
The Straight Line 
January 4th 1989

Coming soon to a dealer near you...The excitement is mounting in 
our Sausalito offices as we ready the first Macintosh II version of 
AutoCAD for shipping.  The Mac II version has 100% of the 
functionality of Release 10 running on MS-DOS, but it also supports 
such Mac features as MultiFinder, the standard desk accessories, file 
dialogue boxes, programmable buttons, pull-down menus, tear-off 
menus, and the clipboard, which will allow users to transfer AutoCAD 
drawings to other Macintosh applications software. In addition, the 
Mac II version supports the standard Macintosh displays and 
printers, as well as industry-standard plotters.

Autodesk decided to develop a Mac version of AutoCAD to make 
the industry-standard CAD program available to the  increasingly 
large number of design and engineering professionals who use the 
Mac II.  We recognize that the Macintosh II is a leading platform for 
design and engineering applications, and we are pleased to be adding 
it to our list of supported computers.

We expect to ship AutoCAD for the Macintosh II to authorized 
AutoCAD Macintosh dealers shortly, so consult your local  dealer or 
one of the Macintosh periodicals for the official release date.

Free AutoShade upgrade...Registered AutoShade 1.0 customers  will 
receive an offer in the mail for a free upgrade to version 1.1 directly 
from Autodesk.  This offer applies only to registered users, so if you 
haven't already registered your software, you'll probably want to do 
so immediately to qualify for this and future upgrades.  Unregistered 
AutoShade customers can also upgrade to version 1.1, but  only 
through an Authorized Autodesk Dealer for a suggested US$75.00 
fee.  Please note that switching from 5.25" diskettes to 3.5" diskettes 
must also be handled through a dealer, and there is a suggested 
dealer charge of US$100.00. 

It really pays to register...While we're on the subject, we can't 
emphasize enough the importance of registering your Autodesk 
software.  Registered customers are entitled to privileges that we 
can't extend to the "great unknowns"--customers who haven't sent in 
their software registration cards.  For example, when we receive 
your AutoCAD registration card, we'll send you a bonus package that 
includes worthwhile information about AutoCAD training and tutorial 
publications, a free introductory subscription to CompuServe, and a 
durable lexan AutoCAD digitizer template.  Registered customers also 
qualify for special promotions and free software upgrades--the free 
AutoShade upgrade, for example.

Another hot Autodesk product...AutoSketch, our precision drawing 
program noted for its ease of use and affordable price, as of this 
writing, has made the Softsel Hot List of  30 best-selling business 
software products for the 16th straight week.  The Softsel Hot List is 
based on sales by Softsel Computer Products, Inc. to more than 
19,000 resellers in 50 states and 30 countries.     

Autodesk goes to the Soviet Union...Last October, Autodesk held the 
first-ever international software exhibition in the Soviet Union.  
Autodesk's Moscow Expo was enormously successful, generating 
substantial immediate sales.  The expo, organized by Autodesk U.K., 
introduced the first Russian-language version of AutoCAD Release 10, 
which was extremely well received by the more than 8000 
attendees.  

The Moscow Expo drew the most spirited crowd any of the 
Autodesk staff had ever seen for a computer show.  When the 
Autodesk group arrived at the exhibit hall an hour before the expo 
was to begin, they found a line of people that was over one hundred 
yards long.  "People had obviously been waiting at the exhibit hall 
doors since dawn," said Susan Sheridan, Autodesk's director of 
Corporate Communications.  

Inside the hall, every aspect of the Autodesk program, from the 
AutoSolid demonstrations to the product seminars, attracted a great 
deal of attention, according to Richard Handyside, managing director 
of Autodesk LTD England.  "Response to the seminar program was 
enthusiastic, so much so that the crowd trying to get in to hear the 
opening Autodesk seminar smashed the auditorium door off the 
hinges," Handyside said.

Sheridan noted that the attendees were every bit as hungry for 
written information. "The hundred brochures I held in my hands 
disappeared in less than 30 seconds, with me running for cover as 
the last few were taken," she said. "It's not unusual for an Autodesk 
show booth to attract a crowd, but in Moscow we attracted a mob!"  

International appeal...In addition to English, AutoCAD versions are 
available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, even 
Kanji.  And a Chinese version is on the way.  To distribute these 
foreign language versions, Autodesk has overseas offices in eight 
European countries, Japan, and Australia.  We also have an 
International Sales Department at our Sausalito headquarters that 
oversees the activities of foreign distributors in Canada, Latin 
America, the Caribbean, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, the Far East, 
and New Zealand.  Bet you didn't know that the "hungry rats of 
Sausalito" were that international!




Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, AutoCAD, and AutoSketch are 
registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Autodesk, Inc.  
AutoShade and AutoSolid are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.  
Macintosh, Mac, and MultiFinder are registered trademarks of Apple 
Computer, Inc.


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