Volume Number: 14 (1998)
Issue Number: 12
Column Tag: Newsbits

Dec 98 Newsbits

by Jessica Courtney, press_releases@mactech.com

Java Imaging Applet Released

Snowbound Software announced the release of a powerful, new Java imaging applet created from their RasterMaster for Java toolkits. This is Snowbound's latest Java imaging solution for cross platform image viewing and manipulation. Some of the potential for this applet's can be seen at http://www.snowbnd.com/Java/Applet.htm.

With Snowbound's RasterMaster for Java component library, any Java developer can create a Java applet that download and views, from the Internet or Intranet, imaging formats such as TIFF, BMP, JPEG, MO:DCA, CALS, and GIF through Netscape(R) and Internet Explorer. Additionally, with the DICOM and JEDMICS support option, two significant imaging market segments - medical imaging and military engineering imaging - are now served with true 100% Java technology.

Snowbound's applet allows the browser client to offer functions such as zoom, rotate, pan, scroll, save, and next page without any installation. Additionally, because Snowbound provides an actual toolkit, their customers can modify the applet to create whatever capabilities they need as well as provide their own look and feel.

Snowbound's RasterMaster for Java toolkit with applet capability is available NOW via the RasterMaster for Java component library. Price starts at $1350 for a RM/View developer's toolkit with the RM/Plus Version priced at $1995. Customized versions are available.

http://www.snowbnd.com

UNI SOFTWARE PLUS GmbH announced the availability of an integration between the company's award-winning version control tool VOODOO, and the text editor Alpha. Like the already existing integrations with CodeWarrior and BBEdit, the new integraton with Alpha offers full access to everyday version control tasks from directly inside the host application.

In order to use VOODOO integrated with Alpha, you will need version 1.8.1 or later of VOODOO and version 7.1 or later of Alpha.

The integration package including installer and documentation can be downloaded from UNI SOFTWARE PLUS ftp://ftp.unisoft.co.at/pub/voodoo/integration/alpha/ as well as from the author's site http://www.his.com/~jguyer/Alpha/VOODOO.html or ftp://ftp.his.com/pub/jguyer/Alpha/AlphaVOODOO.sit.bin

Longtime OpenStep and Yellow Box developers, Stone Design, announced that Create 5, the powerful draw studio and web page maker has shipped for OpenStep and Rhapsody Developer Release 2. This release incorporates numerous new features on the much imitated but never duplicated Create.

Create is the all-in-one drawing and web page production application that has been shipping for NeXTSTEP/OpenStep for over 9 years. Create has the power and features that graphic designers need to make professional web pages, flyers, letterheads and much more. The Stone Design web site, which was fabricated in Create, shows off the range and power of this application.

Create lists for $695, but is specially priced to move at $249, and includes the web animation making tool, GIFfun. Also included is a free upgrade to the Mac OS X Server or Yellow Box version when they ship. Previous registered users of Create 4.2 can upgrade for $39. Version 3.x can be upgraded for $149.

http://www.stone.com/Create_Latest.html.

IDG Expo Management Company announced that Steve Jobs, the interim CEO for Apple Computer, Inc., will deliver the opening keynote address at Macworld Expo January 5, 1999. Jobsí keynote address will take place from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. at the Moscone Convention Center in the Esplanade Ballroom on Jan. 5, 1999. The session is open to registered conference attendees only. Macworld Expo/San Francisco annually brings together established and emerging companies to showcase innovative products and services for the Macintosh community. The Macworld Expo/San Francisco show floor and top-rated conference programs serve as the premiere showcase for products, services and training geared to professional and consumers alike. The Macworld Expo/San Francisco exhibit hall opens Jan. 5 and runs through Jan. 8 at the Moscone Convention Center.

Macworld Expo's multiple conference programs cover beginning and advanced uses of the Mac. The Macworld/Pro sessions offer a technology-intensive professional development series for the Macintosh design, management and networking professionals. The Users Conference covers beginning and advanced uses of applications and techniques in all areas of the Mac OS. Macworld Expo's general conference, begins with pre-conference workshops on January 4 and continues through January 8, 1999. Interested parties can save up to $100 by pre-registering by Dec. 4 through the Macworld Expo website at http://www.macworldexpo.com or by calling 1-800-645-EXPO.

http://www.macworldexpo.com

Quest Software announced the addition of TOAD (the Tool for Oracle Application Developers) to its family of database development and management solutions for Oracle. With tens of thousands of combined users, TOAD and Quest Software's SQL Navigator are the two most widely used graphical environments specifically designed for Oracle Developers. With this acquisition, Quest Software becomes the clear leader in this growing market.

TOAD, formerly a freeware product, has enjoyed rapid growth and support from thousands of Oracle developers around the world. In order to provide a higher level of service to this user base, Quest Software will be offering a low cost support and enhancement plan for users who rely on TOAD every day. A limited-support freeware version of TOAD will continue to be available.

http://www.quests.com/

Conix Enterprises, Inc. announced the availability of OpenGL for the Mac 1.5. This is the OpenGL the Macintosh graphic's community has been waiting for. With incredible performance gains and improved support for hardware acceleration, Conix provides the ultimate solution for 3D graphics on the Macintosh. ATI Fully Supports OpenGL.

Conix provides affordable distribution licensing for application vendors, and internal distribution agreements for our commercial customers who are developing apps for internal distribution.

http://www.conix3d.com

Apple Computer, Inc. announced the industry's most aggressive financing program which enables customers to buy an iMac for just $29.99 per month. Apple's financing program features instant in-store credit approval, no payments for 120 days, and one of the lowest interest rates available to consumers anywhere. Participating Apple resellers nationwide, including CompUSA, are offering instant in-store credit approval using Apple's web-based loan application. Approved buyers can take their iMacs home with no down payment, and with no payments for 120 days.

Apple will be supporting this financing program with television, radio, print and outdoor advertising, as well as with in-store merchandising throughout the retail channel.

Apple also announced some enhancements to iMac. All iMacs now come loaded with Mac OS 8.5, Apple's "must have" upgrade to the Macintosh operating system. All iMacs are also now equipped with ATI's Rage Pro Turbo graphics controller and 6MB of video RAM, for increased graphics performance. Adobe PageMill 3.0 has been added to the selection of consumer software that comes with iMac, allowing customers to easily create and manage their own Internet web pages.

http://www.apple.com

Michael Amorose has released Un-SourceSafe 1.0.1, a simply Macintosh utility which removes the Visual SourceSafe information added to files by Metrowerks' Visual SourceSafe Client. The utility can remove info from up to 1000 files dropped onto it - even if they are nested 100 levels deep. A special optimized version is also available for G3-based machines. Un-SourceSafe is free and can be downloaded from most public Macintosh ftp utility sites such as InfoMac or UMich.

http://home.earthlink.net/~amorose/devtools/devtools.htm

Squamish Media Group, Inc., announced that they have released a major upgrade to their popular software application, soundsaVR 1.0, the first product of its kind available to allow the embedding of directional stereo sound into QuickTime VR using Apple's new 'wired sprite' technology.

soundsaVR 1.1 is a fast and efficient way to add sound to photographic or rendered single node and multi node QTVR movies (1.0 and 2.0), and can import any file in sound formats supported by QT3.0 to enhance the immersive experience of QTVR with realistic directional stereo sound.

Output movies made with soundsaVR are saved using the QuickTime 3.0 movie file format - requiring no special plug-ins - for playback on computers running the Mac OS, Windows 95, or Windows NT.

soundsaVR 1.1 is available now at a limited introductory price of $70.00 (US), and can be purchased through the Squamish Media Group, Inc., web site.

http://www.smgVR.com

Fantasm is a powerful Macintosh assembly language development environment capable of translating both 680x0 and PowerPC assembly language. Our design ethos is simplicity with power and hence Fantasm's main aims are to make Macintosh assembly language simple to write, to ensure the code produced is running it's fastest and to provide the most powerful environment for Macintosh assembly language programmers.

Version 5.30 adds full AltiVec[TM] support along with a few bug fixes and tweaks.

Registered Fantasm 5 users who have not received their update should contact Lightsoft.

http://www.tau.it/lightsoft