NEWS BITS   (10/93)
                     Submitted by: Gloria Short



  Top Stories at Press Time

  COMPUTING FOR AIDS
  What better way to practice safe computing than with
  a...er...computer condom? Priced at a mere $10, The Computer
  Condom is actually ThunderByte Anti-Virus software combined with
  a giant novelty condom, packaged to look like the real thing
  (only a lot bigger). Software manufacturers International
  Business Saveware and Misno designed The Computer Condom to make
  the association between responsible behavior and safe computing.
  Sales have been phenomenal, according to Software Resource, the
  product's distributor, mostly as gag gifts, but the biggest draw
  for buyers is that the companies involved are donating 10 percent
  of sales proceeds to AIDS research--and that's no gag.

  GREATEST THING SINCE COLOR
  You know what onscreen programming did for your VCR; now
  Optiquest is promising the same for your computer monitor. The
  4000DC monitor (scheduled to ship in September) with onscreen
  programming and a color-matching system gives you a video readout
  as you make each monitor adjustment. The colormatching system
  allows you to adjust color intensity--making reds hotter and
  blues cooler--just as you would with your TV screen.

  BIG BLUE OPTIONS
  The once-elite IBM, finally hearing the 1990s call to arms--
  "Competition!"--is now attempting a major push into the retail
  computer-accessories market. Its new Easy Options line of
  peripherals and accessories for IBM and compatible computers
  includes audio cards, video cards, game cards, modems, joysticks,
  keyboards, mice, trackballs, hard drives, floppy drives, CD-ROM
  drives, tape drives, power supplies, and scanners. Look for it
  all in your local computer supply store.

  CHECK IT OUT
  Compton's NewMedia, which several months ago decided to buck the
  status quo and offer CD-ROM titles for rent in video stores, says
  its rental program is booming, and the company is expanding the
  number of titles for rent as well as moving into more video
  stores. Based on that success, Compton's plans to offer select
  CD-ROM titles to public libraries for lending. The specially
  marked series will include general reference, music, travel,
  children's, and business titles.

  THE 180-DAY WONDER
  Buying a computer has become more like buying a car. According to
  the July 1993 issue of Adweek's Marketing Computers, when the
  Boston Computer Exchange broke its 10-year monthly sales record a
  few months ago, "half of the approximately $500,000 monthly sales
  volume consisted of new computers that are discontinued models
  and liquidated retail stock from local stores." According to one
  analyst cited in the article, "The typical life cycle for a
  desktop computer is now six months," which means that "this
  summer's computer models will probably be liquidated as
  discontinued merchandise by Christmas." As with autos, smart
  shoppers will find the best buys on those 1993 models at the end
  of 1993.

  THE COMMANDMENTS
  The Computer Ethics Institute, a nonprofit research, education,
  and study organization founded in 1992, proposes the following
  "Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics" as a voluntary code of
  conduct for all users of computer technology and digital
  electronic data systems:

  1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.

  2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.

  3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.

  4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.

  5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

  6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you
  have not paid.

  7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without
  authorization or proper compensation.

  8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.

  9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program
  you are writing or the system you are designing.

  10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure
  consideration and respect for your fellow human.