Newsbits

By John Kawakami, MacTech Magazine Editorial Assistant

QuickTime VR Royalty Eliminated,
Licensing Made Easier

Developing with QuickTime VR just got cheaper. Apple is no longer charging royalties for distributing applications created using QuickTime VR. Now, the only fee involved for use and distribution of the QuickTime VR Authoring Tools suite is the cost of buying the authoring tools development kit (US$495). A license agreement is still required before distributing the QuickTime VR run-time software as a player or in an application.

Additionally, Apple announced the following changes to its QuickTime VR licensing policy:

You can now license QuickTime VR run-time technology with applications you distribute through the Internet. A distribution license agreement from Apple is no longer required for you to include QuickTime VR panoramic or object movies on Web sites and CD-ROM discs. You can now electronically disseminate QuickTime VR without including the QuickTime VR run-time software.

The QuickTime VR Player (for Macintosh or for Windows) is also freely available for licensing for distribution on CD-ROM, although Apple reserves electronic distribution rights to the player, which will remain available online only from Apple’s QuickTime VR Web site.

Content developers can now distribute the following without paying a royalty (although a distribution license agreement is still required):

• QuickTime VR panoramic and object movies;

• an application embedded with the QuickTime VR run-time technology;

• Apple’s QuickTime VR Player, or simple viewer application, on CD-ROM.

Also, Apple recently lowered the price for the QuickTime VR Authoring Tools Suite bundled with MPW Pro from US$695 to US$595. The stand-alone QuickTime VR Authoring Tools Suite remains at US$495. QuickTime VR is available through APDA. For licensing information, contact Andrew Hammond at Apple (408) 862-0576.

http://qtvr.quicktime.apple.com/

Roaster Professional Will Generate Applications
(Not Just Applets)

Roaster by Natural Intelligence is an Applet Development Environment for Java, which features a hierarchical project window, powerful source code editor, interpreter, Java compiler, debugger, and speedy runtime engine.

Roaster Professional, which provides a superset of the Roaster product, builds upon Roaster by adding three key components: a Java class library specifically designed for creating stand-alone cross-platform applications, a visual screen builder for rapid prototyping and interface construction, and native compilers that compile Java into cross-platform byte codes and then into speedy native code on the platform of your choice.

The Roaster Integrated Development Environment (IDE) contains the following features:

• fast proprietary Java source code compiler

• accelerated for Power Macintosh (will support 68K soon)

• Java class disassembler

• Java debugger

The Roaster code editor features:

• context-sensitive syntax font and color styling for easier organization and reading of code

• search and replace features, including grep and batch

• multiple clipboards for organization of code snippets

• macro capabilities for automation of coding

The Roaster Project window lets you:

• organize all class files for easy access without searching through directories

• recompile only the files you need before you run them

• jump directly to any method within a class in the window

• represent packages hierarchically

• open more than one project window at a time and drag source files between projects

The Roaster interpreter is a Virtual Machine engine that supports the Java Virtual Machine specification. Its features include:

• multiple-threading

• garbage collection

• exception handling

Roaster users will be able to run Natural Intelligence’s native compiler, and also run Sun Microsystems’ javac compiler for full Java compliance. Roaster also features a runtime environment (the NI Applet Runner) for testing your applets.

Roaster is available now at a list price of $399. Roaster Professional for the Macintosh will ship in mid-1996 and pricing has yet to be announced. A Windows version will ship by the end of 1996.

info@natural.com

http://www.natural.com/

EnterAct, A Class Browser From A Class Act

When Scott Boyd commented that he wanted a better editor to manage source and files, Ken Earle sent him a pointer to his editor, EnterAct.

EnterAct is a C/C++ editor with a three-pane project window for source, headers, and documentation. There can be multiple files with the same name, and the “project” you put together doesn’t have to make sense as a compilable unit. EnterAct parses all of your source and headers to build a dictionary, and provides a dedicated definition display window (“AutoLook”) that updates as you click or type. Definition display is very fast, and works with just about everything in C/C++ code, including local variables, data members, methods, functions, classes, typedefs, defines, and so on.

Ken Earle explained that “EnterAct is meant to be a ‘gap filler’ - when some other Macintosh editor provides adequate automatic definition and prototype display, I’ll quietly retire it. Until then, you might find that EnterAct helps your comprehension when cruising through new code, etc.”

EnterAct is available in CompuServe in MACDEV Library 13. You can write Ken Earle at 73073.2166@compuserve.com.

ftp://<Info-Mac mirror>/dev/enter-act-35.hqx

NeoLogic 1.1, New Mailing List

The newest release of NeoLogic’s client/server database engine, NeoShare 1.1, is now available. NeoShare extends the capabilities of NeoAccess, their object database engine, to provide for the sharing of objects between applications. While NeoShare 1.0 provided support for use with Metrowerks’ PowerPlant application framework, this latest NeoShare upgrade includes support for Apple’s MacApp 3.3 and Symantec’s THINK Class Library application frameworks as well.

NeoLogic customers can communicate directly with NeoLogic engineers and other NeoAccess and NeoShare developers using their new mailing list. All future Neologic News will be distributed to this mailing list. To join, simply send an email message to listserv@fairbanks.pvt.k12.ca.us with the following line:

SUB NeoAccess-Forum Your Name

http://www.neologic.com/neologic/

Steve Jasik Brings MMU Protection to the PowerPC

Steve Jasik announced the return of an old friend, “MMU Protection”, in a new guise for Macintosh Developers.

“Despite its name,” Jasik said, “‘Soft MMU’ will prove to be a potent and virile tool for all Macintosh developers to add to their arsenal of bug-fighting weapons.”

Like its predecessor, “MMU Protection” for 68030 Macs, introduced in 1990, “Soft MMU” monitors the user’s PowerPC application for memory references outside the application’s heap zone. In addition, “Soft MMU” lets the programmer

specify protection for up to 100 “ranges” anywhere in RAM. The “Soft MMU” feature is available now in the Jan 8, 1996 version of The Debugger that is being made available to Jasik’s customers via Internet.

http://www.jasik.com/

QKS To License CXBase and THINK Reference

Quasar Knowledge Systems (QKS), the developer and publisher of the dynamic, object-oriented development environment, SmalltalkAgents (STA), announced they have licensed the CXBase Pro engine from TSE International of Amsterdam, Holland, to be integrated with its SmalltalkAgents development environment. This database engine can be used for internal source code management, as well as for royalty-free application delivery.

In addition, QKS has licensed THINK Reference from Xplain Corp. [yes, that’s MacTech’s parent company - jk], for use with a new suite of on-line documentation illustrating selected frameworks, the language, and codebook examples.

http://www.qks.com/

info@qks.com

BBEdit Upgrade, and a Deal For PageMill Owners

BBEdit 3.5.2 is available on-line as a free upgrade for current owners of BBEdit 3.5. The upgrade features a spelling checker, improved HTML tools, and more incremental improvements. Customers can obtain the update package from Bare Bones Software’s Web or from one of their FTP sites. Owners of older commercial versions of BBEdit should contact Bare Bones Software directly for upgrade details.

From December 19, 1995 owners of PageMill, a graphical Web-page editor from Adobe Systems, can obtain BBEdit 3.5 for a discounted price of US$79 (per copy, plus shipping and handling) upon presentation of proof of ownership of PageMill.

bbsw@netcom.com

http://www.tiac.net/biz/bbsw/ftp.html

ftp://ftp.std.com/vendors/bbsw/updaters/

ftp://ftp.netcom.com/biz/bbsw/updaters/

Congratulations and Disclosures

Two of MacTech’s collaborators have recently moved up in the world. We congratulate both on their new titles and responsibilities.

Scott T Boyd, who writes our Viewpoint column, joined Quasar Knowledge Systems as Vice President of Engineering.

Tantek Çelik, who helps us evaluate OpenDoc articles, joined 6prime as Vice President. 6prime’s President is Eric Soldan, who has written for MacTech.

Last but not least, Dave Mark has, for a few months, worked for MetroWerks, as product manager for their Discover bundle. Just in case you didn’t know.