Newsbits

By Neil Ticktin, Editor-in-Chief

Neuron Data’s Open Interface Supports Windows NT

Neuron Data, Inc. has announced Open Interface’s support of the Microsoft Windows NT™ operating system. Neuron Data Open Interface is a GUI development tool that provides application portability across all standard windowing environments, including: Windows, Windows NT, Motif, Presentation Manager, Open Look, and Macintosh. Available on over 20 platforms.

For more information, contact Neuron Data, Inc., 156 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94301, Voice: 415/321-4488, Fax: 415/321-9648.

Storm Technology Ships Image Handling Tools

Storm Technology® announces the release of its new version of PicturePress® software. PicturePress 2.5 is a suite of essential image handling tools for the Macintosh® computer designed to accelerate and simplify the use of color images.

PicturePress 2.5 offers image file compression, conversion to various color modes, bit depths and file formats, and basic image management features including caption text and thumbnails. The PicturePress product line supports the full baseline JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert’s Group) image compression standard.

PicturePress is Apple Events-savvy and functions can be scripted under System 7. Frontier Runtime™ from UserLand Software and scripts are included with PicturePress, enabling color imaging professionals to automate their image handling operations. Users can simply drag and drop files to be converted into a designated folder and PicturePress will automatically process the images in the background, then deliver them to another folder for use by anyone on the network. Users can automate many image related operations by purchasing UserLand Frontier™ development software for writing custom scripts that integrate PicturePress and other Apple events-aware applications.

PicturePress 2.5 incorporates Storm Technology’s new software compression engine. PicturePress 2.5 facilitates file compatibility across Macintosh and MS-DOS platforms by supporting JPEG, TIFF, and EPS file formats. PicturePress reads and writes the popular Macintosh PICT format and creates EPS and EPS-JPEG files for output.

PicturePress is the first application to generate 24-bit PICT-JPEG previews for EPS and EPS-JPEG files by using QuickTime™. Users of page layout programs will see higher quality previews by using PICT-JPEG, and will save disk space because a compressed 24-bit preview requires significantly less storage space than an 8-bit PICT preview.

PicturePress includes a plug-in module for Adobe Photoshop that provides JPEG image compression and decompression for gray-scale, RGB, and CMYK images. With the plug-in, users can save Photoshop paths, a clipping path, caption text, and a thumbnail - a small representation of the image that serves as a visual identifier - with their image. PicturePress software can be accelerated by SuperMac Technology’s ThunderStorm™ Accelerator and DayStar Digital’s Charger™. These accelerator cards deliver 60 MIPS (million instructions per second) of power.

PicturePress software has a suggested list price of $199. Registered PicturePress customers will be able to upgrade their software directly from Storm Technology for only $59.

Also included with PicturePress are PictureDecomPress, QuickPress, and Apple QuickTime 1.5. PictureDecomPress is a decompression-only application that enables users to decompress and view JPEG images, and save them as PICT or TIFF files. PictureDecomPress may be distributed by users with their PicturePress compressed images. QuickPress is Storm Technology’s QuickTime JPEG compressor component that routes all QuickTime JPEG calls through a PhotoFlash, Charger, or ThunderStorm accelerator, resulting in faster performance and higher quality than Apple’s Photo-JPEG compressor. QuickPress has a suggested list price of $69.

For more information, contact Storm Technology, 1861 Landings Drive, Mountain View, California 94043, Voice: 415/691-6600, Fax: 415/691-9825, AppleLink: STORMTECH.

Working Software’s Writeswell Jr. and Last Resort Programmer’s Edition

Working Software, Inc. has released a free Apple Events word processor for the Macintosh. Writeswell Jr. is a small text-editing word-processor intended as a useful utility and to demonstrate Apple Events and the Word Services Suite. The Word Services Suite was developed by Working Software and is endorsed by Apple as the public standard protocol for interaction between programs that handle text processing, such as spelling checkers and grammar checkers. Writeswell Jr. supports all related Apple Events to open, save and print documents, and control the font and style of text on the screen.

Working Software also provides the Writeswell Jr. source code on the program disk. This source code demonstrates the use of Apple Events and the Word Services Suite, and facilitates developer implementation of the Word Services Suite in applications.

Working Software also ships Last Resort which records every keystroke to a file on your hard disk. If something goes wrong (because of a power failure, system crash, forgetting to save or deleting lines) and you lose a word, phrase, or document you can look in the Last Resort keystroke file and recover what you typed. The Programmer’s Edition records mouse events and control keys (as well as every keystroke) to a file on your hard disk. This is especially useful for program testers, and for technical support and help desks.

For more information, contact Working Software Inc., PO Box 1844, Santa Cruz, California 95061-1844, Voice: 408-423-5699.

ACI Ships 4th Dimension 3.0

After months of anticipation, ACI has shipped both 4th Dimension 3.0. 4D 3.0 has been designed to increase user productivity and efficiency when performing the same variety of reliable data management tasks as previous versions. And with the addition of over 140 new features to Version 3.0, 4D's appeal to a broad spectrum of users has been further strengthened. Any 4D 2.0 database can be opened and used with 4D 3.0; the conversion is done automatically.

4D Dimension 3.0 is the first desktop relational database with its own built-in multi-tasking system that allows even casual users to perform multiple tasks simulatneously. For example, with 4D 3.0, users can import data, print reports and design custom forms at the same time, all without programming.

4D 3.0 also cuts development time by letting users edit database objects while the objects are in use. Database designers can test both stylistic and functional changes without having to close one window and open another.

4D 3.0 provides the easiest and most complete implementation of multiple windws for database applications. Thanks to 4D 3.0’s multi-tasking system, each window is active, independent and controlled by a separate, independent process. One process can even “talk” to another. Using inter-process communication, actions in one window can update data in another automatically.

For more information, contact ACI US, Inc., 10351 Bubb Road, Cupertino, California 95014, Voice: 408/252-444, Fax: 408/252-0831, AppleLink: D4444.

New Version of BBEdit

BBEdit 2.2 is now available from an archive site, information service, or BBS near you! BBEdit 2.2 includes the following new functionality:

Support for the MPW ToolServer scripting back-end. Support for the MPW “411” Toolbox programming reference. Import and Export of popular word-processor formats via the Claris XTND system. Built-in “Compare” for determining differences between files. Improved text-manipulation capabilities. Support for programmer-defined external code resources. Improved User Interface. Improved support for MPW Projector. Automatic translation of DOS and Unix-format text files. Various bug fixes and performance improvements.

BBEdit is available immediately from most popular Internet archive sites, as well as CompuServe, America Online, and various other information services and BBSs.

Full documentation is now included with the distribution package in machine-readable form. Printed copies can be ordered.

To obtain BBEdit 2.2, download it from your favorite site, or send an 800K floppy and self-addressed stamped disk mailer to the address given above. Alternatively, simply send five dollars, and the disk and mailer will be provided for you.

For more information, contact Rich Siegel, 1 Larkspur Way, #4, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, Internet: siegel@world.std.com, Voice: 415/321-4488, Fax: 415/321-9648.