Newsbits

By John Kawakami

MacTech launches MacDev-1

Westlake Village, CA - May 11, 1996 - Xplain Corporation, publisher of MacTech™ Magazine, is proud to announce the launch of MacDev-1™, a new mailing list aimed squarely at the Mac OS Developer Community.

MacDev-1 is a news and information mailing list with a focused charter. Sponsored by MacTech Magazine and DevDepot™, MacDev-1 will be the source of news, information, and occasional special offers specifically for the Mac OS programmer and developer community.

The charter of the MacDev-1 list is to make Mac OS developers more aware of available resources, and to provide an efficient channel through which Mac development tools vendors can spread the word about new product releases. To further this charter, the list is open to press, developers, industry figures, and the general public.

The list will be moderated by MacTech Magazine, through a newly appointed Contributing Editor for MacDev-1 - Rich Siegel, the founder, president and CEO of Bare Bones Software, Inc. “MacDev-1 is a natural extension of MacTech Magazine’s ‘Newsbits’ column,” said Siegel. “However, readers of the list will hear about the news as it happens. As moderators, our goal is to manage the list traffic, so that subscribers aren’t overwhelmed.”

Users can subscribe to MacDev-1 by sending mail to macjordomo@listmail.xplain.com with “sub MacDev-1 yourname” in the body of the message. To a submit a posting to MacDev-1, send mail to
MacDev-1@listmail.xplain.com.

MacTech Magazine http://www.mactech.com/

DevDepot http://www.devdepot.com/

Apple Looses Flock of Press Releases

Just as the swallows return to Capistrano each year, Apple performed its annual broadcast of the Press Releases during WWDC. This year, over twenty were sent out, and they are all available on the Web. This writer has pored over the text and summarized the interesting news below.

Apple Directions

http://dev.info.apple.com/appledirections/adtoc.html

Apple Propaganda, Straight From the Source

Apple announced plans to expand the company’s Web sites, webcasts, and community building activities on the Internet. A new group, Apple Internet Studios and Productions, will manage and coordinate much of the company’s Internet presence, which will include not only Apple-specific information, but also general interest content.

Two new Apple-oriented Web sites were announced. The Gil Amelio Homepage - titled “Listen, Learn, & Lead” - outlines Amelio’s first-person view of Apple during his first three months at the company, and his strategies for the company’s revitalization.

The second site, called “The Plan”, outlines the specifics of Apple’s recovery plan. People may participate in discussion boards and chats with Apple executives and industry leaders about Apple’s developing strategy.

Apple is also doing projects with companies outside the computer industry, including recent promotions for Mission Impossible, and planned webcasts of 1996 Olympic activities.

Gil Amelio Home http://www.apple.com/leadership/

The Plan http://ThePlan.apple.com/

Copland is Now Mac OS 8

Apple finally made it official at WWDC; Copland is now known as Mac OS 8. That’s “Mac”, not “Macintosh”, followed by a space, then “OS” and a space, and the number “8”. It’s not “System 8”, and it’s not “Copland”.

Developer U, Blaze, Debut System 7.5 Course Online

Apple’s Developer University is publishing a course produced with a third-party developer. Apple worked with Malcolm Teas of Blaze Technologies, a longtime Macintosh developer, and good explainer.

The printed version of the course can also be ordered from the Developer Tools Catalog.

http://dev.info.apple.com/du/7.5online/7.5TopicsText/ST01-7.5Intro.html

QuickTime VR 2.0 Features New API

Apple has shipped the first developer release of the new programmer’s API, and will host developers at a “kitchen” to teach about and get feedback on the new API. Using the API, developers will be able to:

• Display and manipulate panoramas and objects

• Combine still images into panoramas

• Turn QuickTime movies into panoramas

• Combine QuickDraw 3D objects into panoramas

• Incorporate directional sound and speech input

• Incorporate specialized transition behavior between panoramas

• Override QuickTime VR’s default behavior relative to event handling, cursors, and hot spots

• Incorporate specialized hot spot information unique to the application

• Manipulate QuickTime VR memory usage

2.0 will also feature “hot spots”, or regions where the user may click to follow a URL. QuickTime VR objects will now have zoom and translation capabilities, and also have hot spots. Overall, navigation and interactivity has been improved, and greater integration with QuickDraw 3D is being achieved.

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

Apple Lets CyberDog Out, Also OpenDoc DR 5

Bound into this issue of MacTech Magazine are CD ROMs for CyberDog and OpenDoc. As you have probably guessed, these are brand new releases. Have fun!

WebEdge IV, September 16 - 18, 1996, Austin

WebEdge, the conference for Macintosh Web developers, September 16-18, 1996 at Austin’s Renaissance Hotel. Topics include: Java for WebMasters, Java Developer Environment, Security, Multimedia tools, introductory and advanced CGI training, advanced HTML and page layout, Databases, Future Technologies, Site Administration Tools and more. The event kicks off with a reception on the 15th. The registration fee for the conference is US $795 if received by June 15, 1996. Thereafter, the fee is $895.

WebEdge • (512) 349-0503

WebEdge http://www.webedge.com

Apple and Natural Intelligence Team Up
to Bring Java to the Mac OS

Apple has committed to supporting Java in the Mac OS, Newton, and Pippin. Apple expects to incorporate Java into its media authoring technologies, Internet servers, and client software, including CyberDog.

To compensate for their limited experience with Java, Apple has licensed Natural Intelligence’s Roaster virtual machine, just-in-time compiler, and other technologies for use in Mac OS. Roaster’s virtual machine runs Java code, and is distinguished from Sun’s original Java virtual machine by its defined API and perfect garbage collection.

Natural Intelligence • (617) 876-7680

Email: info@natural.com

Natural Intelligence http://www.natural.com/

Everyware’s Butler Now Supports ODBC,
Everyware & Natural Intelligence Work on JDBC,
Tango Supports FileMaker

Butler 2.0

Everyware announced that Butler 2.0 now supports ODBC with TCP/IP. With TCP/IP support, Butler now can be accessed by heterogenous clients over the Internet. New enhancements include support for the Alter Table statements, ODBC AppleScript extensions, and support for default ODBC and DAL stored procedures. Included with Butler are the ButlerLink connectivity tools that help developers use Butler as a database back end with C, C++, FirstClass, AppleScript and other OSA languages, and HyperCard via an XCMD. Also included will be a single license for Clear:Access, a visual query and reporting environment that assists end-users with its quick data retrieval and easy-to-use professional report generation capabilities.

Natural Intelligence, Everyware

Everyware and Natural Intelligence announced that they are now working together to create new Java classes to use ODBC over the Internet. They will support the full Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) standard, which allows for Java applications to use ODBC.

Tango With FileMaker

Everyware’s Tango is a visual tool for Web developers used to create HTML forms which query databases. Tango started as a tool that generated SQL queries and required an SQL database as the back end. Due to popular demand, Tango now supports interaction with FileMaker Pro databases as well. Web developers can take advantage of FileMaker’s rapid application development cycle, and deploy web databases even faster than before.

Everyware Development • (888) 819-2500

Email: sales@everyware.com

Everyware http://www.everyware.com/

Claris http://www.claris.com/

For more information on databases on the Macintosh, get a copy of Liam Breck’s database development survey:

http://www.cait.wustl.edu/papers/breck.html

A New WebSTAR Gets Plugged In and Caffeinated,
With Help from Natural Intelligence

The forthcoming WebSTAR 1.3 introduces the WebSTAR Server API (WSAPI), an API that allows developers to write server plug-ins. The plug-ins are similar to CGIs, but will not be restricted by Apple event limitations.

In a separate press release, Natural Intelligence announced that it is working with Quarterdeck to incorporate Java support into a future version of WebSTAR. WebSTAR will be able to execute WSAPI programs written in Java, as well as C, C++ or any other natively compiled language.

Quarterdeck, StarNine division • (510) 649-4949

Email: info@starnine.com

Quarterdeck/StarNine http://www.starnine.com/

Bare Bones Releases BBEdit 4, SoftPolish 1.2

Bare Bones Software released new versions of BBEdit and SoftPolish. BBEdit, their popular text editor, now features better Frontier support for CGI developers, and code coloring for Java, C, C++, Object Pascal, Rez, 68K assembler, Fortran, Tcl, Perl, HTML, ScriptX, and GuideScript.

SoftPolish is a quality assurance tool for Macintosh applications. It checks application resources and identifies potential problems like spelling errors, inconsistent user interface elements, resource inconsistency, and missing resources. Bare Bones has improved SoftPolish to handle more resources, including those generated by modern development environments.

Bare Bones Software • (617) 676-0650

Email: sales@barebones.com

Bare Bones Software http://www.barebones.com/

Maxum Development and AKTIV Software
Release Phantom Webcrawler

Maxum is now the distributor of Phantom, the first commercial Webcrawler for the Macintosh. Webmasters can use Phantom to scan any Web site and build a complete index of its pages.

Once a site has been scanned, Phantom allows users to perform searches using simple queries. The program is “Web server-friendly” and follows all established rules for Web robots, and won’t overload servers with simultaneous requests.

“We’re thrilled to be working with AKTIV on Phantom,” said John O’Fallon, President of Maxum Development. “It represents a tremendous opportunity for Webmasters to improve service to their users, with the ease of use they expect from Mac Web tools. Web crawlers and high-performance searching [are] no longer just for high-end UNIX workstations.”

Maxum will be releasing Phantom version 1.1 in early June, but a public beta version will be available May 20th from Maxum’s Web site. Phantom 1.1 will be an upgrade to AKTIV Software’s “Duppies 1.0” and will be free to all registered users of Duppies.

Maxum Development • (708) 830-1113

Maxum http://www.maxum.com/

Evatac Releases Preditor 3.0

Preditor brings together the ease of point-and-click editors and the power of the popular Unix-based editor Emacs. It has a plug-and-play architecture, supports various languages, allows fully styled text, supports scripting, is fully configurable, is integrated with CodeWarrior, and does much more. AppleScript can be edited, recorded and executed all within the Preditor application. The $120 price includes two updates.

Evatac • (703) 620-0669

Email: info@evatac.com

Evatac http://www.evatac.com/

QUED/M 3.0

Who would ever have thought that text editors would become a competitive niche? Recently, QUED/M released a new version, lowered their price to $69, and now comes bundled with Celestin’s Apprentice CD. QUED/M 3.0 is similar to the competition, but boasts a powerful grep, noncontiguous and rectangular selection, and a new macro programming language.

Nisus Software • (800) 281-0101

Nisus http://www.nisus-soft.com/

CodeWarrior 9

Metrowerks expanded its product line with the release of CodeWarrior 9. Now, in addition to the regular Gold subscription service, they offer a version of CodeWarrior for the BeBox, a Discover Programming Bundle for beginning C/C++ programmers, and another Discover Programming Bundle for Java programmers. There are also the Academic subscriptions for Gold.

Metrowerks http://www.metrowerks.com/

CodeWarrior to Support ActiveX

Who would have guessed that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer would turn out to be a Real Macintosh Application? Now Microsoft is getting help from Metrowerks to have Explorer run not only ActiveX controls, but Java applets as well. Furthermore, CodeWarrior will be expanded to include ActiveX development tools. ActiveX controls used to be called OLE controls.

Imagine, on your Macintosh, you can run Java applets, Microsoft ActiveX/COM objects, OpenDoc SOM objects, and CFM code! This writer is reminded of Core Wars, an old computer simulation where competing programs battled each other for dominance over address space.

Microsoft’s ActiveX documentation

http://www.microsoft.com/intdev/inttech/controls.htm

SmalltalkAgents 2.1

QKS has released an update to SmalltalkAgents. It’s available at the ftp site below. Some of the new features are Code Fragment Manager support, PowerPC Accelerations, improved TCP/IP and interface classes, and WASTE text engine support.

SmalltalkAgents 2.1 now supports the Code Fragment Manager (CFM) and CFM-68K. This feature provides direct access to native PowerPC code libraries. Not only can you more easily call code written in other languages, you can also take full advantage of the increasing variety of libraries available from Apple and third parties.

With CFM support, STA is able to deliver third-party code and updaters as DLLs. STA also has an upgrade path where parts of the virtual machine can be extended with accelerated native code fragments.

TextEdit has been replaced with the WorldScript-Aware Styled Text Engine (WASTE). WASTE not only removed the 32K TextEdit limit, but also provides WorldScript awareness, styled text, and embeddable objects. WASTE is implemented as a code fragment.

For more detailed information about product improvements, see their Web site.

Quasar Knowledge Systems • Email: info@qks.com

The update is at ftp://ftp.qks.com//ftp/2.1update/

QKS http://www.qks.com/

Pictorius Debuts Entrada and Freeware Net Servers

Pictorius, has released Entrada, a full-featured open database client development tool. Entrada is the new name for their Peregrine database tool. Entrada features a graphical database development environment and full programmability with Prograph.

Integrated into Entrada are the Entrada Net Servers, which allow developers to create various Internet servers using Entrada. The product supports all the popular Internet protocols, including ftp, Web, mail, DNS, OpenTransport, Finger, List, and News. The Net Servers part of the Entrada product is freeware (the entire product is commercial). The Net Servers support CGIs, ACGIs and WebStar Filters, as well as a custom technology called Agents. Together the various parts of the Entrada package allow developers to create Internet/Intranet solutions with one set of tools.

Pictorius Inc. • (902) 492-2880

Pictorius http://www.pictorius.com/