European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes computers tuesday january 19,1993 Microsoft corp. Introduced its Long awaited Access data base management program recently at the consumer electronics show in Las vegas. Filling one of the last major gaps in the software giants line. In a bold attempt to pre empt its probable main rival the windows version of Borland International  popular. Paradox program now not expected until Early next Yea Microsoft will sell Access for $99 until Ian. 31, when the full suggested list Price of $695 will take effect. As a relative newcomer to the data base Arena Microsoft is essentially giving away Access in order to gain a share of inc Market now in the Possession of Paradox and other More expensive data base programs. Some analysts at the introduction said the Low Price strategy is risky. Data bases Are a different Market from word processors and spreadsheets and pm not sure How Well Microsoft understands it a said Mary Conti Loffredo senior software analyst for the International data. Corp. Of Framingham mass. A a it a not a Market where someone switches to another data base just because they got it at an advantageous Price. There a a longer evaluation  on the other hand $99 is an it especially attractive Price for a program that is both powerful and relatively easy to use. A also introducing products at the Las vegas show was digital equipment corp., which unveiled a 64-bit computing system a providing a potential 4 billion fold increase in computing Power. Dec based in Maynard mass., introduced the Alpha Asp computing platform a a Complete set of hardware software and applications for open systems computing. Alpha Asp Marks the Industry a first advanced 64-bit computing architecture. Macintosh owners used to have All the fun. But windows has brought a sense of play to sober sided ism compatibles Ana software developers have been Quick to seize on the fact. According to several accounts screen savers Are the fastest growing programs in the entertainment category. Screen savers did not Start off As entertaining. They merely and dully blanked the screen of a Monitor if the computer had not been used for a specified number of minutes to prevent an unchanging image from being burned in As a permanent artefact. Two new programs push the screen saving envelope. A touch of chaos from Bourbaki of Boise Idaho produces a slide show like series of these images that serve As screen savers. The company says that the program is a guaranteed to reduce productivity Quot and in is right you Are reluctant to press a key or move the mouse which makes the patterns disappear and get Back to work. A touch of chaos requires a computer running windows 3.1, witha via or Sega display. It is $39 when ordered directly from Bourbaki Telephone 800 289-1347. If a touch of chaos is Sublime Energizer Bunny is ridiculous. The tireless Bunny in those eve ready Battery co. Commercials struts across the screens of computers running windows 3.0 or later. Energizer Bunny a product of pc dynamics of Westlake Village calif., should be widely available at retail software outlets. It is $24.95. A from wire reports Good news for buyers Price cuts make systems More affordable by Michael j. Ii Imowitz the Baltimore Sun a few years ago if you had asked me whether it was a Good idea to buy an ism computer i would have Askea you which lottery you had just won. While ism has always made Fine computers they were designed and priced for corporate buyers a people who were a is Money. The Premium for the ism logo was anywhere be tween $500 and $3,000, depending on the horsepower. But corporate buyers have wised up and after years of losing Market share to clone makers who produced Good computers and sold them much cheaper so has ism. The company a new ps-1 and is value Point lines offer a variety of attractive machines at prices that Are finally within easy reach of the average Home and Small Busi Ness user. They come with a 30-Day, Money Back guarantee and a Well conceived support and service system. The new ism line has touched off another round of Price cutting by Compaq Dell. Ast and other name Brand manufacturers which is Good news for buyers everywhere. In my a is value Point computers Are available in 36 different configurations. If you cannot find one you like you can Call ism and have one built to your specifications. Its hard to believe this is ism at the Low end ism offers a variety of systems based on its 25-Megahertz 386slc processor which squeezes a lot of performance out of a relatively Inex Ory available. Be wary of the cheapest models however. Many of them come with Only two megabytes of memory As Standard equipment. This is not enough memory to run Microsoft windows. Find one with four megabytes or pay an extra $100 or so to add memory before you take the computer Home. Although the Lbw Erir machines will run windows at acceptable Speed with sufficient memory you can get a faster better equipped computer based on the Intel 486sx processor for about $1,700, and a full fledged 486dx running at 33 Megahertz for about $2,000. For this kind of Money you cannot expect technological breakthroughs. But for most Standard Home and business applications the lines time tested Standard at bus design is More than adequate and ism has always had Quick hard disk drives a must for windows applications. The monitors i found on floor models at the local computer store also were somewhat sharper than the cheap screens on in my a earlier Low end ps-1 line but not As Good As you will find packaged with some other brands. You can find these machines at a variety of computer stores and retail outlets. Depending on the machine and the store the computer May be packaged with Microsoft windows an application program or two and a 2,400-baud Modem. It pays to look around for the Model that makes the most sense to you although you probably won t find too much Price variation within a. Given configuration since ism has Cut its dealer margins substantially to bring the Street Price Down. Can you buy More horsepower for less Money undoubtedly. But ism is certainly in the Ballpark. The Premium for an ism logo is to longer a stiff one and the company s service guarantee and reputation for Quality May be Worth it. S can Bank on for those who resolved to manage their personal finances better in 1993, there Are several ways a personal computer can help. The latest versions of the leading personal finance programs including quicken managing your Money Microsoft Money and Money counts have been made easier to use. Ease of use is built into these pro Strams and users can make it even easier or themselves by switching to a computerized system to keep track of finances Early in the year. There Are two advantages for new users in starting Early in the year. The later in the year the switch takes place the More time Wilt be spent going Back to enter old transactions. Also the finance programs sort and organize information that will be valuable when it comes time to prepare 1993 taxes so starting in january is a Good idea. It is risky to generalize because every person s financial situation is different but the following suggestions May help in selecting the right program from among the Many offered. For windows pcs owners who want the easiest Way to do simple Check Book management and budgeting Microsoft Money 2.0 is an elegant and inexpensive solution. Although the list Price of the program is $69.95, a recent Check of the advertisements found it widely available for less than $25. It is produced by the Microsoft Corn of Redmond Wash. Microsoft Money 2.0 has automated features that help the user with Basic chores from making a budget to balancing the Check Book. The command Structure is so easy that a moderately skilled windows user ought to be Able to use it without the manual. However the program lacks features Peter h Lewis for people with More ambitious financial needs especially in the area of financial planning and portfolio manage if k ment. For Dos pc Heuel. Owners who want to do Check Book management with a Little More Power for financial analysis quicken 6.0 for Dos is the Best bet. The program from Intuit inc. Of Menlo Park calif., has a list Price of $69.95, but it Isu Salty offered for $50 or less. As the established Leader this program is also a Safe bet almost All the other financial packages work with its data quicken 6.0 is the Only program besides Microsoft Money that is easier to use than the paper and Check Book system it is intended to replace. For windows pc owners who want quicken there is quicken for windows 2.0. It is also the logical Choice for Veteran users of the quicken for Dos program who Are shifting to windows. The program has a list Price of $69.95. A feature called Intel Richarge is used with a special visa Gold credit card offered by Primerina Bank without an annual fee. It allows quicken users to dial in via Modem and have credit card purchases automatically sorted into budget categories and entered into the proper quicken accounts. For Dos pc owners who want the most comprehensive financial planning package available easy to use Checkbox and portfolio management Calendar to do list simple word processor and tax planner the Best and Only Choice is managing your Money 9.0 this do it All program has a list Price of $79.95 and is commonly discounted to less than $50. It is made by Meca software inc. Of Fairfield conn., managing your Money is unsurpassed for financial planning including performing such tasks As figuring mortgage payments calculating now much life insurance you need doing lease buy analyses and soon. It is also a great tool for tracking investments. For owners of macintosh computers the Choice again comes Down to quicken 3.0 or managing your Money 5.0. Both have essentially the same strengths and weaknesses As their pc counterparts and Cost the same. For most people the Choice is Between quicken and managing your Money. Perhaps the Best Way to describe the difference Between the two programs is this if you View personal finances As a necessary Drudgery and want to get it Over   Quick. Your per planning As serious fun get managing your Money. For Dos computer owners who speak accounting language Money counts 7.0 personal addition is an impressive update of what used to be More of an accounting program. Although the personal addition is easier to use than earlier Money counts versions it requires More study than any of the other programs mentioned Here. On the other hand people familiar with double entry accounting will find Money counts to be a Strong Choice. Money counts has a list Price of $49 and is available from Parsons technology of Hiawatha Iowa Telephone 800 2236925. The new York times