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![[INTERNET ID-NEWS ONLINE II]](im-news.gif)
Combines common architecture strategy with thin film, low flying height head technology for best cost/performance in high capacity desktop segment
IRVINE, CA.-- February 26, 1996 -- Western Digital Corporation (NYSE:WDC) today announced the addition of two new high capacity Caviar AC32500 (3-platter, 2.5GB) and Caviar AC32100 (3-platter, 2.1GB) drives to its family of Caviar EIDE drives. The new drives are members of a new platform of Caviar drives in capacities ranging from 850MB to 2.5GB. The high capacity drives are geared toward capacity-intensive consumer and business applications such as multimedia and gaming, and the downloading of information from on-line sources such as the Internet, America Online, CompuServe and Microsoft Network (MSN).
The Caviar drives support both Mode 4 PIO (programmed input/ouput) and Mode 2 DMA (direct memory access) data transfers at speeds of up to 16.6 Megabytes per second at a rotational speed of 5200 RPM. The drives have an average read seek time of sub-12ms and spindle latency of 5.76ms to provide fast mechanical access to both cached and uncached data. With the advent of higher performance Pentium processors, drive performance had become a bottleneck in increased system performance. The high RPM of the new Western Digital drives provide the decreased mechanical latency and sustained data transfer rates to dramatically improve a PC's performance.
"The surge of consumer-oriented applications, along with more powerful and storage-intensive operating systems like Windows 95, have created a large demand for high performance desktop drives," said John Burger, vice president of marketing for Western Digital's Personal Storage Group. "The new Caviar drives have the broadest demand of any new product we have introduced, including multiple OEM qualifications, VAR/VAD/system integrators backlog and the retail upgrade market. We believe that the high level of demand is due to the sustained insatiable demand for capacity from end users.
"The two new capacity points also provide the OEM with an excellent product refresh with Pentium 150 and 166MHz based systems. Furthermore, the typical home computing environment calls for diverse applications from multiple users, driving the need for what we call, 'More Space To Think.' The new 2.5 and 2.1 gigabyte Caviar drives are the perfect storage devices in this setting, providing ample space for every user," added Burger.
Western Digital continues to strive for ease-of-installation in all drive products. In keeping with this tradition, the new Western Digital drives will ship with a unique, jumper configurable option that assures that older PC systems can easily utilize the full 2.5GB drive capacity without complicated connection difficulties.
Western Digital's state-of-the-art 2100 oersted media will meet 50% of the media needs for the newly-announced Caviar family upon volume production -- evidence of the Company's substantial investment in media technology.
By aggressively introducing new technologies while leveraging the single architecture strategy based on a common proprietary Western Digital chipset, Western Digital continues its track record of leading time to market, time to volume, and time to quality in new product introductions. This approach provides the Company with the highest level of flexibility and ease of qualification in the industry. This innovative design philosophy has enabled Western Digital to achieve substantially improved yields, rapid cost reductions, higher productivity, and asset management leadership.
The Western Digital Caviar AC32500 and AC32100 drives utilize thin film, low flying height head technology from multiple sources, extending thin film inductive technology without sacrificing performance. The use of thin film enables Western Digital to utilize proven technology, achieve time to volume, as well as to satisfy a goal of simultaneous product launch in all sales channels.
Western Digital was the first to implement a 3-year warranty for PC drives, carried on all Caviar drives. The Caviar family of drives are extensively tested in the Company's FIT Lab (Functional Integrity Test Lab) to ensure compatibility with AT-compatible computers and standard operating systems. Caviar drives offer guaranteed compatibility and a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) rate of 300,000 hours.
Evaluation units of the Western Digital Caviar AC32500 are currently available. Volume production units will be available in March, 1996. Estimated retail street pricing is as follows: Western Digital Caviar AC32500 - $549.99, Western Digital Caviar AC32100 - $499.99.
Western Digital Corporation is a leader in information storage management. The company designs and manufacturers hard disk drives and input/output devices for personal and enterprise-wide computing, and markets them to leading systems manufacturers and selected resellers under the Western Digital and Caviar brand names. Western Digital is the first U.S.-headquartered, multinational company to have been awarded company-wide ISO 9001 registration, linking all WD organizations with a consistent global standard for quality processes. The company was founded in 1970 and has long been noted for its storage and end-market systems-level design knowledge. The company's World Wide Web home page can be found at http://www.wdc.com or on America Online by using the keyword Western Digital or WDC and on Microsoft Network by using the "go" word WDC.
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SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. -- February 6, 1996 -- Borland International Inc. today announced Borland C++ 5.0, a major update to its award-winning, object-oriented C and C++ software development system. Borland made the announcements at its product strategy briefing being held for the press here at the company's corporate headquarters. Borland C++ 5.0 provides developers with the most productive set of tools for 32-bit, 16-bit Windows and Java development. Borland C++ 5.0 forms the core for the Borland C++ 5.0 Development Suite, also announced today.
"Borland C++ 5.0 gives developers the most productive C++ for Windows 95 and NT, by providing the best solutions to the challenges developers face today," said Richard Gorman, vice president of Product Marketing and Product Management for Borland. "The three major challenges to developers are 32-bit Windows operating system migration, changing industry standards, and the need for faster and easier development tools. Borland C++ 5.0 provides tools to solve these challenges. And with new tools designed to ease Java development, Borland C++ 5.0 is the premiere C++ and Java development solution for professional programmers who want the most productive tools for their jobs."
SOLUTIONS FOR 32-BIT OPERATING SYSTEM MIGRATION
While many software developers are beginning to develop using 32-bit operating systems, most users have not yet moved to 32-bit Windows. Professional developers need to develop software for both 32- and 16-bit Windows for several years while end users complete the migration to 32-bit Windows. Borland C++ 5.0 provides developers with the best tools to ease the migration to 32-bit operating systems, including support for both 32- and 16-bit platforms; a new version of ObjectWindows Library; and support for both 32- and 16-bit VBX controls.
A Windows 95 logo-certified product, Borland C++ 5.0 is compatible with the latest user-interface standards and Windows 95 features, including OLE, registry, and long file names. Borland C++ 5.0 also includes the complete 16-bit hosted Borland C++ 4.52, for programmers who still develop using Windows 3.1.
Only Borland C++ offers support for VBX controls in both 32- and 16-bit Windows applications, allowing programmers to preserve their investment in VBX controls. This support also lets developers use VBX components in single source code base 32- and 16-bit Windows applications. Borland C++ 5.0 also includes OCX (OLE custom controls) container support.
"Borland's parallel 32/16-bit support allows us to build for the future while still continuing to develop small, fast, portable applications for 16-bit platforms," said Myung M. Bae, senior software engineer at NW Geophysical Associates. "Not every application needs to be full-blown 32-bit yet, but, as developers, we applaud a vendor continuing to offer us a choice between the two."
Borland C++ 5.0 also includes a powerful 32-bit integrated graphical debugger with integrated resource editing, including new Windows 95-based controls; multi-threaded and multi-process debugging support; and an expanded dialog editor, which provides support for Windows 95-based common controls.
SOLUTIONS FOR CHANGING INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Borland C++ 5.0 provides developers with support for industry standards, regardless of who created the standard. Borland C++ 5.0 provides developers with latest ANSI/ISO language draft standards; a choice between OWL and MFC compilation, the two popular application frameworks; and tools for Java development.
"Since we develop commercial software on multiple platforms, we need strict support of ANSI C++ standards," said Steven Woolgar, software developer at Motion Works Group Limited. "Companies that break standards to support their needs just make our lives difficult. Borland understands C++ and has implemented a very good C++ compiler."
Borland C++ 5.0 also contains the most complete version of the new Standard C++ Library, licensed from Rogue Wave, the leading vendor of class libraries and industry-standard software components for developers building cross-platform applications. The Standard C++ Library consists of C++ classes such as string, complex, and numeric limits, and the Standard Template Library (STL), which consists of container and iterator classes.
"Unquestionably, this is the most current implementation of the C++ language yet to be made available," said Michael F. Baker, C++ Programming Language Instructor at the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension.
Integrated Java programming tools
To facilitate Internet development, Borland C++ 5.0 now includes free integrated development tools for Java, including Sun's Java Development Kit (JDK). The JDK is integrated with Borland's critically acclaimed integrated development environment (IDE), and allows programmers to develop compact cross-platform code, which can run on many popular operating systems, including Windows 95, Sun Solaris, Macintosh, and others. The Borland C++ IDE features complete support for developing Java applets and applications. This includes project manager support; access to Java compiler and debugger options through the IDE's multi-page dialog boxes; and color syntax highlighting for Java source code.
In addition, Borland C++ 5.0 includes the Borland Debugger for Java, the only GUI debugger for Java (that is written in Java itself). Borland C++ 5.0 also contains a new AppExpert for Java-specific applications and applets, which allows programmers to more easily build Java applications. Borland C++ 5.0's seamless integration with the JDK even displays JDK compiler error messages in the IDE message window. Customers can soon download a pre-release version of the Borland Debugger for Java free from Borland's web site at www.borland.com (until March 31, 1996.)
"It's great to see that Borland is continuing its leadership role in the development tools market by providing cutting-edge Java tools to C++ developers in Borland C++ 5.0," said Erik Whitehead, senior telecommunications engineer at NASA.
Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) compilation support
Borland C++ 5.0 gives developers a choice between new OWL 5.0 and compilation support for the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) versions 3.2 and 4.0. With Borland C++ 5.0, developers can now build MFC applications without having to manually modify their MFC library source code and they can more easily move existing MFC applications over to the Borland C++ environment. Developers can create a project that is configured for MFC by selecting the MFC checkbox in the TargetExpert. When MFC compilation support is enabled, the compiler uses the necessary Microsoft C++ language extensions and an automated search and replace mechanism to allow proper implementation of the ANSI/ISO C++ bool keyword to compile the MFC library source code. Since MFC support is offered directly from the TargetExpert, it is not necessary to make individual compiler and linker settings in the IDE.
SOLUTIONS FOR FASTER, EASIER DEVELOPMENT
Borland C++ 5.0 provides developers with a set of new tools that let them develop software applications faster and easier. Borland C++ includes the new IDE automation ObjectScripting; advanced visual programming tools; and code reuse capabilities in OWL. All these tools have been designed to be easy for programmers to learn so they can be more productive.
Borland C++ 5.0 introduces the new native 32-bit ObjectScriptingTM IDE, a new fully programmable and flexible environment that allows developers to easily modify and configure Borland's award-winning IDE. ObjectScripting consists of an intuitive, easy to learn object-oriented cScript language similar to C++ and the IDE Class Library. The IDE Class Library contains 23 classes with over 600 methods and properties giving developers complete control of the major IDE subsystems, including the editor, build manager, project manager, debugger, and more.
ObjectScripting TM makes it easy for developers to significantly customize and extend the capabilities of the IDE the way they want, thus allowing them to maximize their own productivity. Developers can share and extend ObjectScripting applications created by other developers. With ObjectScripting, developers can easily automate tasks, create custom experts, integrate other tools and utilities, add validation suites to projects, and drive other applications through OLE automation.
"The implementation of ObjectScripting delivers on the kind of innovative technology I've come to expect from Borland," said Karim Alami, vice president of development at Odyssey Computing. "With ObjectScripting I can customize and extend the IDE to make the most productive use of my time--a time savings that, then, gets passed on to our clients."
"Giving me the ability to customize my IDE has been on my wish list for a C++ development tool for a long time," said Eric Dill, systems programmer at Gordon S. Black Corporation. "For me, the Object Scripting technology in Borland C++ 5.0 finally delivers on this need. I can think of about ten things right off the top of my head that I could customize using ObjectScripting and it would immediately make me more productive as a developer. This is the type of technology that helps developers make leaps in productivity."
Software programmers can now create high-performance database applications faster and easier with Visual Database Tools (VDBT). Using VDBT, developers can create 32- and 16-bit database applications by simply dragging and dropping components onto the user interface (UI) in the resource editor and setting its properties. Borland C++ 5.0 also includes a variety of visual components that greatly simplify database development. These objects encapsulate the underlying 32- and 16-bit Borland Database Engines (BDEs) and allow developers to access corporate databases, whether local or remote SQL systems (with Borland's SQL Links, available separately), using the same "drag and drop" techniques used to create user interfaces. VDBT also includes COM support, allowing users of non-database applications to leverage the power of the BDE to access live data and perform queries using OLE automation.
"One of the reasons Borland C++ 5.0 is a really outstanding release is the implementation of the Visual Database Tools," said Brian Bush, technical staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory. "The C++ classes for the database tools are extremely useful. I also find that the tools' support for OLE and COM gives me simple and direct access to my data from a variety of programming languages and applications. This results in a real boost in productivity."
OWL 5.0 contains over 150,000 lines of pre-tested, reusable code so developers can develop applications faster because they write less code. In addition to encapsulations of the Windows 95-based common controls, OWL 5.0 extends the standard Windows 95 common controls with OWL objects--splash screens, animation, splitter windows, DIB windows, and several other new gadgets. These objects offer developers more pre-written, commonly used objects.
"OWL was the first real full-function class library on the market and it continues to lead in functionality and compatibility," said Keith Chuvala, software engineer at Southwestern College. "As a developer and educator, I've been really satisfied with the direction that OWL has taken and with Borland's continued commitment to it. In my opinion, it truly offers a superior solution."
Borland C++ Development Suite 5.0
Borland also announced today the Borland C++ Development Suite (see separate announcement, "Borland Announces Borland C++ Development Suite 5.0."), which includes all of Borland C++ 5.0; CodeGuard 32/16, a new version of Borland's best-selling automated bug detection and diagnosis tool; PVCS Version Manager, a special version of the industry leader in version control, which oversees changes to all elements that comprise a software system; and InstallShield Express, which visually creates install programs for deploying applications with point-and-click ease using pre-built components. Borland C++ Development Suite also includes the new AppAccelerator for Java, a just-in-time compiler which makes Java applications run five to ten times faster.
Pricing and Availability
Borland C++ 5.0 carries an estimated street price of $349.95. Current owners of any other Borland products and owners of Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual C++, Watcom or Symantec C or C++ products will have an opportunity to purchase a special upgrade at an estimated street price of $249.95. Owners of previous versions of Borland C++ will have an opportunity to receive an additional $50 off this special upgrade price. Upgrades will be provided on CD-ROM which will include complete on-line documentation; diskettes and complete printed documentation are available separately at an additional charge.
Borland C++ Development Suite carries an estimated street price of $499.95. Current owners of any other Borland products and owners of Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual C++, Watcom or Symantec C or C++ products will have an opportunity to purchase a special upgrade at an estimated street price of $349.95. Owners of previous versions of Borland C++ will have an opportunity to receive an additional $50 off this special upgrade price. Upgrades will be provided on CD-ROM which will include complete on-line documentation; diskettes and complete printed documentation are available separately at an additional charge.
All prices, including upgrades and special offers, are in U.S. dollars and apply only in the U.S. and Canada. Dealer prices may vary. Borland C++ 5.0 and the Borland Development Suite are scheduled to ship in March 1996 and will be available through major resellers or directly from Borland. For more information, customers can call (800) 645-4559.
Borland: Making Development Easier
In addition, Netscape has also improved the safety of URL parsing by:
These security enhancements are not required for Netscape Server products. Netscape software has been in use for more than a year on the Internet by tens of millions of customers and no thefts of actual customer information protected by Netscape products have been reported.
A potential vulnerability existed in Netscape Navigator 2.0 that could allow a Java applet to exploit weaknesses in the Domain Name Service (DNS) to open network connections to arbitrary computers. When a Java applet is downloaded over the network, the Java Applet Security Manager only permits that applet to open a network connection to an IP address matching the address of the Java host (that is, the computer that originally served the Java applet).
However, by using the DNS server to associate multiple IP addresses for the Java host, where one of the addresses really belongs to a different computer, the Java Applet Security Manager could be tricked into connecting to a computer other than the Java host. (A DNS server provides the mapping between computer names [such as www.netscape.com] and computer addresses [IP addresses, such as 12.34.56.78] on the Internet.)
Netscape Navigator 2.01 improves the checking of computer names and IP addresses so that it will only allow an applet to make a network connection to the Java host.
Netscape also enhanced the Java applet class loader to ensure that all files accessed by the class loader are subject to a complete suite of security checks.
Netscape has enhanced end-user privacy with a new security feature in Netscape Navigator 2.01. In previous releases, a user's email address could have been exposed to servers without the user knowing it. Netscape Navigator 2.01 addresses this privacy concern by limiting JavaScript's ability to automatically post mail or news from HTML form elements. In other words, users must take explicit action to cause JavaScript applications to send mail or post news messages.
Another feature of JavaScript is the ability for a server script to list files and directories. In Netscape Navigator 2.0, a JavaScript application could list the file names and directories on the user's machine. Although JavaScript applications cannot view or change the contents of any local files or directories, being able to list file names and directories is a privacy concern. Navigator 2.01 fixes this problem by refusing to allow a script from a server to view file names and directory listings on the local user's machine.
Netscape Navigator is able to interact with a variety of application protocols such as FTP, HTTP, Gopher, and so on. Each of these applications has been assigned a default network port (for example, the standard port for HTTP traffic is 80). Netscape Navigator 2.01 fixes a problem where it was possible for a particular network method (such as Gopher or HTTP) to send commands to ports other than those that were reasonable for that particular method. It was possible to exploit this capability to take advantage of other security vulnerabilities behind firewalls. Netscape Navigator 2.01 fixes this problem by limiting the ports that a given network method can access and by disallowing certain control characters in a valid method URL. Netscape is aware that this problem exists in similar products created by other vendors for use on the Internet and has begun working with those companies to address this problem in their software.
Download Netscape Navigator 2.01.
Introducing the new EPSON PhotoPC color digital camera, the quick, easy way to bring pictures into your computer.Now you can add the impact of real life pictures to your letters, documents, presentations and Internet communications with the PhotoPC color digital camera. PhotoPC captures images with resolutions of 640x480 pixels in more than 16 million colors.
Just point, shoot and connect PhotoPC to your computer's serial port. It's that easy to get pictures into your computer. No more film processing. No more scanning. PhotoPC instantly helps you communicate more effectively at work or play.
PhotoPC comes with everything you need: digital camera, batteries, serial communications cable and EasyPhoto(tm) software. With EasyPhoto, you can easily preview pictures taken, download select images from the camera, edit them as you choose and bring them right into any document. You can also acquire images from the PhotoPC digital camera directly into any TWAIN compliant application such as Adobe Photoshop(tm) or Micrografx(r) Picture Publisher(r).
PhotoPC was designed to offer you maximum flexibility. You can expand the image storage capacity up to 160 images by simply snapping in the optional EPSON PhotoSpan(tm) memory module. And, if you want to take close-up, wide angle, or special effects pictures, you can add-on most 37mm videocamcorder accessory lenses and filters.
In the office, on the road or at home, PhotoPC's convenient size enables you to capture, transmit and print great color pictures anytime, anywhere.
Features
- $499 expected street price
- High quality, 24 bit color images with 640x480 pixels resolution
- Expandable image storage capacity from 32 standard resolution images up to 160
- Works with all Windows(r) application and any color or monochrome printer
- Standard file format - JPEG compressed images files directly from camera
- TWAIN compliant device
- 37mm thread for optional lenses and filters
- Auto-exposure and built-in flash
PhotoPC Specifications
Image Quality 24 bit color images in 16.7 million colors Two image quality modes High resolution 640 x 480 pixels Standard resolution 320 x 240 pixels Image Storage 1MB internal flash memory stores: 32 standard resolution images 16 high resolution images Expandable image storage capacity increases total storage up to: 160 standard resolution images 80 high resolution images Image storage for up to one year without power Optics Auto focus from 2 ft. to infinity; equivalent to a 43mm lens on a 35mm camera Exposure Equivalent to ISO 130 Automatic electronic shutter 1/30 to 1/10,000 seconds Aperture f5.6 Accepts 37mm videocamcorder lenses and filters (optional) Built-In Flash Flash range from 3 ft. to 10 ft. Three modes Auto Flash Forced Flash Flash Off EasyTouch Control Panel User selectable controls image quality, flash setting self-timer, erase last image LCD display number of images taken, number of images remaining, image quality, self-timer, erase last image, battery level Software EasyPhoto® application software and PhotoPC TWAIN driver for: Previewing thumbnails of images Easily retrieving and deleting images Organizing, editing, and enhancing images Changing digital camera settings Dragging and dropping images with OLE 2.0 Power Uses four AA sized alkaline batteries (included) Also accepts AA sized, 1.5 volt lithium batteries; Optional AC adapter Communications interface Camera side 8 pin DIN Computer side RS 232C serial prt Serial cable included Dimensions W x H x D 6.5" x 3.5" x 1.9" Weight Approximately 1 lb. Environmental Requirements (Operating range) Temperature 32° F to 104° F (0° C to 40° C) Humidity 90% (32° F or 0° C) to 30% (68° F or 20° C) Product EPSON PhotoPC Color Digital Camera (Windows Version) A882371 Options PhotoSpan 2MB memory module A882401 PhotoSpan 4MB memory module A882411 PhotoPC AC adapter A882421 Warranty One Year limited warranty Support Technical Support U.S. and Canada 800-922-8911 Faxback System 310-782-4214 Electronic Bulletin Board 310-782-4531 EPSON Connection 800-289-3776 Internet Web Site http://www.epson.com
Beta - La rivista ipertestuale tecnica, Copyright © 1996 Beta Working Group. Tutti i diritti riservati
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