Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Mon, Jul 13 1992 Date: Mon, 13 Jul 92 05:08:08 EDT Message-ID: 07-13 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update July 13, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network IBM IN MEGACHIP DEAL: IBM will jointly develop a 256-megabit dynamic random access memory chip with Japan's Toshiba and Germany's Siemens AG, which will have 64 times the capacity of the chips used in most computers today, according to reports out of Tokyo. Production of the chips is expected to start by the end of the 1990's. IBM TO UNVEIL AUTODIALER: IBM this week will introduce a System-View help desk service that will support automatic dial-in to IBM's customer support center to order service, parts and assistance, analysts say. The new service will also help users obtain information on the status of service requests, as well as new net or software products. NIPPON TO MAKE SEMICONDUCTORS: Tokyo's Asahi newspapers reports Nippon Steel Corp. will start producing 16-mega bit random access memory semiconductors by next spring. The move is part of the company's efforts to branch out into other areas because of an escalating competition in the steel industry, the paper said. EMPLOYEE SUMMARIES COMPUTERIZED: Metro Machine Corp in Norfolk, Va., has implemented a new performance evaluation system that can detect changes in an individual's work fitness for employees in safety-critical jobs. The NovaScan Employee Performance Evaluation System from Nova Technology was designed to enhance safety and efficiency in the workplace. SOFTWARE STORES EMPLOYEE DATA: NovaScan uses software that is tailored to specific performance criteria. It operates through a specially tailored "video game" that detects whether each employee's job-relevant cognitive and motor abilities fall within or outside their normal individual capabilities, compared to a personal baseline they establish over an extended time period. The procedure takes two to five minutes. MCD TO CUT MORE JOBS: McDonnell Douglas Corp. has told employees it will lay off between 4,000 and 5,000 employees at its Douglas Aircraft Co. unit by the end of the year. Reason: A continuing slump in the commercial airline industry. The company also said it would lay off 100 employees at its Electronic Systems Co. unit based in St. Louis and nearby St. Charles, Mo. SAUDI BUY COULD SAVE JOBS: Layoffs at Hughes Aircraft Co. could be reduced by nearly 10% if Saudi Arabia is permitted to buy 72 F-15 aircraft, according to C.J. Jackson, president of the Electronic and Space Technicians union. Jackson said the Saudi sale would bring more than $1.5 billion in new sales to California and sustain some 4,000 additional jobs at other F-15 subcontractors in Los Angeles County. ROCKWELL GETS BIGGER ORDER: The U.S. Air Force has placed a $39.3 million follow-on production order for AGM-130 standoff weapon systems with Rockwell International Corporation's Tactical Systems Division. The option calls for the procurement of 120 weapon systems plus training and test flight support equipment. Deliveries would begin in late 1994. The first AGM-130 unit delivery is planned for later this year. SYSTEM TO LOCATE DEADBEATS: Continuing a nationwide trend aimed at cracking down on parents delinquent in their child support payments, California is building a network designed to help locate these violators. The state has selected Lockheed Information Management Services to develop the Statewide Automated Child Support System. It's expected to increase child support collections by more than $135 million a year. VENDORS TEAM UP: California's new network will use Digital Equipment Corp.'s DECnet architecture to link minicomputers in all but one of California's 58 counties. The statewide network will use digital circuits provided by California's private network, dubbed CalNet, as its backbone. Pacific Bell will set up a second monitoring facility to diagnose problems before end users are aware of them. ANDREW TO UNVEIL CONTROLLER: Andrew Corp. of Orland Park, Ill., is expected to unveil a controller that offers users several options for linking token-ring local-area networks to IBM mainframes. The DataLynx:3174 TR is a multiport ASCII:3270 device that provides access to mainframe data from ASCII terminals, personal computers and printers via a token-ring or RS-232 connection. EDIA TO HOLD CONFERENCE: The Electronic Data Interchange Association will hold its 24th annual conference Oct. 5-7 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The event will focus on the role of EDI in business reengineering. Vendor exhibits and 44 educational sessions will be featured. Cost: $475 for EDIA members and $550 for nonmembers. Call 703-838-8042 for more information. Technology Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM