Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech,americast.usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Fri, Sep 4 1992 Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 04:34:27 EDT Message-ID: 09-04 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update Sept. 4-7, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MONORAIL PLAN DRAWS COMPLAINTS: A federal agency's secretive handling of a Buck Rogers-style monorail project is drawing complaints from transit officials, planners and others familiar with the controversial $35 million program. "It's hastily conceived with unclear objectives and is being implemented in rushed secrecy," said Lawrence Fabian, an independent transportation consultant in Boston, Mass. (For more, see special Monorail package below.) TI, MICRON FILE SUITS: Texas Instruments Inc. Thursday sued Micron Technology Inc. for alleged patent infringement in U.S. District Court in Austin, Texas. Micron filed similar charges against Texas Instruments Wednesday in U.S. District Court In Boise, Idaho. The makers of semiconductors are at odds over extending their 1989 pact covering rights to dynamic random access memories (DRAMs). MICRON GETS RESEARCH CONTRACT: Micron Semiconductor Inc. Thursday announced it has received a research and development contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the development of an advanced 16 Megabit static random access memory (SRAM) process. The agency will provide $9 million to assist in the development of the program. IBM GIVES DETAILS OF PC PLAN: IBM released more details Thursday of its plan to establish a separate entity to make and market its personal computers. IBM Personal Computer Co., with 10,000 existing IBM employees, will have its own worldwide distribution system and brand marketing. It includes six worldwide manufacturing sites, a PC development center in Florida and a laptop computer development site in Japan. RESULTS WON'T BE SUDDEN: Bob Djurdjevic, a computer industry consultant at Annex Research in Phoenix, Ariz., said Thursday's IBM announcement to make a separate personal computer unit won't bear results until next year. "It's little more than an internal reorganization," Djurdjevic said. "By the time all is said and done, the costs won't have changed from today to tomorrow." CHINA OPPOSES F-16 SALE: China warned the United States Thursday that its plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan puts U.S.-Chinese relations at risk. In Washington, the State Department put its best diplomatic face on the F-16 deal, noting the "defensive nature" of the high-performance aircraft. Spokesman Joe Snyder also noted China's recent purchase of similar Soviet-made Sukhoi fighters. AEL INDUSTRIES GAINS CONTRACT: AEL Industries Inc. said Thursday it has been awarded a $2.5 million contract from Saab Missiles AB, Sweden. It is for the development of a Missile Radar Environment Simulator (RES). The simulators will be used to verify design performance of missile systems and to ensure that they will respond correctly in an operational environment. AT&T DROPS NETWORK PRICES: AT&T has dropped the prices on two of its high-speed network offerings, including a 25% rate reduction on its Software Defined Data Networks and Switched 384 Service. It also introduced a discount plan for users of its Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) product who spend $4,800 annually on switched data over the ISDN D-channel. NETWORK SIGNS DEAL WITH SUN: Network Management Inc. says it has signed an agreement with Sun Microsystems to provide systems integrations services to Sun customers trying to move host-based applications to distributed Unix platforms. NMI will provide Sun customers with a variety of system integration services. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON MONORAIL: PROPOSALS ARE PRESENTED: This week, seven municipalities presented monorail proposals to Federal Transit Administration staffers in a series of closed meetings. Three of the seven will receive federal funding to conduct further studies on a proposed monorail system. The agency refused requests to identify the seven groups. THREE WILL SPLIT $1 MILLION: By the end of the month, three winners will be picked to split at least $1 million to design a monorail system. Eventually, one will be selected to build the experimental monorail. "We believe it is a terrific new technology," said Philip Armstrong, a spokesman for the American Guideway Corp. one of four monorail system vendors teamed up with the seven municipal finalists. PROJECT DRAWS FIRE: Monorail supporters say the elevated rail systems can ease urban transportation woes. The monorail project has been the focus of intense criticism since it was first proposed. Most of the criticism centers on the legislation's narrow language. It stipulates that the new monorail system must be based on technology developed by Canadian transportation entrepreneur Lyman Richardson. ADMINISTRATION MAY BEND RULES: Barry Goodman, president of the Goodman Corp., predicted that even though the monorail demonstration law was clearly crafted to benefit Richardson's concept, the FTA has four different system designers represented among those still in the competition. "You will probably see the FTA select three vendors from three cities with three different technologies," Goodman said. (End of package.) ADVISORY: Decisionlines will not be published Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day. Decisionlines will resume publication on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (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