From: mfraioli@grebyn.com (Marc Fraioli)
Subject: Some stuff from PCweek
Organization: Grebyn Timesharing
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 22:40:36 GMT

Here are some news items of potential interest from PCWeek, Jan 25,
1993, w/o permission.  

_NETWARE CASTS SHADOW OVER NT_
	Beta testers say Microsoft OS lacks enterprise features

	Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT may be more network-savvy than previous
verisons of Windows, but the initial release will lack many of the
enterprisewide networking capabilities found in competitor's products.
	Although Microsoft officials have positioned NT as a desktop or
server solution suitable for large companies with multiple sites, beta
testers and analysts counter that the operating system-- as well as LAN
manager for NT-- won't provide key features such as a global directory,
support for multiple protocols and server-to-server mirroring.
	As a result, many potential buyers are ruling out plans to use
NT, which is due this spring, as a mission-critical operating system for
their servers.
[...]
[article includes chart: "NT's networking features: how they stack up"]
		WindowsNT(1)	NetWare4.0(2)	VINES5.5	IBM DCE(3)
File and print
  sharing	  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes

Windows-based
  admin utils	  yes		  yes		  no		  no

Remote Procedure
  calls		  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes

Basic Wide
  area links	  yes		  yes		  yes		  yes

Global directory
  service	  no		  yes		  yes		  yes

server mirroring  no		  no(4)		  no		  no

Two-phase
  commit over LAN no		  no		  no		  no

Footnotes:
 (1) Due this spring
 (2) Due in March
 (3) AIX version available now; OS/2 version due this summer
 (4) Available in NetWare SFTIII

-------


_MICROSOFT OUTLINES WFW PEER DISABLING_

	Acknowledging that Windows for Workgroups' peer capabilities are
not for all customers, Microsoft Corp. is providing options to disable
the software's file-sharing features.
	In a white paper recently issued to its customers, Microsoft
lays out several methods to prevent WFW users from sharing resources--a
feature originally touted as one of the product's highlights.
[...]

-----

_IBM TESTING PEER FEATURES FOR OS/2_

	IBM is currently alpha testing software that will provide OS/2
users with peer networking capabilities.
	The software borrows file and print services from IBM's LAN
server 3.0 and includes new features such as distributed Dynamic Data
Exchange and a distributed clipboard, according to Art Olbert, director
of LAN systems for IBM's Personal Software Products division, in Somers,
NY.
	The peer capabilities will either be offered as an add-on to
OS/2 2.0 or built in to a new peer version of the operating system,
Olbert said.  IBM plans to make a decision within weeks and ship the
peer services product later this year.
[...]
	IBM wil take an incremental approach to adding networking
services to OS/2, according to Olbert.  Users will be able to purchase
the forthcoming OS/2 option for peer capabilities, move up to LAN server
when they need full-blown network support and connect servers to
corporate enterprise networks with the appropriate communications
products when required, he explained.
	In contrast, rival Microsoft Corp. is positioning its newly
released Windows for Workgroups peer offering as a solution for both
small and large networks.
[...]
	"The market perception is that IBM is trying to catch up to
Microsoft, but from a technology standpoint, they have a better story to
tell than Microsoft," said John Dunkle, president of WorkGroup
Technologies Inc., a market-research firm in Hampton N.H.
[...]

------

_BORLAND TO SHIP LONG-AWAITED C++ COMPILER FOR OS/2_

	Borland International Inc. plans to release its long-awaited C++
compiler for OS/2 2.0 next month, adding to the small, but growing
assortment of compatible tools.
	The offering, Borland's first 32-bit compiler, was originally
promised for delivery before the end of 1992.  However, recent layoffs
and financial turmoil at the Scotts Valley, Calif., software company
contributed to the compiler's delay, Borland officials confirmed.
	In spite of these disruptions, a Borland spokeswoman said the
OS/2 C++ compiler, now in Beta test, is a "top priority" for the firm.
The company is also in the "early experience" test phase for a 32-bit
C++ compiler for Microsoft Corp.'s forthcoming Windows NT, both due this
spring.  Borland, with more than 800,00 compilers installed for the
Windows and DOS platform, is one of the leading C language vendors.
[...]

-------

	There were a few more OS/2 related articles which I didn't feel
like typing in, but I will summarize briefly:

	WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows and OS/2 has been delayed from
Spring to "end of the year", while 6.0 for DOS should be released this
summer.  In the interim, there will be a 16-bit 5.2 release for Windows
and 16-bit OS/2 version of 5.2 as well.  The delayed 6.0 for OS/2 will
be the first 32-bit version of WordPerfect for OS/2.
	At the Windows and OS/2 conference in San Jose, the NT booth was
well-attended, and Windows continued to outdraw OS/2 in terms of
third-party developer support.
	Oberon Software, a company that develops exclusively for OS/2,
has released a 32-bit, WPS-aware, OS/2 2.0 version of their file browser
and hard-disk monitoring utility.  Users say it is very fast and stable
under OS/2 2.0, although one tester reported display problems running
under the 2.1 beta.

	There were also a number of exclusively NT articles, but since
I'm more of an OS/2-guy myself, I'll leave those for Brian to cover ;-).


-- 
Marc Fraioli
mfraioli@grebyn.com	        	(So I'm a minimalist...)