools are . Iwc%%I lwwlw ~ ~ ' w~ ~ sg wls expected to have grown 26 per cent using." over the previous year, but in actualUniversal databases were ity, it only grew by about 11 per cent. positioned as more flexible than Not surprisingly, the major players pure object databases, because the seem to disagree on the diagnosis of universal databases extend existing ( the database market's health. relational technology, making it la@ L NN ~ tw ~ Informix, for its part, claims easy to port legacy online transacits problems relate to execution and tion processing (OLTP) systems to have been corrected with a recently new object-relational platforms. revised marketing plan. "We' ve not The idea was that strategic data seen anyweakening of the market would be accessible to new and that some of our competitors have existing applications. attributed their p r oblems to," According to its proponents, Jackson said. the object-relational hybrids provide the benefits of objects withpure Objects out forcing users to turn away versus Hgbrlds from f amiliar r e lational t echSybase'sAdaptive ServerEnterprise databasetechnology wasamongthe Don LeClair, vice-president of niques. Oracle's Sawler says Sybasesolutions employedlo meetthe 1998World CupTournament's information management marketing IT needs (httpywwwtrance98.comj. o bject-relational h y brids w i l l with Computer Associates Intereventually be the more attractive national Inc. claims that unlike its competitors, user acceptance object option since they offers users the extension of relaof Jasmine is moving the Islandia, N.Y., company well along tional architectures instead of a brand new way of storing its five-year goal of turning Jasmine into a billion dollar busi- data. "Users have made a huge investment in relational dataness. "I think the timing is right and we' re really at the front of bases — not only in the technology but in programming staff the curve that is getting picked up and is generally accepted." and database support — and by busing the object-relational LeClair claims that traditional relational vendors have approach you allow them to use the same infrastructure rather muddied the water when it comes to object technology and that than replace all the technology." user resistance to object-relational databases all comes down to Pure objectdatabases also represent an unnecessarily the fundamental merits of the pure-object versus object-rela- steep learning curve, longer development cycles and potentially costly investments, according to Informix's Jackson. tional hybrid approach. "Relational vendors came out with objection-relational hybrids and thought that would be suffiObject Future? cient, but that doesn't have even most of the basic concepts of So is there a future for object databases? object technology," he said. While object databases are not in danger of replacing other types on the market just yet, Internet multimedia and the need for blazing-fast data access gives object databases a longawaited market breakthrough. "The interest in object databases has always sprung from the shortcoming of relational databases. Useful as relational databases can be, there are a few things that they don't do very well. They don't have sufficient storage to manipulate bulky complicated data such as images, digital audio and video, geospatial information and the like," said Hurwitz's Barnes. In years past, that sort of data was relatively rare. Another important limitation of rational databases lies in I their awkwardness in communication with object-oriented applications. Dataquest's DiCenzo predicts: "As Java becomes more popular, I think we' ll see that more and more applications are going to be using object stores to hold Java-class libraries and Java objects, as well as Java applications." II',CW ~ AhNI

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Antonietta Palleschi is a Toronto-areajournalist who specializes in high-technology reporting. http JAvww.ccwmag.cpm September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER ~

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.Product Review by John Hamm I"

rt Ancient Greece, Delphi was home to the greatest oracle of them Borland Delphi 4 continues this tradition with client/server tools to communicate with Oracle, Sybase or just about any database. And the pagan gods of antiquity would have loved this latest release. Leaving ancient times behind, the modern history of the Delphi product goes back to the mid-'80s, when Borland shocked the develper community with the nearly perfect Turbo Pascal at the unheardf...~ o f U S$49.95. It sold millions of copies and Borland pretty ~we11'defined the Pascal programming language. Turbo Pascal eventuolv/ad into Delphi, Pascal into Object Pascal, and with this version Delphi just keeps getting better. <1 peiphi 4 is slick, fast and rock-solid, and produces small (by indows standards) stand-alone executable files. It is for this reason ":,)tb@Delphi is often the tool of choice for producing the small freeware utility programs given away by the major computer magazines. NaII.

. ,

base Connectivlty

elphi 4 is equally good as a development tool for producing large enterprise-wide custom applications, It comes with a cornucopia of Ing-in components that make database connectivity easy to implement ing sophisticated database transactions. We reviewed the Professional edition, which supports Access, FoxPro, Paradox, dBase Qe databases. either on the desktop or over a local area network. " Theblient/server edition includes SQL drivers for Oracle, Sybase, ' "j3nformtx,"'MS SQL Server, InterBase and DB2. Both Professional and Client/Server editions include excellent data-aware components such as 'zable grids and list boxes. Also included are pared-down but still very good versions of third-party tools such as the TeeMach SL's The Chart 4.0, an excellent business graphing control. We did feel that SQL Builder, a tool to visually create SQL queries, should have been included in the Professional edition and not -:.„limited'fo the Client/Server edition. Unless you' re an SQL whiz, you' ll ' r+ttbly need a tool to generate complex SQL code. Microsoft Access, ox.'Pro and Inprise's own Visual dBase provide such tools. We were reed to fire-up Microsoft Access if we were stumped on our SQL. 'ib ittconv'enient and doesn't seem like the best marketing strategy. .~ Apart from the lack of an SQL wizard in the Professional version 'were very pleased with the database functions. Be warned though, , distributing database applications means distributing the Borland Database Engine (BDE), which adds both size and complexity to the installation. Luckily, InstallShield Express is bundled with Delphi 4. This program takes care of the messy details of getting a complicated pHcation ready for distribution and the wizard-like process includes handling setup of the BDE at the user's end. g The Standard edition is not recommended for applications requir*.-'.'Ittg'database access, as the database tools are severely limited. : -

. .

is Slick, Fast and Rock Solid to get your feet wet for US$99.95 and then upgrade to the Professional version for US$249.95. The best bet for non-enterprise users is the Professional version. It's US$799 for new users but the compenTive upgrade is US$299.95. Delphi 4 Professional will not disappoint you whatever your programming interests, from database to Web applications to multimedia. The Client/Server Suite is the toptier product. At US$2,199 for the competitive upgrade this is pretty serious software. The feature list is rich including 175 pre-built components. This edition has all the necessary tools for large corporate network applications. •

System Requirements Processor: Inprise recommends an Intel 66MHz 486DX processor or higher. For this review we used a 166MHz Pentium and found it to run nicely. While Delphi 4 may run on a 486; it will be sluggish. Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3) is required. Memory: Inprise suggests 16MB RAM with 32MB or higher recommended. Our review machine had 64MB RAM. 16MB is a joke — presumably, if you have patience, it will work, but at today's RAM prices, go for at least 32MB. Other requirements include 60MB of hard disk space (compact install), a CD-ROM drive, a VGA or higher resolution monitor, and a mouse.

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The main competition to Delphi 4 is Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0/6.0. Both products provide similar Rapid Application Development (RAD) environments and both are designed to meet the needs of utility and application developers. In our opinion, Delphi beats the competition handily due to its speed; the small size of the executable files it produces, and its true object-oriented architecture. On the other hand, Visual Basic, particularly Visual Basic for Applications, resides on almost everyone's desktop as part of the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft has made it very tempting for veteran and new programmers to leverage the knowledge they pick up along the way rather than try to learn another programming language. Inprise has done a superb job continuing to improve and support : .,pea Versions t s-es th5"-practice these days, Inprise continues to use the three-tier Delphi. Delphi 4 is a mature development product with excellent third;;$ I marketing strategy for sales of Delphi 4. The Standard edition, the bot- party support. There is an active on-line community and dozens of '"'"-'4 toi Nt tier, is hard to recommend for anything but learning. This is not to books toaid the beginner and advanced programmers and we have no --. says is not as slick and solid as the other editions but it lacks the neat hesitation in giving Delphi 4 our highest recommendation. Icing! advancedfeaturesinjustabout every area and is ultimately frustrating. Nevertheless, Delphi is ne inexpensive, and if you have never used John Hamm is co-owner of Vancouver's Eastside DataGraphics. He . Pascal before, es ial l j ec t Pascal, it may be a good investment can becontacted atharvesrebc.sympatico.ca '- SO ~ cANADIAN coMpUTE wf ESALER 5'eptember 1998 ht tpJtwwwccwmag.corn

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ore than three years ago, David Botterill, owner of orthwest Digital in Calgary, saw the writing on the wall in the computer industry and decided to turn his strictly PC hardware outlet into a provider of systems' integration. The change was not something he could accomplish overnight for his 35person operation. It meant among other things, hiring more professi onal staff with new skill sets, such as project t management. "If you' re not creating value, you' re '? out of business," E he says. It should not be a surprise. Some resellers are taking a critical look at what they are doing. Bruce Stuart, president ofthe Vancouver-based ChannelCorp Management Consultants Inc. lists the current failings in the PC-selling business. He said hardware margins are becoming slimmer all the time, as processor prices drop about one per cent every two or three weeks. Resellers used to receive price protection as an insurance policy against a fall in value in the consumer market for already purchased systems. But various PC manufacturers have stopped offering this and in its place have established build-to-order and channel assembly programs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which

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are supposed to eliminate excess systems cluttering the channels. (The jury is out on that score.) In Vancouver, three PC retailers — Doppler, Byte Computer and Advantage Computer — have recently closed their doors. 'The hardware margins were the water that kept the gardens lush. But when you turn off the water, the garden goes dead," said Stuart. He predicts there will be fewer computer retail superstores as PC sales head in the same direction as consumer electronics and refrigerator business. "We are looking at a situation where a third to a half of the PCs are going to be sub-$1,000 by the end of the decade." Stuart is not sure the answer lies in all resellers switching to systems integration, since most of those businesses are either too small or lack sufficient technical and financial resources to accomplish that type of contract. He suggests they focus instead on what is possible and still lucrative — services, support, training and consulting. "Take a look at the integration that EDS does, versus the integration that a 10-man VAR can do. They are not in the same league." However, what systems integration actually entails is open to inter, pretation. Some resellers call themselves "integrators" in order to differentiate themselves from their competition. Markham, Ont-based i graphics card manufacturer, ATI Technologies Inc.,uses the terms "syst ems integrator" a n d "OEM" interchangeably in its channel strategy terminology. And the well-known "system integrator" SHL Systemhouse actually derives half of its Canadian revenues from reseller activity. Market research firm International Data Corp. states categorically that systems integration comprises of the planning, design, and implementation and project management of a technology solution. It is more than just constructing a network solution. Usually, the integrator has agreed to do a contract at either a fixed price or with a specific definition of how the work will be delivered onsite. Included also are systems specifications and assured performance levels. Such projectsoften exceed $250,000. A few vendors, such as IBM Canada Ltd. are attempting "with difficulty" to crack the market of mid-sized companies with more affordable enterprise resource planning solutions, according to Lars Goransson, research manager for services atToronto basedInternational Data Corp. (Canada) Ltd. He adds that in terms of marketing, SI providers "are positioning themselves as business consultants rather than information consultants." Confirming this switch in approach is Bev Buckton, director of marketing for the Vancouver-based Burnt Sand Solutions Inc., which has undergonea complete makeover from resellerto integrator/professional services company. CEO Jim Yeates was formerly the president of the ComputerLand retail chain, later taken over by Systemhouse. Buckton said: "If we were to try to explain what we do as concisely as possible, we certainly wouldn't say we were a technology company. In fact, we' re a solutions provider, in the truest sense of the , ,

word. We focus as much on the business process and business rules that the organization has in place, as we do the technology." He suggests this reflects how the PC vendors are more focused on assisting the strategic goals of corporate clients, and associated with just providing products with new features and functionality. While Burnt Sand still does derive revenue from licensed software sales, this is becoming a less significant part of its business. "What we do is bring in more of the specialized software — customer management software, project collaboration software." Burnt Sand is becoming less of a VAR — which Buckton defines as a business primarily focused on developing an effective solution for a vertical market like accounting, says Buckton. 'They (resellers) are hoping the accountants will buy it. They are not worried about whether the accounting firms are set up to effectively use it." His company also differentiates itself from the large consulting houses, like Andersen Consulting, which have developed their own integration units or the large SIs like Systemhouse. At Burnt Sand, he continues, there is greater emphasis on turning out these solutions quickly. "Companies can't live with the 18- to 24- month development cycles. You need to spin out a solution in a few months. Less than six months is the absolute max." The large consulting firms, Buckton finds, are like law firms, which prefer to bill by the hour. This is a completely different approach from most systems integrators, which operate on a fixed time, fixed price basis. "We are going to do this solution for $50,000 (for example) and that's is all there is to it. It doesn't matter if it takes us a week or (more). That's our goal. That's nice from a customer perspective. They are not worried about having a team of 50 consultants on their premises for six months running up big bills." Burnt Sand, a largely technical company of 100 employees, is an example of a middle-sized integrator beating the large consulting houses and winning contracts with large corporate clients like the Globe and Mail, Petro-Canada and Bay Networks. But there are only so many opportunities in this kind of market in Canada. Winnipeg-based VAR Computer Kortex concentrates almost exclusively on what it calls the "mid-market" — organizations with 25 to 500 employees regularly using desktop PCs. Pat Kewin, the vice-president of sales for its eastern region, reports that systems integration is the fastest growing portion of the company's business. "We don't want to ~4 be only a fulfilling reseller because that takes you out of the strategic end of your customer's business — which is tying it altogether and driving the business results • I through the integration." 0 He states that demand for integration has always existed in the mid-market. But i • its requirements are different from large corQ porate clients. "Our target market generally does not have the large IT departments needed to deploy the high-end integration. We are very much an extension oftheir organizations." s 4 I I 8 But not all clients want integration services, Kewin points out. "In many cases, the customer doesn't require or want the integration of those products and applications." gg ll

Paul Weinberg is a Tor0nto-based journalist who specializes in high-technology reporting. He can bereached atpweinbg®interlog.corn. http JAvww.ccwmag.corn

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1 his n)oi>th 8 systems were tcstecl us>nii l3APCO's Sysmail(32 bci>cl»n;irliin ii soltw;>rc.

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Editors' N o t e : out aclclin too»1uch lo flic. p> icc. The aclclil ion In t rs rr)(lushy a Iot can change rn lust a few wee>is After setting the initial criteria Intel ar)nounce<f a pncr (trop on<is ciiips Ol the DVD cfiive (. >>venot notonl on y incre;ises i n cr "i'est tf>c >0 slorslur- yy e ha (I frxe<f a 300MHz ceiling going into the tests, hut hy press time, a faster chip wouf(I certainfy hc possible rn tars pncc range aoe p ' ' ' ~s: ' ' fwih a iesi >tant ncrease in system performance) In ihe inie esi of fairness io all the parlic pa)ts Ibis mon>>i, we krpi Ihc '

opens up ii ne w

w o > lcl ol inulti>T>ccha Io>' the

300 MHz cap rn piece However, resellers may f»RIworthvvhrte <I Io also prrce oiit slrrfhtly fasicr vcrsrons of <hase systems

R 34

I%A

c A< vADIAN coMPUTER <vr-IQL(sALLR sap<ember 1998 ht t p: //www.ccwmag.corn

'«<'Ir

L AB

T E ST

Comtronic AO en Price:$2,295 street Pros:The 10,2GBhard drive offers plenty of room for software and storage. Although CD-RWmedia is still a bit expensive, the inclusion of the CD-RW in this system (and a complimentary blank disk) is still handy, as it can be used with regular (and now inexpensive) CD-R media for write-only copies. The system comes with a big software bundle from Microsoft, including Encarta 98, Cinemania 97, Golf, Money, Works, and 3D Movie Maker. Also included is Norton Anti-Virus. Cons:The inclusion of the CD-RWinstead of a DVDlimits multimedia. However, this is a very minor complaint. The AOpen system is a well-rounded system with most of the goodies tucked away inside the machine. With a CD-RW as the main CDdrive in this system, a large hard drive, and a big software bundle included, there' s a lot about the AOpen machine to like. AOpen systems are generally not overly flashy, but they certainly offer a lot. With a really spacious hard drive, and aCD-RW onboard,this system could be averyvaluableforthecustomer who dealswith alotofdata and needs to make copies (or, for the user who is interested in making their own music compilations!). The software included with the system also makes a good hook for the rest of the family.

Com a Presario 5031 Price:$2,309 SRP

Em ac Azure Price:$2,150 street Pros:With 128MB RAM, the 100MHz BX chipset motherboard and 8MB video memory, this system is fast. The sound card used is Creative Labs' new SoundBlaster AWE64 Gold, for high-quality input and output. Creative's PC Works multimedia speakers (from subsidiary Cambridge Soundworks) are also included. Cons: There is very little in the way of software on this machine beyondthe operating system and configuration programs for the components. Again, while not an overly flashy system, the Azure system sent to us by Empac has a few nice features up its sleeve that make it worth considering. Coming in with a really good benchmarking score, and with lots of room to expand, the Azure may be a great pick for fans of power. The lack of bundled software or obvious "cool" components like a DVD or CD-writer may turn some people away. On the other hand, the soundcomponentsincluded inthe system aretop-notch,andthe BX motherboard ensures compatibility with future CPUs and other components that can benefit from the higher bus speed. Tinkerers may love this one.

Pros:The 5037 is a great overall package, with an eye-catching design sure to get customers interested in the machine's other features. USB and joystick ports appear right on the front of the computer, which allows for easy connection of scanners, digital cameras, and other peripheral devices. (Reaching around the back of the machine to connect things can be annoying.) This is one of the first machines to feature the Digital Flat Port for flat-panel displays. Normally, hookIng a flat-panel display up to a computer involves converting the video signal to analogue (that is the job of the display adapter), and then converting it back to a digital signal at the flat-panel, This new type of port is a direct digital signal between the computer and the display, with no signal loss from the conversion process. Cons:There's not a lot of video RAM with this machine, so higher display resolutions may not be well-supported. The smaller amount of video RAM brings overall system peformance down somewhat. The performance difference may not necessarily be a big concern for the general user, but speed freaks will be put off. Theone-year parts and labor warranty period is fairly short. Compaq'ssystem isthe most uniquelooking system in this month's round-up, I -- --""-'-: with rounded edges and a slightly slungback look. A lot of attention was paid to design with this computer, from the recessedCD-ROM (behind apanelwhich can -hide a second device If one is installed later) to the swinging door below that reveals joystick and USBports right on the front of the machine. It's not the fastest machine in the bunch. Still, the Compaq Presari o 5037 is a machine that has a lot of nice features, most notably the forward-looking digital video port. Its eye-catching design is certainly a conversation piece that couldgo a long wayto makingthe sale.

httpJAvww.ccwmeg.corn September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER

] 35

L AB

T ES T

NtraNet

Touch I

Price:$1,999 street

Uitinet

Pros:The 8.4GBhard drive is spacious. A U.S.Robotics 56Kbps modem, 8MB video card,a 3D sound card and Yamaha multimedia speakers come included with the system. Lotus Smart Suite is included.

Price: $2,025 street

Cons:The product seems a bit plain compared to systems with DVD and other nifty toys. Still, the price makes up for that. At $1,999, the Supercom-distributedTouch system comes in at the very low end of our price range,but comes with some nice components. While it's not packed with the fancytoysthatcome in some of the other systems this month, the Touch system still comes with a good selection of components, including the larger hard drive, a fast CD-ROM drive, multimedia speakers, and the Lotus SmartSuite package.Reasonablyfast,the system is a great choice at a lower price.

IBM Aptiva EBS

Pros:The Ultinet machine provided the fastest performance of the systems testedthis month. The machine provides excellent value for the performance. The userhas the choice of either the LS-120 drive or a Zip drive and standard floppy for the price quoted. (Note: the system we tested included the LS-120 drive; the system performance with the Zip drive may vary slightly). The BX chipset allows for faster bus speed and the performance advantages associated with that chipset. Cons:Not much is offered in the way of software, although a basic home office suite is included. When it comes to speed, Ultinet is generally right on top of it. With 128MB RAM and the BX chipset on the motherboard, this system certainly performs. While also lacking a bit in flash, the Ultinet system delivers in performance. It doesn't have DVD, like some of the other machines, and has only a very basic software bundle, but the components included are high quality. Many users will appreciate the BX board and the faster bus speed. With the price as low as it is, and with a number of slots free, this machine is a great foundation for those who want to upgrade later.

Price: $2,449 SRP Pros:The IBM name is one of the best in the industry. The DVD drive offers greater capacity than a CD-ROMdrive, and also doubles as a DVDvideo playback device, with reasonably goodquality softw are-decoded MPEG video.64MB RAM and an 8GB hard drive are good numbers for this system. Lotus SmartSuite is included. Cons:The price is on the higher side. One year is one of the shorter warranty periods in this roundup. Although IBM often seems more concerned with building good overall machines than with speed, the Aptiva E86 manages to keep an eye on both considerations,and off ers up a good balance. While the performance is slower than some of the other systems tested this month, the Aptiva checks in as a good solid machine, with a lot of great components and expandability. While a bit more expensive, it is still a great overall machine, with IBM's good name backing it up.

STD Com uPartner Price:$2,188 street Pros:Boasting 128MBRAM, and a SoundBlaster AWE64video card with 8MB onboard, the system offers great performance. The DVD drive offers higher capacity than a standard CD-ROM,and the hardware MPEGdecoder offers exceptional DVD video playback. An LS-120 drive is included instead of the standard floppy, offering removable 120MB disks for archival purposes, while still maintaining backward-compatibility with standard floppies. The street price is great, considering the components included (such asa U.S.Robotics56Kbps modem). Cons:There is no software included with this system. We always look forward to STD systems, as they are filled with well-chosen components. This month is no exception. The CompuPartner features great components, teamed up with zippy performance, adding up to a great overall machine at a great price. For people who plan to provide their own software, this system could very well be the keeper.

36 f CANADIAN COMPUTERWHOLESALER September 1998

ht t pJtwww.ttwmag.tom

Easy to Use ... Eas to choose!

W hen i t c o m e s t o managing c omplex te c h nology, e a s ier i s b etter. The D r a go n E y e ™ b y Sceptree has the r e v olutionary ARRC' " interface . J u s t two control s o ne fo r s elect i o n o ne f o r ac( ) u s t m e n t What could be easier?

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19-inch (18-inch viewable) cRT flat square monitor Ry'Asc .22mm (honzontal)go/ Sceptre's ARRG (~P . rot ) ' +ocus Advanced Elliptical Aperture Multt Five year limited warranty to Annti-Astigmatis Optional USE(' s

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•

&(:CP EXCELLENCE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE

L AB

TEST

Advance Interface Ex ress Micro Price: $2,249 street Pros:The system comes with a Panasonic DVD drive and hardware MPEG decoder, for increased storage capacity and for highquality playback of DVDvideo. The standard floppy drive is replaced with the LS-120 drive, which increases removable storage etrctttrec capacity while still remaining compatible with old-style floppy disks. The Matrox G200video card, SoundBlaster AWE64 andthe US Robotics 56Kbps modemare all top' : g' notch components. Lotus SmartSuite 97 is included. The system comes with an outstanding warranty (five years labor, three years parts). Cons:The 51GB hard drive is a bit smaller than the drives on some of this month's other systems. Just shy of being the fastest machine of the bunch, the Express Micro machine also offers up an outstanding system value, with a great collection of components and more. Overall, this system is a tough one to beat, with great performance, good DVD video results, a LS-120 drive, and nice internal components. With a warranty for five years labor, and three years parts, this is an outstanding system with something for everyone.

E di t o r s C hoic e Overall

Hewlett-Packard Brio 8337

Express Micro

Price:$2,436 SRP

It's really hard to beat the Express Micro system this month. While not the fastest machine overall, it was a close second, and manages to fit in a lot of great components (with

Pros: HP's experience, three-year warranty and good name back the machine. The case offers a lot of room for expansion down the road.

great-quality DVD play-

Cons:The slower processor, smaller amount of RAM, and only 2MB of video memory are not only less than in the other machines tested this month, the system performance suffers overall. A boost in system RAM and video memory could help this a fair bit. No modem is included with this system. Internet addicts will have to pay a bit extra or provide their own. The 4GB hard drive seems a bit small, although many users may find it to be more than enough. At $2,436 suggested retail, the Brio isn't exactly a bargain, especially considering the components included. The Brio 8337 is Hewlett-Packard's entry into this month's contest. While it's a well-built machine with good components, it leaves a bit to be desired in some areas. Compared to some of the other machines tested this month, the Brio 8337 seems sadly under-powered, especially when you take the pricing into considering. To befair though, it's a pretty good machine, and would be an even better one with a bit of extra RAM. In addition, there are a lot of slots on the board for future expansion.

back). What's even better is it manages to stay right in the middle of the pricing range set out for this month. This is a great overall machine for the family. Value

Ultinet The Ultinet was the fastest machine in the test. While it doesn't have the DVD drive that made some of the other machines look so attractive overall, it offers the choice

between an LS-120drive or a Zip drive (with standard floppy). Ultinet fills the rest of the machine up with quality components, for just over $2,000.This is definitely a great basic system. life

Sean Carrut hersis CCW's TestLab Editor.He can be reached at saanÂŠtcp.ca.

j C A NADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998

ht tpJlwww ccwmeg.corn

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NEW

SERIES

„3

Intel® 440BX

Dual Processor

p • Intel'440BX support both 66MHz and100MHzhost busfrequency • Supports Intel Pentium'll processor up to400MHzand future frequency • LDCM (optional) • NSTL CeAlfled • Intel Verification Lab verified • PC 97 ready

Intel® 440BXUltra 2 SCS on board Dual SC I Channel

• Supports Intel Pentiumall processor

up to 400M Hz andfuturefrequency • Dual Processor architecture with Intel' 440BX chipset • Targets CAD/CAM, desktop publishing, and server markets

• Supports Intel Pentium'll processor up to 400M Hz andfuturefrequency • Adaptec' AIC-7890 Ultra 2 SCSI chip on board • Adaptec'AIC-3860 LegacySCSIbridgeonboard • Dual SCSI channels support Ultra2 SCSIand Ultra wideSCSI • Targets SOHO, home & personal Web server markets

Graphics Video Card

w/Intel740 Chipset I I

• Full sideband 2x mode for enhanced performance • 64-bit memory interface • Full hardware setup for 1.2M triangles/sec. • Color alpha blending for transparent effects • Supports anti-flicker NTSC/PAL TV-out (optional) • 4MB and 8MB memorysupports DMEmode • Windows%5, WindowsNT' and Microsoft' DirectX drivers

30 Graphics VideoCard

Trident 9750Chip •

•

• Supports DME mode

• 66MHz 3D videoaccelerator AGPCard, 2/4MBmemory onboard • 64-bit memory interface • Alpha blending for transparent effects • Z-buffering at 16/32 bpp • Windows'95i Windows NT S and Microsoft' DirectX drivers

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W e l l - B a l a n c e d PC T E ST

Pentium II 300MHz

Pentiu m R300MHz

PentiumU 300M Hz

Pentium II 300MHz

5'I2KB

512KB

51 2KB

512KB

Compaq

Acer AX6Lc

Asus P2BX98

MicroStar 6117

64MB

128 MB

128MB

Compaq

Award

AMI

Windows98

Quantum10.2GBUDMA

Quantum6.4GBUDMA

Quantum Rraball Eclipse5IGBUDMA i

Acer CD-RW

Creative Labs32X

Panasonic DVD-RDM

standard

LS-120

ATI 3DRageLTPro

Intel ExpertColor IN700A

ATI XpertOPlay

Matrox G200

2MB

8MB

Aureal A3D

AopenAW3003D

Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold. :

So und Diaster AWE64

56KbpsV.90

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Videophone, MS Works,

MS Bundle(Encarta98,Golf,

Quicken

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6,0GBharddrive

LotusSmartSuite 97

Cinemania97l, Norton AntiVirus digital flat-panel videoport:

220 W Multimedia speakers. :

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212

276

326

298

455

471

250

260

267

330

215

303

327

319

273

290

307

241

305

354

332

250

289

316

326

1-800-567-1616

l905) 479-8336

1-800-863-6722

(905) 479-1443

www.compaq.corn

www.comtronic.ca

www.empac.ca

www.aiei.corn

$2,309SRP

$2,295street

$2,150street

$2,249street

3,3

2,2

5,3

Overall

40 ] CANADIAN COMPUTERWHOLESALER September 1998

ht tpJAvtNvvccvvmag.com

PentiumH 266M Hz

PentiumH300MHz

Pentium II 300MHz

PentiumH 300MHz

512KB

IBM

QDI 440BX I Briliant I)

Asus P2L97

Asus P2BBX

32MB

64MB

128MB

64MB

128MB

IBM

Award

Windows95

Windows 95

Windows 98

4GB

8GB UDMA

Seagate 6.4GBUDMA

Western Digital 8.4GBUDMA

Seagate Medalist Pro6.4GBDATA

24X

Hitachi DVD

Panasonic DVD 2X

standard

PanasonicLS-120

standard

LS-120 orZip+standardfloppy

S3 Trio

ATI RagePro

Diamond

DiamondG460

Matrox G200

2MB

4MB

6MB

8MB

SoundBlaster

Crystal

SoundBlaster AWE64

DiamondSonicImpact3D

Creative Ensoniq

none

K56 Flex

U.S. Robotics 56Kbps

U.S. RobotIcs V9056Kbps

U.S. Robotics 56Kbps

Microsoft Word

Lotus SmartSuite

ADpen 36X

Lotus SmartSuite Mileniumedition, R apidCommVoice, McAfee Anti-Virus

home office suite

yamahaM15multimedia speakers. : m ultimedia speakers

185

245

319

427

180

267

259

283

314

254

335

186

260

313

274

324

221

293

295

271

327

185

306

310

288

317

199

278

312

276

1-800-387-3867

1-800-465-7999

1-800-463-6783

1-800-949-4567

1-800-513-7732

www.hp.corn

www.ca.pc.ibm.corn

www.std.net

www.supercom.ca

www.ultinet.ca

$2,436.00SRP

$2,449.00SRP

$2,188street

$1,999street

$2,025 street

2,2

3,3

5,2

3,3

nyla~t rctulNcr I

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httpJAwvvv.ccwmag.corn

September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER

) 41

M OTH E R B O A R D S

In this feature, to be continued nextissue, we' ll examine both Socket 7 and Slot 1 motherboards designed for 100MHz+ bus speeds, testing performance and reliability with an eye on those features that can help PC builders ship a trouble-free product.

Speedsandfeeds areimportant; hut aquality mainhoardis crucial. by Graeme Ben>zett growing number of consumers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; infused with the collected wisdom of experts and would-be experts from the global Internet â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are becoming aware of the dangers of buying from smaller shops offering "bargain" prices. Perceived risks include the possibility of getting a remarked CPU and/or a fake cache. Widely circulated reports detail horror stories about how unscrupulous chipremarkers sometimes put new lettering (often very convincingly) on a slower CPU and sell it as a genuine Pentium II 300. Fake cache scammers stick a plastic chip inside a system and hope for the best. So, how can customers be sure they are getting the real thing? Of course, you could simply sell a boxed CPU (as opposed to an OEM-supplied processor) as the easiest insurance. But who wants to pay extra? There are some other ways to assure customers of the authenticity of your components. For cache verification, use a program calledcachchk6.zip, available at The Fake Cache Page (http: /lshl.ro.corn/-andy/fake. html). B e sure to r un it o n t h e machine from a command prompt (not a DOS window). There are ways of telling a genuine P300 from a remarked processor. The P300 has ECC on its Level 2 cache, lesser chips don' t. (Intel sells ECC and Non-ECC versions of the Pentium II-233 and Pentium II-266.) A real Pentium II-300 also works at 66MHz bus speed.You can check forECC on Level 2 cache using a program from Germany's c't magazine called ctp2info.exe.(ftp.heise.de). This program will identify a fake Pentium II-300 because it has no ECC on the Level 2 cache. (Do we need to mention that this on-chip memory is not the same as the ECC setting you may find listed in your system's BIOS? Unless it specifies an ECC option for Level 2 cache, the ECC reference in your BIOS deals only with your system RAM.) Ctp2info will also notice if you are running on a non-standard bus speed. Intel also has a program called CPUID (http: //developerintel. corn/design/perftool/cpuid/index.htm), but it doesn't check for ECC memory. It will, however, provide the ID of your CPU, which is helpful in detecting the processor type.

Overclocklng While we don't recommend it, a growing number of users benefit from overclocking their CPUs. Some PC hot-rodders run with a 4.5x multiplier and 66MHz bus speed, while others run at 4.0 by 75MHz (or, if living dangerously, at 4.5 by 75MHz or beyond) to get an extra performance boostoutofgraphicscardsand hard drives.Now, the latestgeneration of boards pushes the 100MHz bus as high as 133MHz. 42 ~

CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998 ht t p i t www.ccwmeg.corn

For those who want Socket 7 compatibility, we' ll also look at a range of "Super 7" boards, in conjunction with the impressive AMO K6-2, and, in some cases, non-Intel chipsets like the attractive It/IA AGPset.

il': lI 'I::I

However, Intel has changed its manufacturing process to deliberately discourage chip deception (as aspiring conspiracy theorists, we can think of a few other reasons, too). Newer Pentium II's are "multiplier-protected." How can you tell whether a Pentium II can be overclocked? Look at the manufacturing date. Intel started disabling the multipliers on Pentium II chips around the 34th week of '97. Until then, all the Klamath-series chips supported 2.5x through 4.5x multipliers. Now that Pentium IIs are no longer the overclocker's friend, a "Super7"-based board and CPU best take advantage of the price and performance of Intel competitors such as AMD, Cyrix or IDT. Indeed, AMD's latest K-2 is a very popular choice with value-conscious users and performancebuffs.Be sure to geta board that reliably supports overclocked frequencies.See http://w ww.tomshardware.corn for a number of recommendations. Intel chipsets aren't always the best choice. An Intel TX chipset, for

example, is incapable of caching more then 64MB RAM. For comparison, the Sis 5591 chipset used in many non-Intel Socket 7 boards caches up to 256MB RAM and supports added features of Cyrix and AMD CPUs.

M OTH E R B O A R D S

It's also worth mentioning that even a "genuine" Pentium II-300 is often unable to attain a stable 4 x 83. As users in newsgroups such as alr.comp.periphs.mainboard.abit and comp.sys.intel report, a board that runs fine at 4.5 x 75 may even be slower at 4 x 83 — provided that theycan find time between crashes to run the benchmarks. Desperate users resort to tuning memory settings to their slowest settings to get over-accelerated systems up and running. Our advice is: don't push too hard. Reliability often goes downhill above 338MHz on a 66MHz system bus pushed past 75MHz. Also, note that, at 300MHz or more, a Pentium II — real or not — generates a lot of heat. In a hot room, a Pentium II-300 system can become unstable and even shut down or fail because of overheating. Some hot-rodders use extra fans. Our advice is to skip the 300 entirely and get a 333MHz Pentium II instead. It runs much cooler. AMD's K6-300 also runs cooler than Intel's 300MHz chip. One case fan and one tiny CPU fan is enough to run a K6-300. For users who hate excessive noise, this is a bonus. Few users will notice any system performance difference between an Intel Pentium II-300 and an AMD K6-300.

Buying or Building a PC? Whether yourcustomers are buying a pre-built PC, upgrading an existing one or building their own computer from scratch, the motherboard they choose is the most critical decision they' ll have to make. System integrators, too, can benefit greatly from a trouble-free basis on which to build their systems.

Socket 7 and Slot 1 Mainboards DFI Inc. (http: //www.dfiweb.corn) sent us its PSBV3+, P2XBL-S, and P2XBL-D boards. Look for a test report next month. A page of Frequently Asked Questions at http: //components.dfiweb.corn/ supponlfaq.aspprovides useful information on jumper settings, troubleshooting information and definitions for the dizzying array of acronyms that the ever-changing world of high-tech forces us to keep up with. Although Y2K issues are not listed on DFI's site, the company says all its currently shipping motherboards are Year-2000 compliant. Chalutech (http://www.chaintech.corn.tw/) has a number of motherboardofferings that fare well in price/performance comparisons. Its CT-6BTM was rated the price/performance champion in the July '98 issue of Germany'sPC Magazin, and it fared best out of 24 BX boards tested in the July/August edition of Netherlands-based Computer!Totaa/ magazine. The company's CT-6BTS model adds onboard UltraWide SCSI functionality and, if that's not enough, there's the soon-to-be-released CT-6BDU with dual Slotl CPU sockets and Ultra2 SCSI, for a whopping 80MB/sec data transfer rate. We are testing three Chaintech products: CT-6BTS, a 100MHz Pentium II + UW SCSI; CT-SAGM2, a 100MHz Super Socket 7 board for AMD K6-2 (3D) 300 and Cyrix MII-300; and the Desperado Tornado I7000, an Intel i740-based AGP video card. We were delighted to see the company's BIOS update page on its Web site. It's one of the first to offer an update that adds display adapter startup preference selection for Windows 98. The BIOS update for its 6BTM M10X boards adds a feature that enables a user to choose the boot up display sequence of preferred display adapter when both an AGP and PCI display adapter are plugged in the system. This is a must-have feature we think every manufacturer will — or should — soon offer. The 6BTM (and soonthe 6BTS) can be overclocked to a maximum configurable operating frequency of 732MHz, with selectable CPU bus speeds: 66/68/75/83/100/103/112/133MHz, and selectable multipliers up to 5.5. And, for building systems based on the still-popular LX chipset,

Chaintech's LX-based 6LTM board is a good choice. It was awarded the Gold Award for performance in the June 1998 issue of UK-based PC Format magazine. Transcend (http//wwwtranscend.corn.rw/Mainboard/index.him) offers the TS-ABX, TS-ALX and TS-AEX products, which are BX, LX and EX-based boards, respectively. The p roduct page, at http: //www.transcend.corn.tw/Mainboard/product.htm,has details.

We are testing the company's TS-ABX02 (BX Mainboard), with five PCI and two ISA slots. Retailing at about US$166, it also offers SB-Link and health monitoring features. Quebec-based G.H.I. Technologies (418-801-8608) is the company's Canadian distributor. Iwlll Corp. (hrtp://wwwiwill.corn.rw)is preparing to release updated versions of its BD100 (Slot 1) BX and XA100 (Socket 7) motherboards in late August. Until then, the Iwill BD100 is faring well in reviews around the world. The BD100 motherboard beat other 14 competitors to capture the Editor Choice award in the May 15, 1998, issue of DOS//, a Japanese magazine, while Croatia's CompurerWorld gushed: "We love it." A review of the dual-CPU DBS model with onboard SCSI at Tom's Hardware was a little less enthusiasnc, noting its average performance and issues when attempting to use an ISA Plug and Play network card. That review also notes compatibility problems with Toshiba PC100 SDRAM, although Corsair PC100 SDRAM and Samsung PC66 SDRAM both worked well. Nevertheless, the review commends the BDS100's compatibility and provides workarounds to some minor issues. The Taiwanese company's BIOS update page has FAQs, on-line user manuals, test reports and BIOS updates to help dealers and users resolve problems. QDI Computer (Canada) Inc. (http: //www.qdi.ca/) sent us three of its optimistically titled "Excellent" and "Brilliant" series of boards. The Legend-QDI Excellent I is an EX-based board (wholesaling for C$115); the $170 Brilliant I is a BX-based board, while the big kahuna of the series is the Brilliant IV, which costs $540. It's a beauty, with onboard Intel 82558 10/100Mbps LAN controller, Adaptec AIC7880/7880B SCSI controller (equivalent to an AHA-2940UW PCI SCSI controller, providing one 68-pin Ultra-wide SCSI controller and One 50-pin Ultra SCSI connector), an onboard RAIDport connector, Intelligent Monitoring System support, software power down under Windows 95 and support for dual Pentium II CPUs. The system's Award BIOS supports ALS-120 floppy and Zip-100 drive, as well as the ability to boot from IDE CD-ROM or SCSI. And why don't more systems automatically turn the fan off when the system enters Suspend mode, like this board does? Its BIOS even provides the ability for system vendors to install their own logo so that the graphic automatically appears at boot time. In short, this is one kick-ass board. (The company cautions that it should only be used in systems with a power supply rated at 250W or higher.) The company,which has received numerous awards in the recent past, also sells Legend-QDI motherboard products running the gamut of available chipsets, with LX, VX and TX models available. Like a growing number of mainboard vendors, QDI also offers its own video cards. Its Vision-1 AGP 3D Graphics Card is a 3D accelerator based on the Rendition V2200 chipset. It provides optional video in/out, MPEG2 acceleration and support for Windows 95 (OSR2.1), Windows NT4.0, DirectX5, OS/2 Warp, and Windows 3.1x. OpenGL support is provided, too — a boon for 3D and game buffs. Also available is the Amazing-I AGP 3D Graphics Card, based on the Intel i740. This card delivers MPEG-2 acceleration in hardware providing high quality software DVD video playback, albeit with quite an impact on CPU utilization. http JAvww ccwmag.corn September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER ~43

M OTH E R B O A R D S

BIOS and driver updates for Legend QDI boards are available at the company's BIOS % Drivers page. There is a two-year warranty on QDI motherboards. The company also has a very informative "LabTalk" page describing SDRAM, Ultra DMA, RAIDPort, (optional) thermal monitoring, and other features of its products. It's a service we'd like to see more technologyvendors offer. AOpen (http:I/www.aopen.corn.tw/), as the computer component division of the $7 billion Acer Group, manufactures a lot more than just motherboards, but the company's mainboards are highly regarded. The AX6B (incorrectly listed on the AOpen product page as a Pentium-class board) is a popular ATX model with Slot 1 overclockers,and can be pushed to a ridiculous system bus speed of 133.3MHz. Anandtech, i n i t s "BX Motherboard Comparison, AnandTech Awards," calls it "the best of the best." (Anandtech named ABIT's BX6 a close second.) The June 1998 issue of PC Magazine (The Czech Republic) enthusedabout the AX6B's support of new 350MHz and 400MHz Intel CPUs and 100MHz SDRAM (DIMM x 4), saying, "The results are better than anything we have ever seen." With AGP, four PCI slots and three ISA slots, this system will appeal to those for whom the two ISA slots in some competing boards isn't enough. And with voltage selectable from the system BIOS, and the rock-solid stability that has earned it so much praise, it's no wonder this Aopen board is so popular. The company's Web site has more info on the AX6B. Anandtech also named the AOpen AX59 Pro as one of the two best overall ATX Super 7 motherboards, despite only having two ISA slots. The TMC TI5VG+ was its other pick. This board uses the VIA VT82C598AT / VT82C586B (MVP3) chipset and supports DIMM x 3 or SIMM x 2. Lucky Star Technology (http: /Iwww lucky-starcom.tw), the 27th largest corporation in Taiwan, has a number of interesting products. Of particular interest to price-sensitive buyers will be its Super 7 Mainboard 5MVP3 (with VIA MVP3 chipsets), in the Baby AT form factor. This can provide an easy upgrade for those who want to keep an existing Baby AT case, yet take advantage of an AGP, USB and the Super 7 design of this board. Because of the issues related to different power supplies and placement of components on the newer ATX form boards (most notably, the improved placement of the CPU, allowing more full-length expansion boards), we suspect many users will be interested in Lucky Star's similarly featured model "5AMVP3" in the ATX form factor. With new ATX cases as inexpensive as they are, there isn't much advantage in keeping an existing Baby AT case. Of course, the company offers Slot 1 solutions as well. Its 6ABX2V is a new model that utilizes Intel's BX chipset and an AMI BIOS. The company says a new version of the 6ABX2V with onboard IEEE-1394 (FireWire) will be available in Q4 '98. The 6ABX2V is basically a BX version of the 6ALX2 model that won PC Magazine's Slot 1 Editors' Choice award in April 1998. PC Magazine (Australia) cited "the sheer performance of the Lucky Star motherboard that makes it the winner." A chart of comparative Motherboard performance shows exactly how it fared against its competition. The chart also serves as a powerful reminder of how much faster the Slot I CPU architecture now is, in general, than that of the bestSocket 7 systems. Lucky Star offers a two-year warranty, including one-to-one replacement during the first six months. The company's Web site has BIOS updates, manuals, drivers and Q&A support sections. We were particularly impressed by the company's Q&A section, which predicts trends in PC design and provides a roadmap that can help system inte44 ~ cA NADIAN coMpUTER wHQLEsALER september 1998 ht tpJtwwwccwmag.corn

grators put together the pieces that we think customers will be asking for during Q4 '98. Soltek Computer Inc. (http: //www.soltek.cotn.tw) is another Taiwanesemotherboard manufacturer.The company's SL-67B is a ATX form factor board based on the BX chipset with support for SBLink, optional thermal monitoring and dip-switch setting of CPU speed from 2x to 8x, and BIOS support for 66/75/83/100/103/112/133MHz. Four DIMM sockets, one AGP, five PCI and two ISA slots are provided, along with the usual complement of ports and VO opuons. The systems use an Award BIOS and is Y2K compliant. The SL-62A, a four PCV2 ISA slot model without the SBlink is also available, as is a dual-CPU design known as the SL-68A and, of course, a host of other models for various CPUs and chip-sets. The company's site provides BIOS updates, online manuals and a page of answers to common problems. Shuttle Inc. (httpt/twwwspacewalkercom)pins its BX hopes on a board known as the Spacewalker HOT-661. This mainboard, says the company, is the fastest Pentium II-based AGP-ready mainboard at 133MHz. The design features: the Intel 440BX chip-set (FSB a djustable f r om 66MHz to 133MHz), BIOS settings on FSB and Multiplier (Jumperless), and AGP capability. DataExpert Corp. is yet another Taiwanese motherboard, VGA card and multimedia add-on card manuII facturer. DataExpert isn't exactly one of the big names, but it's no slouch either. The company says it ships in excess of 100,000 motherboards and 100,000 peripheral cards per month. The current flagship is its MBX8440 board, based on the Intel 82440BX chipset. It's a pity that the company's U.S. Web site (httpt/Iwww. dataexpert.corn) hasn't been updated since 1996. Gigabyte (httpt/twww.gigabyte.corn.tw) is another well-known name in the motherboard world, with a number of awards to show for its products. The GA-686BX is its 100MHz flagship â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and, by many accounts, one of the fastest Slot 1 boards on the market. In addition to raw speed,itsupportsa number offeaturesmany customers are asking forfan stop during suspend mode, SB-Link connector for use the latest Creative Labs PCI sound cards, health status auto-detection and reporting, and the ability to boot from HD, LS-120, Zip or CD-ROM. Ultra DMA/33 Bus Master IDE drivers (from Triones and Intel) improve hard drive performance considerably over systems without UDMA optimized drivers.A recent BIOS update addresses some early issues with the boards, such as their inability to use a sound card on IRQ 2/9. Meanwhile, the company's GA-586AX board is popular with Socket 7 fans and is approved by AMD for use with its 266MHz and 300MHz K6-2 processors. An AMD CPU FAQ at http:/Iwww. gigabyte.corn.twlfaqamdcpu.htm! provides details, and the company's Web site has many useful links to BIOS upgrades, manuals, jumper settings, troubleshooting tips and other FAQs. Micro-Star International Ltd. (h ttp:/lwwwmsi.corn.tw) is ranked the number six PC mainboard manufacturer in the world by the American publication Computer Reseller News, despite not making the top 10 list at httpt//www.motherboards.org.At any rate, its

M OTH E R B OA R D S

Microstar MS-6119 board is characterized as "fast and reliable" by ABIT also offers this feature on its AX5 and AB-TX5 Socket 7 Tom Pabst at http:/Iwww.tomshardware.corn. He rated it second over- boards. A review at http:/tww w.motherboards.orglreviewslax5.html all in his BX board recommendations list, noting that it was the fastest details some difficulties with the AX5's Bus Master drivers but characmotherboard tested — edging past boards from Asus, Supermicro and terizes the manual as "great." Tyan. It's also a very attractive mainboard in terms of price point. The companyoffersa one-year warranty on the product. The MS-6119 supports SB-Link, fan off during suspend, and proFurther discussion of the BX6 and other ABIT products can be vides optional thermal monitoring. found in the ABIT newsgroupalt.comp.periphs.mainboard.abit. The company's latest board, the MS-6132, is a Pentium II motherboard based on the Intel 440EX AGPset, incorporating on-board Useful Links: motherboards.orgl AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) and a PC98-compliant 3D audio http:/Iwww. http:/Iwww2. tomshardware.comlmainboard.html controller in a Micro ATX form factor. The MS-6132 features MSI's proprietary TOP (Thermal Overheat http: /Iwww.qdi.ca/interest/interest.htm /Itcp.calgsblreviewslmotherboards/PC-builder-Q398. html Protection) and PC Alert technologies. In addition, MSI's SoftCooler http: /Itcp.calgsblreviewslmotherboardslspecs software complements the motherboard's conventional cooling fan to http: In our next issue, we' ll have reports on many of these boards, along reduce CPU temperature without the need for additional cooling devices. SoftCooler reduces the CPU temperature by 33 per cent in just one with benchmark tests and information on the newest products from other minute, and can reduce the CPU temperature to 90F within five minutes. popular manufacturers, including Asus (pronounced "ah-SOOS," in case The MS-6132 motherboard provides four memory banks using two you were wondering). We will be testing the PSA, the latest Socket 7 168-pin unbuffered DIMM sockets permitting memory configurations up board from Asus, as well as its popular P2B series of boards. I,'CW to 256MB of EDO/SDRAM. The on-board IDE controller provides IDE HDD/CD-ROM with PIO, Bus Master and Ultra DMA/33 modes. Up to Graeme Bennett is Editorial Director of Canada Computer Paper Inc. He can be reached at graemeirtcp.ca. fourIDE devicesmay be connected. The MS-6132 provides full AGP performance in a fully integrated solution. The onboard ATI Rage II-based VGA runs on an AGP,It "»i'' " ' 6 +,','Hti bus with 2MB (optional 4MB) of SGRAM. The ATI Rage II includes 3D acceleration for advanced graphics, multimedia, and gaming applications. The on-board PC-98 compliant audio controller is based on the Yamaha YMF740 and provides 3D audio effects and directsound hardware acceleration. The VO includes a 16550 Fast UARTcompatible serial port, SPP/EPP/ECP parallel I port, optional fast IrDA, and a 1 . 2MB/ rI I II 1.44MB/2.88MB floppy disk controller and two integrated USB ports. Modem and LAN Wake-up are standard. I I II The motherboard BIOS is fully Plug and Play, detecting peripheral devices and expansion cards automatically. The flash BIOS and drivers are upgradeable through the World Wide Web. The Plug and Play BIOS includes I ' ll support for LS-120 and ZIP drives and permits booting from CD-ROM and SCSI hard disk. ABIT (http:/lwww.abit.corn.tw)is wellknown for its motherboards. The company's BX6 board did not fare especially well in "

compatibility tests at httptllwww.tomshardware. comlabitbx6.ht>nl;however, the review acknowledges that it is a lot better than its LX6 predecessor was. The Bx6 lacks a connector for SB-

Link and features a potentially dangerous "CPU SoftMenu" feature that can, with the wrong settings, kill a CPU by zapping it with the wrong voltages. On the other hand, the ability to set the CPU and bus frequencies in the system BIOS is a very handy feature for overclockers who want to drop their system down to sane speeds for recording CDRs or other mission-critical tasks.

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,!niC:IOj)'r<C)ciSSOCCCI.;~i'he II')JC'>rn'p>L)deSJSOi>n)'<I'IC)<t)'<S>'tl(ir. Cli)<'Vre» f)V '< least.'„'n) p;)rt: n')concessior) to'.Apf)le,'-;isif)ich (lid<)'.)„e >ar)t its 0'I'istnr»cli f)1 o' SSar'ietyrnl'Cliff'orcut I;>Ct<> j)pt>tibifiry~ > i j SVJ)iel)T<(;an b~(CS<»))'>TTe~l,<)~paIS C'r'C uf>>rung cor!)pet»)g~wi>ol) .App)e.ofaer a(lug systcrr)s. »1 I)at>vc'. Irlloclc 0)1 'spcecl a't>cf prie'i, jI'o e(hc'</ihLsi+I;let'<)rs(eoLTlb'LI)(,ito<~c<'crrlc'. <L;13I'ice/pc< ~%@tvf,rr.' Cnn)Pu>t(» S. J>Na, iI<« 1<.";i'Oii )S '

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roprocc(', soi" v; ill le»el tc> rtr<'»etc(I little intcrcst. The I<>if<<re tn establish,i> C<jn)n)nn lg<)'(Iw:u'e - I)cl'c Tc»ce Platf'orrri (CI IRPJ- nulf -OS c'<fjafailf>~U'('I -I'oiic: I):C'+o»)~ ' < .T , Rese liars h;n < > to he nv ';<re,t'h<)ot 'ther~>"-is (r-"groivir) g> diiy'i<le 'I)eiiveen )<<ters I'Ion) the outset sourc d the potential ol' the Pov crPC ro )noi e nut "low c<)sr. Ic)<v":1))argir> '-,'.,«'.')'Oct/u)<o<<gf)'Pcn(r))'f)uter(s,: md- j>igyh er DP I ice("o '0 I', tlie-A'pple'.I) lac; ><yhe'I to. r .:.I)iohei:„"Ii)'i)r >In/bitt techhicj>J'lv conTJ)lex~gcieeri . br!i c»nf)T'I'li>S.>' nl,':,suc- . c'nu)lc of' i'cars>L)lthou<'h II3)vi:h:rs po»ti»<rcd In.h;ri c <adegree C':",i!i i~p~a.itf)""i Jq"-'R600(), 'CL'0I((Si n IJ'() n S(; > n(f' <1)iocis:-l;-OK'C I>1)( -'baX Cf I 'S'LI'iS orS intel >ocb(ip<T s a) j)ositi<0'i i'>Ioi>' thb '.ij«<~ir'ofsrbc "s. I' .'»1ai'I ear"rl)'>I io "soc)6)e I'('vl)at )I))'ln«(')L<s- to Jvlrcroso(L'Ls.',.)cfnminance;Yyf I'C c'>per()<Jng>gjysten)s 8ÃÃIW%0 o (") I)X<m ui)T iol<>n)P.)u)(f<rvarg>t»s<f((»i@csx~flc>S

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I»teel".'Iolloiving the Jogrc that "you can Lriir >ct >nore fires wrtJ) ho»cy ' th >5~vtfp) )T<'nc.o.la<: ' elf»'»Ii:i<eel thnsc rcb/<')>j)etrngn)ricrofjrncessors>e ith I)>(')> i)cy':.:<)<'s(ir<)te ii';>lli<>ncei..j'«(l)cr tha»'h) out)< right competitio>1': Oier ilr)c I;:1st icar,'> Int'cl bo(fght' DI >»al's"Alpl)a mrc<oprocessor pale»Ls ')u>cl)<T)(»)<Ill>ct<>r'II)g> pfa»is as p<l<'I clf a d<»<l to settle a IIIws<»t

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(iccor<ling fo ATI. Apple, I'<)r oi>e. 1)as iccognized the price/peiloim a n< L,idv inl 1 cs ofvthc Rl>'C>L'Pro i»icrop>occssor h'y selectin'. it Ior ih( i >1cw >,v']ac col»PL>ici.

+<,,,aP'9~x~~'ASL'Q "@ '..9,'.<~~4~';;„,I>';.~~",~" »>tens>)c app]icafiot>s,like 'C<AD and .30 . )rc»dc>»>a. Intel"sj,,:ch>ps;. '.c)T F<.:,:-' <j <iefary mi io-=.-.c bccan>e ob) ioiisly supei«» to Moto>o];>'s. I[3M. Apple;ind iMoiorola — Su»;>ii(l Sjfjcc<)I> G>cjph'jcs,~L'>cf) with thcii own propi 4 p ix)(cssol a>'L'f»Lectures ([i]fraSp;>rc.;>nd M]pS, respectively), have the>) co>11bi>1c<l to >lpplv ]BM s undcrutilizcd ]RISC tcchi>oloay to cro;,:— c <OCL'Q<(>vs ha)ce gr)hbcd niost ol-the C!P<ff>„.mar< c'ate. the»e)v Powei I'C 'chip. a miicli more. po)veri'nl n)jcrof»rocLsso>S "x watched as 1»tcf mjc>'f)jyi ket. Sun l)as tiicd to outll<ink flic V>intel c;imp with its Jcav:>/Netwo>f(a ih;in eiihci fhe Intel oi M o t oiola 6<S000 cliips. The pow<cipC >ej«v<, Cornputii>g> ii>iiiativc< wliilc S(J]. appea>s hc<idcd tovv<irds a n)igrati(»> . .:.>]n;i>ed: the Mcic litic, alt liough it w<qsn'f e»ouah fo c o i)>pens»>< I;)r . APPlc's I:>g<gji>g technologic <ll tl>>1ovcltlo>1 Ill ihc-'>11>d-1990s. Thc 1>ifcc'f . >Ls so]>wc'>ic ollto Illtcl-btl.icd )vorf(st(>tjo»s.''<~ Boih con>pa»ics'n>ay I'ind fhc stru gle ag(iiiisi Vcintel i»ere)sj»g-1," GS pov crpC c hi p s ; i r(. sigiiil cic;inily I'aster th;in any c u i r enf ] i i i L [ , -

' Iy h'«'d though the ['iiix coi»P:itihility of ]A -()zl >11>iv «et(I)illy' oP(.'i'1 t>P@., ncvv >n<irkct opportunitics. SGI fias tried to I cind nevv ini>ikets for >tq~qp .

.<J-'ei)tium (.'.I'Cfsx;in(f give the Mac ;in cndurii)g "APP]c!>,dv,(f)f;>gc' iii .L>»n'>s ol processrn< speccl. Vi hcilier the f'orihcotning Iniel ]A-()« w j l l '~ x ~ '><; . <„. < clif>nac tl>ut situ;i>ion ietniiins to hc seci> ~ + ~ Apple'.s l<iiiiich ol thc iiMac iii Auaiist was a bid to i'c-p(>p(i];» jz<r I' he .. lac ai«on ncv ( o mputci b(iyLrs. I'ho.f;«est p<>wci p(" >»icro ~P>'oce ol's ale; Pl> ii»f)oi tell)i P<>l'J ol thi>Lst><>Leg v.

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g thioughout tl)e: l<)90s ~O»L' (Jl tile»>ost cost-cll'cciivc va>ys to ii>crease ihe pcrfor>T>1)nce ol iiz - and 'Cyrix„„h;ivc w ciged a dc'spc>ate (inigg]e <llket

>>Itcinpti>1g to, bc >I I»LLI iit its ow >1 'ci>>1>e 1» thL' V/illdows PC::Tl'1 . (oi»]')(it'ci is Lo"l<1(Jd II> hi "h-speed <' >>if)hics". soL>>1d >)I>cfvv o> kl)1«')i. -' Lclccomi»iinic;«ii»is c >rds ] f)e inici(iprocessois on ai> «<Id-in card c;i>1 sm Both comp;inics dccidcd to cicatc W»>dows-comp<ifiblc n)>croproccsgI'elf..'c,: 'i>inch ()1',:thc piocossii>a'lo;id oft.thc C]'JJ.:r'>[]»)> in ' n>ti(h.[;>stL>i sorS<that could bc used as an option i» V<indows 1'Cs::,. '

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~ cess]»],thj>'dsp u'tv,mjcrop>OCL)sso> developei i>) th(. p(.(soli>if con)p»tcr g i i cif)p<»l! <'d f)oised fo seize signil'ice>>1L l)le>I'kct sh'ir(. with ai> incxpen-:;-,. )ccd some, HAMI) 'cxperie> ';Iicl<f>bas bee'i>'(.;i«'id i's AI I,Techno](')gj'c[s'c]nc. Thc".AT] R>i<'O'TJfj»L<: oI:;~s[VL)'c'l8(). Class,.c]o»c~[<)>fun)[tc]y for < b)tcl, *' )I its< j)i'i'mete opp<tilitunit'vs < ])>oh]>Lms wdlh<its ch> ])s,;>nd 'fo's <s Li> gl" Ipi>ics inici'oproc<'ssoi's. dcvclof)ed i>>-hoiis< by AT] inc( 1 jno M sei i<)(i's 'qualify

I L<>i >>I) g i> Sig>1>f>C<'i>t She>Le Ol thC in<irkCL [i O>1'1 [nfe]. Co>T>pal>i('S SuCh c>S": iap[IIL>s (::ir(ls. Accor(ling to ,in X ]'I Ecp>cscif>Lative,:.'havijit the chi'p g Gpmp' i(l J)1>vc.,decided..to..)»)ake.usi-:.@[„.,AMD.„*;i n(l Cyrix pnj'ccasors.. <c pC s~ytt<c»>s'ii ' (lesigncrs;»>d Lhe board de'ig»c" in thc 'an'e buildin< has 11<'v;ed us . paitly because their jo'ver price enables 'suh-g 1,000 Si;>I I.i Zll'LIS h('('n (1 k'('y' L'IC>neiii i n A I J, bCCO>>xi >iC< ff>C,)<<Oi'Id. I(.';idL> jn

bc madC <af.<)c PrO]it..and Partly >O enSure thyt there,iS <'i>1 a]LC>'>1atly(!'-' c><)> ., CPL'-",: Su])j)[jer'LO. It>t'el".:[I "SCLmS that the Lhr'L'at o'1'. 4'6'n>j)e'L'jti'()j[; f>'O 4 A M D i n d Cvrix n)i>y'hc>ve sptirred Intel to d>~<). the nnces of)]js ne)v'':: chipsets thaL=L»t> 1])c ii>stallc(l: diie(tlv-'<)n ai):,>ppropjjafclyiudesjc ne(l inotherho;>r(J,'l>>e(]»'ung svstem costs to thc >T'>'axj»>utn'de<»ecN10[-.,[VJ "1)cf)>ps,f))o>'e„,(fu>ckfy

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N ell m a y be . You' ve probably seen the ads on TV with the snails "racing" along with Intel Pentium II processors strapped to their backs. Those ads, and others from Apple Computer Inc., all end with the same claim — that the G3 PowerPC CPU in Apple's Macintosh computersis up to tw ice aspowerful asa comparable-speed Pentium II processor. At the Spring launch of A p ple's G3 PowerBook notebooksand iMac home computer, Apple's more-or-less chairman Steve Jobs made the same boast, and showed off a couple of demonstrations aimed at proving the point. He let a 266MHz G3 machine go up against both 266MHz and 400MHz Pentium II hardware, running a complex Adobe Photoshop macro, then running a Macromedia Director animation. In each case, the Macintosh handily outpaced even the 400MHz Pentium ll computer, lending credence to Jobs' claims that a G3 PowerPC is the equivalent of a Pentium II running at twice the clock speed. Is a G3-powered machine actually "up to twice as powerful?" There's no doubt about it. From the beginning, the PowerPC, originally designed by IBM, and built by Motorola, is a powerful CPU. It uses a RISC design that is in many ways more efficient than the 80x86 design that Intel has steadily evolved since the 1970s. And the G3 (for Third Generation) PPC was the first series designed specifically for Apple hardware. At the same time, Apple's operating system has steadily become m ore "PowerPC Native. " The resultis a processor and operating system that are, to a large extent, designed for each other. Using advanced 0.25-micron fabrication, and drawing only five watts of power, the G3 runs cool enough that it doesn't need a fan. It features 64KB of Level I cache built into the CPU, and 1MB of Level 2 cache — in both cases, twice the amount of a Pentium II. G3 motherboards run at 83MHz, faster than the 66MHz of all but the latest generation of Pentium IIs (and faster than any current PC laptops). The result is a h irdware design that, as suggested in the Apple ads and demos, screams — at least in some applications. Much depends, however, on the application chosen for the demonstration, and in some cases, on the specific functions chosen within the same application. And that's what makes it hard to make comparisons that hold up in reallife,Apple made much ofbenchmarking carried outby the Bytem agazine — trying to focus in on the CPUs, the Bytemark integer processor tests suggested that indeed, a 200MHz PPC and a 400MHz Pentium II scored in the same range. Hence the Apple ads. But CPUs are only one part of a computer system. In real computers, performance depends on CPU power (score one forA pple),butalso on theamount of cache (score another for Apple), and on system bus speed (either Apple or Intel scores, depending on model used). Also consider hard drive and video perfoittiance, plus the operating system 50 ~

CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998 ht t p i t w w w c cwmag.mm

(minority operating systems like Linux or the BeOS can provide some pretty impressive demos on otherwise run-of-the-mill hardware). Think about the software being used as well. Microsoft Office 4.2, for example, was well-known as an inefficient slowpoke on the Mac, while its replacement, Offic 98, includes "quick-loading code" that is a generation in advance ofOffice 97 for PCs. So when comparing actual applications on actual computer systems, it's not always easy to know how to interpret results. PC Magazine (June 3) compared a 250MHz Apple G3 " notebook with a 300MHz Pentium II desktop. A number of functions were tested m'A.dob'e kotoshop 4.0. 1: Resize, Gaussian Blur, Unsharpen Mask, Lighting Effects, and Rotate, on a 10MB TIF graphic. The testers spent some time, optimizing memory settings on the Mac (Windows 95 handles that automatically). Their results: "The G3 was slightly faster than the PC on Resize and Lighting Effects but marginally slower on Gaussian Blur, Unsharpen Mask and Rotate." But when Word and Excel were used as the basis for tests, the G3 took, on average, almost twice as long. Some might respond that PC Magazine is obviously biased in favor of PCs — but similar results were reported by Mac Addict magazine. In the April 1998 issue — the magazine seemed almost embarrassed to report that on some Photoshop functions, the PC outperformed the G3 Mac. Similarly, database tests are almost all much faster on PCs. Not because of hardware, but because the big database software companies have almost entirely ignored the Mac, optimizing their offerings for PCs. Perhaps this isn't really the point. While ads showing CPUs on snails make for snappy TV, for most users, hardware has far outstripped typical software. G3 desktop and notebook machines are well-engineered computers running a solid operating system with a good range of applications. But while G3 Bytemark benchmark scores outstrip those achieved by similar-speed Pentium IIs, a G3 Macintosh is not "twice as fast" as a Pentium II PC (and Apple's ads carefully do not claim that it is). I cal „

Alan Zisman is a computer journalist and teacher, living in Vancouver. He can be reached atazisman@home.corn.

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S OFT W A R E

Windows NT 5.0

W at is a t es' strate ? by Geof Wheelwright

ust when you'd recovered from the launch of one new Microsoft operating system upgrade — Windows 98 — another looms around the corner. Although Windows NT 5.0 will not be out until sometime later this year (or perhaps early next year, if the U.S.Department of Justice case against the company causes Microsoft to redesign it), dealers, resellers and VARs need to start thinking about NT 5.0 now. Windows NT 5.0 promises to improve reliability, fault tolerance, network management and administration capabilities. With these new features in place, resellers will be able to create a whole different range of applications and solutions. To get the details of these new features, we went straight to the top. Microsoft CEO and co-founder Bill Gates has been quite vocal about what he expects to offer in Windows NT 5.0 and has hosted a number of demonstrations of the operating system in recent keynotesspeeches about Microsoft's plans for the future. Gates has talked a lot about the Internet integration in both Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0, support for standards such as ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and efforts to build in better communications quality of service. Microsoft has also worked with networking hardware giant Cisco Systems Inc. to implement a technology it calls "Active Directory." It is supposed to make sure that if Cisco's communications equipment needs to verify who a user is or what the "system policies" are for that user, the Cisco equipment can link in to the Windows NT "active" directo52 ~ CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September I998 ht t pJArrww.ccwmeg.corn

ries to find it. e I In short, it is all about making Windows NT both simplerand more powerful. I "In 1997, our top priority became the focus on simplicity, part of which is cost of ownership — about half of everything we' ve done in NT 5.0 comes out of that key focus," explained Gates in a speech at the recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC). "It's something that I think will stay a top priority for a long time to come, because there are many, many aspects to it." He says that two other key features in Windows NT 5.0 will be its "scalability" and manageability. "Now, scalability — we have come along ways, The days when people thought of the PC as a low-end device, those days are gone," said Gates. "In fact, if you look at sales last year of Unix workstations versus PC workstations, you can see a huge divergence. Unix workstation sales were down last year, whereas PC workstation sales were up over 80 per cent." He admits, however, that Windows NT 5.0 will not meet every design challenge Microsoft faces with an "industrial strength"

S OFT W A R E

operatingsystem for use in corporations. "At the server level, there's still quite a bit to be done," concedes the Microsoft chief. "We got our clustering support out last year. That gives people a two-node fail-over capability, but we need to crank that up to allow even broader clustering capability for very high performance." He further suggests that a combination of higher chip speeds, more chips per server — and clustering of those components together along with software improvements — will lead to dramatic performance and capability gains. "And not only will the PC not be viewed as the low end, it will come to be viewed as the high end, and that's where the focus of development for all new applications will come," he says. "Now, NT 5.0 is a big milestone for us in every one of the initiatives I talked about. One of the breakthroughs here is in this idea of state management. Your state as a user has been very difficult to migrate. If you think to yourself, 'Geez, I'd like to move from one PC to another,' you have to think 'Well, where is my list of favorite Web sites? Where is my list of spelling dictionary words? Where are all the files that I created?' And getting that over to the other PC would require a lot of work, even an understanding of such mysterious things as the registry and everything that goes on there.'* As a result, this idea of "state migration" will be a key feature of Windows NT 5.0. "Well, we decided with NT 5.0 that state migration had to happen just as a feature of the operating system," explains Gates. "It would lead to a lot of benefits — being able to roam, being able to go home and use your home PC and get it all up to see — and eliminating the need to ever have to come to your individual PC to administer that state. It would all be stored centrally and subject to whatever policies that administrator wants to set." He says the real trick with Windows NT 5.0 is that Microsoft is attempting to do all of this without it being "a step backwards" by simply moving everything back to the centre of the system. "If you do that, then you give up everything that's been good about the PC — the responsiveness, the peripherals, the portability," he says."In fact, that is the approach that was proposed by the — let's call them the anti-PC crowd — which would have required rewriting all the applications, and that was the so-called NC (Network Computer) movement, or, as we like to say, the non-compatible movement." So he says that moving everything to the server would be a huge tradeoff against things that PC users expect. "So our approach, which we call IntelliMirror, gives you the best of both worlds," he adds. "It gives you the state down on the local disk, so that it' s always there for performance, but it also logically stores it in the center, and so we give up nothing to get those benefits of working centrally." IntelliMirror does this by intelligently "mirroring" the data and applications on the desktop on the server — meaning that you can access the server copy of your data if you happen to log onto another PC (such as a notebook PC or someone else's desktop) connected to the network. Even with all these great new features, Microsoft's biggest problem in selling Windows NT 5.0 is going to be all the other versions of Windows. Some users may get confused about the relationship between Windows 98, Windows NT 5.0 and even Windows CE 2.0, so Gates has taken care to make clear the reason for each operating system's existence. "We' re very enthused about Windows 98. In fact, Windows 98 is probably the simplest upgrade that we' ve ever provided, in terms of not requiring more system resources, and bringing a lot of key benefits based on what people have asked for over the last several years," he explained. "But as we do the next major

round, we are going to start with the NT technology, and so we' ll need to build a form of NT that's aiming at the consumer market. We' re still working out exactly what that will mean in terms of the features set there, but having one kernel, the NT kernel, be at the centre of all our activities. It's pretty important to us." Meanwhile, Windows CE 2.0 is starting to branch out beyond just handheld computers. "Windows CE we see on the new form factors. In the past those form factors (had) operating systems that have no relationship to Windows," he says. "We think by having the same kind of API, the same kind of driver structure, we can have some sharing there. And so for the next several years, Windows has three tiers: Windows CE, Windows 98, and Windows NT 5.0." Overall, however, Microsoft would rather than corporations and business users move to Windows NT. "Now, Microsoft is sending a pretty strong message to business customers that if they' ve got the memory to run NT 5.0, they' re better off to plan for that, and we do think we' ll see the market on the business side shift to NT 5.0," Gates concluded. "Even some of the high-end consumer could shift to NT 5.0, but it's the next major revision that will get down to a flavor of NT aimed at consumers and a flavor of NT aimed at business." CCW Geoj Wheelwright is a Vancouver-based journalist who specializes in high-techreporting. He can be reached at geojw @injowave.net.

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Sofhvarc Review

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For Microso ' ~ t e at'io' exam preparation, nothing else comes close often better than"most self-study books. to Transcender's quality, accuracy and realism. If you are a consultant ~ The supplied handbook provides or reseller continually dealing with re-certificatiotr, this has to be part:5 excellent overvieW of MicrosoR*s ceitiflcaof your certification preparation process. tions with contact information, and important According to Yury sabinin, a Microaeft,.gettiea'd"systettts"4'pltoiten@mbers, T'iiIiiiesalontra:@e'axItra:regEngineer working as an NT administrator: "Make~e that you have ~ istration process' is thorough and concise. something from Microsoft...and some kind of t est simulation." 8 Therearelistsofresources forexampreparation, Transcender's exams were an integral part of Sabinin's preparation t i p s on taking the exam and an extensive list of exam -- objectives, which are much more weAd and detailed than and the resulting high scores on his Microsoft certification test.,:.@-Microsoft's exams were precisely simulated itr their content and '=' those posted on the Microsoft Web site. The TCP/IP handmatched Microsoft's published exam objectives. In addition„q; book included @ superb,supplerqent qti "Ip Addreseltig" py

ently better' thati5<'Jonathan Ely,"with"additfonal e~ Seats.'? p":";>RIM,".L'~~a

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in competing products. To make the most out of Transcender's materials, Transcender software comes bundled with a disk and certification s t udy the topic area thoroughly first using Transcender's h andbook/owner's manual. Installation is a simple as inserting the:, exam objectives, and then take the test. When loo~ a t floppy and running the Setup program. When yoir,".run the software,,g the test answers', research all the su@died references and you generally have a choice of attemptmg from one to three exams that the options that were not correct. If you follow this process, you will simulate Microsoft's exam, By default, you,have@mintites to corn-,q find Micr@soft'sgxttms, strai@tf~ , ~ ~ ~ ~ +<~ >.,y~/fl ~',." piete the test, although that's adjustable. The exam%rmat is scen'ario-5~"" ConsiCer dowinloading the'demdti from'I: raus'4'etta' "Web site,. It's well worth the investment in time. based,and there are severaloptions to choose from. After completing the test, results are given immediately, with a © «gag ««4g@ section by section breakdown — just like in the realcertiflcation tests. g «+ ~4+~+««4+ ~ $ ', "t ~",,z~~' $~ 48;>,' For example, the NT Workstation "Examination Scbre Report" screeti " ' ptIRS«l«Olla44'%%IISCOllI«M C4IFpi ~: CCW:What's the goal oi' your company? provides the following information: ,,; Rose; Qm Nap~ t m s sion itr,u y~ p rer a ier ~t y' . ,tsducatmtial.:, ' and training products and services for the information teclmology indusName:Systems Engineer ..., try. Transcender remains a closely held, privately owned business. As the, .8' Date: September10/1998 ,. need for traming pmlucts grow@ we am constantly looking 'for ways to Topic: Windows NT Workstation Exam A vantage e sme s s PP o~ es ~ ~ sP s Passing Score: 90/1000 your Score: ]000f[000 grade: Pass 5 e "-"'"'-":"- " "' "'"""' - --"-"'"----'-'" -""--"-"'""'"-""""'--'" "" "'""" p think it 'would be aafe to assurae that Transcender will eventually seek ;:-"-'~ new sources of capital to take advantage of these opportunities 2. Installation and Configuration ~"' CCN How would you define Trancender's suppoit policy and how,'

3. Managing Resources 4. Connectivity 5. Running Applications 6. Monitoring and Optimization 7. Troubleshooting

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;4-:.:Rose: Transcender's policy is to provide timely, knowledgeable ' support for our products. While we ar'en't able to satisfy every cus- ==~~ tomer all of the time, we are constantly re-evaluating how to satisfy "~N 1'+~'~~4 ouf customers iiitd meet theiri needs. we .have 'Made significant «I"" ' ;

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~ investments in technical staff and training, particularly in the area of,', Transcender's passing score is about 85 points higher than M i c r osoft products and technology. Microsoft's .If you can pass Transcender's exams upon first try,the ~; CA Y:Which certif lcations do you cover? probability is high that you can pass Microsoft's exams, In fact, --:~ Rose: At presertt,~ pr oducttr:are N)0 per cent for the Microsoft -~=-,„. Transcender offers a money-back guarantee if a customer fails C e r tifiedProfessionalProgram(MCP).Asonewouldexpect,ourbusiMicrosoft' s exams. :,:,,i:,", eas. is walghutij+vrard tiie 1@gIXl Qfr4lf?g, $@Iteqy Engilleer,:..".'W On the "Examinauon Score Report" screen, users have the'.-":.'' (MCSE) side;:hesvever, we cl ue ' W oker the Most ielectioti of ':.g:."'. options to print a report, save responses, and view answers, M i c rosoftCerifiedSolutionsDeveloper(MCSD)products available. Transcender really shines in its answer screens. Not only do they CCW : How does the MCSD track compare relative to the MCSE have a thorough explanation of the correct choice, but also refer- a n d again which options are @e most popular? How about MCP Q : ences with chapters and page numbers are provided for additional v e r sus MCSE? VL information. The explanations are superb in their clarity and accura- Ro s e:Obviously there are more MCPs than those holding the other cy, They are an excellent review source of exam topic areas and are - credentials due "to the one-teat;: fetpilement for,jyICp status, I?te,,

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T RA I N I N G

MCSE has been far more popular than the MCSD. Systems engineers are more comfortable and familiar with certification and its advantages. Also, developers as a group seem a little less willing to acknowledge the need for certification and valsacr ' I~ fya I ISCeriderCOInidation of their knowledge and skill sets. We think this will change over time as developers become more dependent on object-oriented development tools and component development models generally. to US$149, CCR!'Which are the most popular certificafion opfions today? UpOn pptiOng Rose: Not surprisingly, in this age of the World Wide Web, a11 Kings related to the Internet are hot. We see strong interest in TCP/IP and IIS. Th@ exampreparatiOn CCR! What certification options should computing professionals be, targeting for in the future? Rose: We bel'ieve that use of Windows NT will continue to ' 54crosoft certification expand in the enterprise. I think certified professionals will want ttz acquire certifications in each version as it appears. Having the flexibility and knowledge to work with and between versions will be highly rewarded. The new MCSE + , ~ ~aA + Internet certification will also be an important distinguishing Mm credential. Mess aging and Groupware solutions like Exchange are critical to the modern workplace. We also still believe that the developer certifications will eventually take hold if they are supported and maintained by Microsoft. CCWtWhat advice would you give to businesses as to the future of certification? Rose We believe certification can be a very valuable screening tool as well as a good indicator of an employee's willingness to -. jii j'„~„,rt,stay current with the technologies. CertificWtion.shoed not be considered a substitute for hands ti.; '-,gpuIL,;t=,'!'o1t expetiertce and basic education an+ps'EzbIbtn.soIving skilitj. Most profewsions require'ongoing ~~-I.-':.:„@"' education and validation. There is no re'ason to expect that IT professionals should be immune. As to the choice of certifications, this depends on the technologies being implemented. '~=gp;-., Obviously, we remain convinced that. Windows NT is the brightest star going forward. CCW:Where do you see the future of industry certification as compared to traditional education? Rose: I do not think that industry certification is a substitute for a good general education. Communication and problem solving skills are still critical in our fast-paced world where most of us will experience jobs in multiple industries over our working lives. I would view industry certification more like passing the bar exam or obtaining your CPA. I think industry certification is most worthwhile when used to validate your product-specifiic knowledge and distinguish yourself from those who lack specific product knowledge and experience. CCWtWhat is the target market for your products? Rose:Our company historically has served the individual computer professionaL But these pro*' fessionals work for corporations, schoofs, for example. They tell colleagues and management about 1,'=; !.-';.'~':;.",-, our products so that our success in the institutional and business-to-business markets has been "grass roots." We don't have a history of high-pressure sales, so we have very positive relationships with our corporate and institutbmal' cuatomers. CCWtWhere do you see the computing industry going? Rose: Improvements in the sharing of information, as well as the indexing of that information on the Internet will continue to be important growth areas. Technologies that make it easier to locate, compile and anilyze information will experience significant growth. Every function of business computing will take on the ability of communicating over open networks. The Internet will be interwoven with almost every business's enterprise applications — both business-to-business and business-to-consumer. Therefore, security technology will receive a high level of attention. Development technologies will become more visual and decentralized, with more and mote business users developing custom applications. Through all this, the demand for qualified IT professionals will continue to grow rapidly for years to come. IRW IN e

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Stephen Ibaraki, I.S.P., is a lecturer, writer, advisor and co-convenor for the BADM Computing Program at Capilano College, which haswon a izumber ofinternational, national and provincial awards. He is Novell NEAP and Microsoft AATP-certified and can be ,:.=:;;".==;-.'=. reached atsibarakil icapcollege,be.ca. hztpsrrwvw eearmag.earn

September 1998 CANADIAN COMPUTERWHOLESALER ~ 55

Newsbytes and CCW staff

Chine getsfree e-mail ChinaByte, a Chinese-language technology news service, has launched a free e-mail service in partnership with e-mail developer Commtouch. The Bei jing-based company,whichwa ssetup as a joint venture between the giant News Corp. and the Chinese Communist Party paper â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the People's Daily, lets Chinese readers send and receive mail free of charge at http.//www. chinabytemaii.corn. Commtouch president Isabel Maxwell was reportedly very bullish over the deal, saying: "Bringing the free e-mail revolution to one billion Chinese is one of our most exciting challenges to date." "English may indeed be the premier language of communication on the planet, but itshouldn't be the only option for corresponding on the Web."

Fujitsu Ltd. and Philips Consumer Electronics will team up on development and refinement of color plasma display panels (PDP)for use in next-generation televisions. The deal calls on the companies to undertake various joint development projects to optimize performance, quality and features, as well as to realize cost improvements in the design of color PDPs for flat TVs. "Drawing on the special strengths of each partner and concentrating on the 42-inch format, (we) aim to accelerate development cycles with a specific goal of bringing to market a new color PDP by the end of this year," the companies said in a statement. A spokesperson for Fujitsu said the deal is

Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products (L&H) has announced plans to strengthen its position in the Japanese market through the formation of a new subsidiary company called L&H Japan Inc. The announcement follows the recent acquisition by L&H of AILogic Corp., a Japanese machine translation company specializing in converting Japanese text to English or Chinese in both directions. With the formation of the new company, the operations of Al Logic are being integrated into the new company's language technology division. The company will have three additional divisions: translation and localization services, core speech technologies and the dictation division.

Jepenese PC shipments decline Shipments of personal computers in Japan sank14 per cent in the second quarter of 1998, according to a survey by the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA). The industry group reported domestic shipments were 1.59 million units in the period. With the average price of a personal computer also falling, shipments by value nose-dived 24 per cent to US$2.34billion. The total value of PC and peripheral shipments was down 21 per cent to US$3.91 billion. The JEIDA survey confirms weekly sales reports basedon point-of-sale system data.Notebook computer demand is still strong with the weakness being found in the desktop market. Notebook computer shipments recorded a seven per cent increase on the second quarter of 1997 and made up 49 per cent of all shipments, a record high. *

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Fujiesuundecided on DRAM base Fujitsu Ltd. says it has yet to decide on a production base for its next-generation 256M-bit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, a company spokesperson said. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported recently that Fujitsu will choose its Oregon plant for production of the new chips. "There's nothing set at this time. We' re not pulling out from Japan or making any decision to go to the U.S. or Europe," said the spokesperson. The company currently produces 64M bit chipsatits Oregon plant and at a factory in Japan. He said sample production of 256M bit DRAM chips is scheduled to begin later this year or in early 1999 with mass production scheduled for 2000 or 2001.

Toronto's I. Hoffmann & Associates Inc. (H+a) has granted exclusive distribution rights to Japanese software distributor Shingakusha Company Ltd., for four Nikolai's Adveritures Series CD-ROMs. The three-year arrangement is H+a's first software licensing agreement in Japan. The Nikolai's Adventures Series is meant to combine educational content and entertain-" '.~~'"Qt<! ", ment value, for children ages four and older. r.--''-' .,", '-~V "We believe this will have strong appeal to Japanese children, both in the school and home markets," said Mikio Yamamoto, executive director of international publications for Shingakusha, in a statement. Shingakusha's Web site is at http//www. 't:; sing.cojp/ The Nikolai site is at http//www. nikolai. corn. "

' . - '

The Acer Group has announced plans to restructure into five main business groups and has appointed Simon Lin as president and CEO of Acer lnc. The company says the goal of the restructuring is the transformation of Acer into a customer-centric company,"accenting service and a strong orientation toward intellectual property." "We want to enhance Acer's global competitiveness in the PC business, and prepare ourselves for the next millennium, especially as both internal and external business environments are becoming increasingly diverse and complex," said Acer Group

intended to cement the relationship between both companies and aid the transfer of technology between the two companies. This in turn will hopefully lead to lower price PDP television sets. Both companies have been among the first companies to introduce PDP monitors and televisions. Fujitsu began mass-production of PDP monitors in late 1996. In late 1997, it became the first manufacturer to announce a commercial high-definition PDP-based monitor. The 42-inch display screen is now on sale. Recently, Philips, with Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp., announced development of a flat-panel display using PALC (Plasma Addressed Liquid Crystal) technology.

f cANADIAN coMPUTER wHQLEsALER september 1998

chairman and CEOStan Shih. The five new business groups are Acer International Service Group (AISG), Acer Sertek Service Group (ASSG), Acer Semiconductor Group (ASG), Acer Information Products Group (AIPG) and Acer Peripherals Group (APG). Acer Inc., along with Acer Europe and Acer America will become part of the new Acer Information Products Group. Lin joined Acer in 1979 as a regional sales manager and was most recently president and chief executive officer of the Information Products Group.

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Jlspen has 41 million mobile phone users

The total number of mobile telephone users in Japan passed 41 million during July, according to information from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. At current growth levels, the total number of mobile users will pass 42 million during August. EC CL

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Norton 2000 faces down V2K Symantec Corp. has announced Norton 2000, "a comprehensive corporate Year 2000 solution for desktop PCs and distributed computing environment." The new Symantec product, available in both a corporate server and desktop version, joins a growing legion of Year 2000 (Y2K) tools thatare intended to automate the diagnosisand fixing of Year 2000 problems. Norton2000includes a data scanning capability, application scan database, and computer BIOS test-and-fix module. Also included is a copy of Symantec LiveUpdate and Norton System Centre to allow IT managers to update and install software over a network. Norton 2000operatesbyrunning a data scanning program to uncover Y2K problems in many common database and spreadsheet file formats, including multiple versions of Microsoft Excel, Lotus1-2-3,Quattro Pro,Access,dBase,FoxPro, Paradox and Clipper. The program can automatically color code, annotate, and explain the Y2K errors in a spreadsheet. Norton 2000 can also safely test and fix time clock hardware and BIOS settings. It creates a floppy boot disk to facilitate running Y2K tests in a safe environment that minimizes the risk of destroying important data. Symantec claims a 99 per cent BIOS/hardware analysis and repair success rate. Additional features expected with the September release will allow scanning of other popular software applications. Norton 2000 is available for Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems.Canadian priceswerenotbeenannounced at press time. Seehttp//wwwsymantec.corn.

Panasonic has announced the 32-inch CT-32XF55 Accordingto Tak Tokunaga,ma rketing managSDTV monitor/receiver. er for Panasonic Canada Inc.: "This television The new TV/monitor can display High Definition uniquely combines the extraordinary picture qualiand Digital Television (HDTV)signals, as well as an ty and audio features that characterize the GAOO array of traditional composite, component and SuperFlat system, along with the capability to disS-Video feeds. Maximum vertical resolution is 800 play the new DTV signals. The CT-32XF55provides lines. As well, the new product has superior audio an optimalsolution for consumers who want to features including the Panasonic Twin Dome experience great home theatre picture and sound Sound System, Spatializer 3D Surround Sound, dbx right now, while making sure they' ll be able to noise reduction, and a built-in 15-watt subwoofer. enjoy the upcoming digital television broadcasts." The monitor also has a centre channel input The CT-32XF55 has a suggested retail price of jack to allow its speakers to function as the centre $2499.95. See http//www panasonic.ca. channel speaker in a Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Digital surround system. The CD-32XF55's host of features can be controlled by a large clear onscreen graphical user interface, and a handheld joystick controller.

Nore Nltaublebl, for lees Mitsubishi has introduced new entry-level Diamond Scan monitor models with a goal to offer cost-effective yet high-quality CRT monitor Y options for mainstream business and SOHOcomputer users. The Diamond Scan 15VX is a 15-inch (13.8inch viewable), .28-mm dot pitch monitor with maximum 1,280 by1,024 resolution at 60Hzfor a suggestedprice of$359.The Diamond Scan 50 has a maximum 1,280 by 1,024 resolution at 65Hz, for a suggested price of $399. Two new 17-inch (16-inch viewable) models, the Diamond Scan 70 and Diamond Scan 70M offer up to 1 280 by1 024 at 65Hz.The Diamond Scan 70M includes a headphone jack and two three-watt front-mounted speakers. The DiamondScan 70 and 70M have suggestedprices of$629and $649respectively. According to Elan Azar, general manager for Mitsubishi Electric Sales information technology group: "As business becomes more and more competitive, we are positioning ourselves to meet this challenge. Companies seek ways to combine quality and affordability." Seehttp//wwwmitsubishi-displaycom.

Storm Technology lnc., and Storm's Canadian distributor, Keating Technologies inc., have released two new consumer scanner products in Canada. l The ImageStudio VF is a flatbed color scanner with 36-bit color processing, 600 by 600 dpi resolution, and an innovative video digitizing option. The ImageStudio VF hardware is supported by ScanBank software and Microsoft NetMeeting 2.0 software. With the addition of a video camera, the ImageStudio VF can be used for digitizing still or moving video images. It can also be used as a copier with the availability of a printer, and as a fax with the availability of a fax modem and fax software. The ImageStudio VF features a radical belt-fed scanner element, which enables the scanner to be made much more compact and thinner (2.36 inches thick) than any other comparable flat bed scanner. The ImageStudio VF has dual plug-in interface options for both parallel and USB ports. Estimated street price is $287, with US$50 mail-in rebate. The TotalScan Express is a 1,200 by 600 dpi 36-bit flatbed scanner. Among its unique features is the Storm Blitz image compression technology, which greatly speeds up image transmission from the scanner to the host PC. A varied software suite includes Xerox Pagis SE,TextBridge OCR, I publish, Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0, Storm EasyPhoto 3.0, ixla Photo Scanner Suite-Internet Edition, My-Website photo album, and an animated greeting card program. Estimated street price is $359. Contact http.//www stormtech. corn.

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CANADIAN COMPUTER WHOLESALER September 1998 ht t p i t w w w.ccwmag.corn

Sceptre rolls out nevv Pentium II notebool(,s SceptreTechnologies has announced two Pentium II-based notebooks â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Sceptre Pentium Soundx 7000 and Soundx 7500. Each model features: a Pentium II 266MHz processor with up to 144MB RAM, up toan 8GB hard drive,a 24X CD-ROM drive, and 16-bit stereo surround audio. The Soundx 7000 includes a 13.3-inch TFT screen and the Soundx 7500 has a 14.1-inch display. Both models can display up to 1,280 by 1,024 and 24-bit resolution. The notebooks are distributed by Lapro and Samtack.The 7500 starts at $4,299. See http. //www.sceptre.corn.

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IPC has turn-key network On Aug. 15, IPC (Intelligent Personal Computers, a brand of 3D Microcomputers) announced a complete small business network solution called the IPC Small Business Server, for less than $6,000. The IPC Small Business Server system is made up of a PC server unit based on a Pentium II 300MHz processor, running Microsoft Back0ffice Small Business Server software. The packageincl udes two PC workstations,a network hub, and all necessary cabling. According to Basat Khalifa, national marketing manager for 3D Microcomputer, which manufactures and sells the IPC line,"our IPC Small Business Server will help small businesses communicate better, improve customer service, project their company image on the Internet, and simplify tasks." The IPC Small Business Server is designed forcompanies withupto 25 PCs,to allow them to share "files, database, printers, electronic mail, fax services, and other resources with anyone, anywhere, anytime," according to IPC. The package comeswith a30-daymoney backguarantee, plus a three-year parts and labor warranty. For more information, contacthttpJ/wwwi pc.ca.

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PRO D UCT S

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Toshiba of Canada, Information Systems Group, has rolled out a full line of new notebook computer models, including the Tecra 8000 series, which Toshiba representatives claim is "the world's most configurable notebook." In addition to the new Tecras, Toshiba also unveiled new Portege, Satellite and Libretto portable computer models. The Tecra 8000 series is intended for the high-end corporate inarket. It is designed to allow for the easy substitution of new CPUs, drives and other parts over the next 18 months. According to Robert Grossman, vice-president and generalmanager of Toshiba of Canada, Information Systems Group, Toshiba has committed to offering a notebook series users can be confident will not become obsolete in a few months. The Tecra 8000 series has a starting price of $4,939. The Toshiba 7000CT is Toshiba's first foray into the hot new niche of the lightweight, magnesium-cased prest ige business notebook. Beginning at a

CA, Source Recovery sign Y2K code agreement Computer Associates International Inc. has signed a referral agreement with The Source Recovery Company (SRC),a firm which specializes in recovering source code for software applications that need to be made Year 2000ready. In some cases, according to Mark Stabler, vice-president of CA's Year 2000 business unit: "Source code for legacy applications is...impossible to locate. Partnering with The Source Recovery Company enables us to help clients recover missing code so that their applications can be quickly and completely fixed for Year 2000 compliance, providing huge time, resource and cost savings." SRC uses proprietary software tools which recover COBOL and Assembler code from software object modules for IBM, MVS, MVE or VM based programs, allowing the reconstituted code to be remediated automatically by the CA-Fix/2000, a part of the CA Discovery 2000 solution. According to Barry Clapp, president of SRC: "Our complementary solutions provide CA clients with the fastest, most efficient solution available for remediating applications in which source code is missing." Seehttp Jhow.cai.corn or http J/www.source-recovery.corn.

Kodak Canada Inc. says its new offerings can transfer pictures to computers at least 10 times faster than traditional digital cameras. The Kodak Digital Science DC220 and DC260 zoom cameras use the USB interface, which is faster than serial or IrDA for image transfer, says Kodak. Each camerahas a ma ximum setting of 1.6 million pixels. Pricing starts at $1,149 for the DC220. Special features on the DC260, which starts at $1,399, include a 6X optical zoom,an enhanced burstcapture rate and the opportunity to connect an external flash. See.http//wwwkodak.ca.

price of $7,759, the Portege 7000CT is one inch thick and weighs four pounds. It comes standard with a 266MHz Pentium II processor, a built-in K56Flexmodem, a 4.12GB hard drive,and MPEG-2 video decompression. The Satellite 4000CDS/4010CDT models are based on either 233MHz or 266MHz Pentium II processors, beginning at $3,129. According to Toshiba, the Satellite notebooks are ideal for students, mainstream business people and first time notebook users. See http.l/www.toshiba.ca.

Windows 98 includes Macromedia players Two of the most popular Internet multimedia player utilities — Macromedia Inc.'s Flash and Shockwave are pre-installed in the new Microsoft Windows 98 operating system. Increasingly, Web sites with "interactive" multimedia content(including stereo audio, animations, and digital video), use the Flash or Shockwave formats for this rich content. According to David Mendels, general manager of Macromedia's graphics, Internet and multimedia unit: "Macromedia and Microsoft are improving the on-line experience for millions of Windows 98 users. Developers can create more compelling, effective Web sites that bring viewers back again and again: and consumersgeta more excitingWeb experience without having to worry about downloading and installing technology." For Windows users not running Windows 98, the Flash and Shockwave players are available for download from the Macromedia Web site (http./lwww. macromedia.corn.) Macromediarecentl y opened a Canadian head office in Montreal. Seehttp//wwwmacromedia.ca. [IZW>

httpJtwww.ccwmag.corn

se ptember 1998 cANADIANcoMpUTERwHQLEsALER ~59

Simware adds CEO Ottawa extranet company, Simware Inc., says Glen Brownlee, Simware's previous president and chief operating officer, is now CEO for the company. Brownlee first joined the company in1994 as senior vice-president of marketing and operations. William Breen will continue as Simware chairman. Tod Rehm, executive vice-president of Packard Bell NEC Canada's NECComputer Systems Division, has resigned from the company "for personal reasons, effective immediately." Gregory D. Milkovich, director of strategic accounts, is acting vice-president of sales and marketing for the NEC Computer System Division in Canada.

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Cisco Systems Inc.'s board of directors has promoted Canadian Don Listwin to executive vice-president. In his new role, Listwin will help introduce Cisco's new consumer line of business and continue to lead Cisco's service provider line of business, in addition to directing all of Cisco corporate marketing. His service provider team will provide solutions for Internet service providers, telcos, cable and wireless companies. Listwin has held a variety of marketing and business unit roles since joining Cisco in 1990. Hewas recently vice-president and general manager of the Access Business Unit (ABU), which doubled in revenues under his leadership, said the company.

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Mississauga, Ont.-based Simple Technology Inc., a value-added distributor of computer components, hasappointed Kevin James as vice-president of sales. James's most recent positions in the computer industry include North >e o > n o > o QSr I>o Amerioan Salea manageratOsitech Communications Inc. and national sales m anager atEMJ Data Systems Ltd. The companyhas also named Daniel Reio as director of marketing. That responsibility includes vendor marketing management, program/promotion creation and execution and advertising. Reio's previous positions include channel marketing manager at Celestica Inc. and product manager at Merisel Canada.

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APNIC, the Asia Pacific Network Information Center, has appointed a new director general. The organization, which issues IP addresses to users in the Asia Pacific region, has appointed Australian Paul Wilson to the post. He replaces David Conrad, who resigned in February. In addition to his job at APNIC, Wilson will also become chair of the Asia Pacific Networking Group (APNG), an APNIC-backed project. ICC WI

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i S t h e P a y b a C k ' ? services, software?

by Margery Leach

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staying power, innovative strategies, The Canadian IT services sector grew at a and/or rapid growth include: Exocom, higher rate than the software sector between 1996 and 1997, according to a CGI, LGS, Deloitte Touch, Procom and recent analysis of Branham200 data. The Geotrain. average growth in revenues for the top 10 Despite slower growth, the software sector continues to generate higher IT professional services companies between 1996 and 1997 was more than 26 revenues and h i gher r e turns p er employee than the IT services industry. per cent; while their counterparts in the software sector increased their revenues While the t o p s o f tware company by anaverage ofjustover 17 percentdur(GEAC) generated more than $370 ing the same period. million, the top professional services From a market perspective, organizations are increasingly look- company (CGI) generated just over $230 million in 1997. The higher ing to outsourcing as a means of managing their computing environ- rankingsoftware companies typically generate over $200,000 per ments, partly because of the growing difficulty in recruiting qualified employee, while a large proportion of the top services companies IT professionals in this competitive industry. In addition, technology generate less than $100,000 per employee. innovations continue to increase complexity, forcing more companies It is likely that, as the IT industry continues to evolve, we will see to seek external assistance in order to help turn these potential chal- the line between these two sectors beginning to blur. It will be the lenges into opportunities. Some of these technology-related market companies able to add real, customer-focused value to technology that forces include: Internet and intranet applications, e-commerce, Java, will continue to thrive. CCC Ã Year 2000, network computing and distributed computing. The main industry factors driving growth are industry consolida- Margery Leach is a director at Branham Group Inc. in Ottawa. tion and partnering. Many IT services organizations are seeking merg- Branham is a l eading international "Go to M arket" consulting ers and acquisitions to increase their market presence. Thus, in some firm with a p r oven formula for helping organizations in the cases a reported revenue increase could simply reflect the merging of information technology (IT) i ndustry achieve market success. two ormore companies.Branham's picks of players to note for their Call:(613) 745-2282, ext.19orfax: (613) 745-4990.

R eade r P o l l

This issue The Canadian dollar hes been hitting record lows, spurred on by the currency crisis in Asia. While Asian goods mey be reasonable due to those sagging currencies, buying from the U.S. hes become more expensive.

4ast issue. uio asked: With high-quality printers end digital cameras on the market, businesses and consumers can really manage the whole photo process with relative ease, resulting in quality images. But are the technology end the price point really hitting that sweet spot yet?

You said:

Our Qaceehou to You: In your opinion, how is the currency situation affecting the Canadian computer industry? Which most closely reflects YOUR view?

Consumers are now flocking to purchase digital cameras.

Vertical business applications end certain photo enthusiasts are still the most 23% nterested shoppers for digital cameras. Overall, the currency issues are contributing to costs rising for products end components. ® Digital photography technology isn't yet mature enough for many customers. Overall, the currency issues are contributing to costs coming

I $ QPrices on digital cameras are still too high for many customers.

down on products and components. On balance, the currency issues are currently having little effect on the Canadian computer industry.

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There is improved opportunity for export, with the low Canadian dollar.

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