Microsoft has shipped a new release of the Software Development Kit for Microsoft OS/2. The release contains an updated version of MS OS/2, Version 1.1, including Presentation Manager, updated development tools, and new sample programs. Development tools that have been updated include the Font Editor, Dialog Editor, and Icon Editor.
The latest documentation is provided through an electronic QuickHelp program that can be run as an OS/2 window or called from the command line. The QuickHelp databases contain the complete programmer s reference, as well as additional information describing the development tools in the MS OS/2, Version 1.1, Toolkit.
The MS OS/2 Software Development Kit is available for $3,000. The SDK includes OS/2 software, documentation, utilities, sample code, online electronic support, training videotapes, and updates. For existing SDK licensees, additional kits (with online support and videotapes) are available for $1,500. Reader Service No. 24.
Microsoft Corp. 16011 NE 36th Way Box 97017 Redmond, WA 98073-9717 206-882-8080
Texas Instruments has introduced a set of tools to assist software developers producing applications based on the TI TMS34010 Graphics System Processor. The new 34010 Software Developer' s Kit includes an assembler package, a C compiler package, a math/ graphics library, a font library, PC utilities, and documentation.
The assembler package translates assembly source modules into 34010 executable COFF (common object file format) section-oriented object code. Its macro-assembler/linker supports packed bit fields, cache alignment, symbol cross-referencing, and output control. It also includes a source/object archiver and a utility for ROM, PROM, or EPROM programming.
The math/graphics library provides over 100 software routines, including functions for graphics drawing, system initialization, %D matrix transformation, text control, pixel array, viewpoint management, color palette control, transcendental math operations, and a "paint" application example. The font library includes over 100 sets of bitmapped images representing characters for 19 different font styles, and provides families of characters suitable for body text, headings, math symbology, figure labels, or any other applications of text in graphics systems.
Available as an option to the kit is the 34010 Software Development Board (SDB), a tool for evaluating and developing software to operate on 34010-based systems. The board operates in IBM PC, XT, AT, and most compatibles. The SDB directly drives most digital and analog R-G-B raster-scan monitors at 640 x 480 x 4 resolution. The board also comes with an interactive PC-user interface that offers a command set for software debugging.
The 34010 Software Developer's Kit is available at a suggested retail price of $1,495. Reader Service No. 25.
Texas Instruments Semiconductor Group SC-861 P.O. Box 809066 Dallas, TX 75380-9066 800-232-3200, ext. 700
Turbo Apprentice 5.0, released by Cypress Systems, allows users to catalog and reference their own units and procedures. Because this product works directly from program and library files, users do not have to create a separate help database.
Priced at $25, Turbo Apprentice requires Turbo Pascal 4.0 and MS-DOS 2.0 or later. It runs on IBM PCs or compatibles. Reader Service No. 20.
Cypress Systems Inc. 11693 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 175 Los Angeles, CA 90049 213-207-3938
Lulay Software is offering a new product called Lulay Backdoor, a hexadecimal editor designed for heavy use. Features include instant help screens, a built-in ASCII table, and the ability to set Laserjet printer control files, allocate new files, send hex strings to output devices or files, find system or hidden files, and change file attributes.
Costing $89.95, Lulay Backdoor works on local area networks as well as single-user machines. Reader Service No. 21.
Lulay Software 1944 SE Clatsop Portland, OR 97202 800-336-1166
V.I. Corp. has announced an editor construction kit, which is an expansion to their family of Data Views graphics products. The new product will allow programmers to build an application specific drawing editor to edit object specific to an application.
The editor construction kit will be available in the first quarter of 1989 and is expected to cost $2,()O()A,000. Reader Service No. 22.
V.I. Corp. Amtherst Research Park Amherst, MA 01002 413-253-3482
NuTools: Numerical Methods in C, a numerical methods library for ThINK's LightspeedC, has been released by Metaphor. The new product provides developers with an assortment of over 350 numerical routines and includes over 50 input/output routines.
Both low- and medium-level numerical operations are provided for real, complex, polynomial, rational polynomial, real vector, complex vector, and integer fraction types. High-level numerical capabilities include curve fitting, differentiation, differential equations, eigen values/vectors, integration, interpolation, matrix operations, root solving, and signal processing.
The I/O routines include edit dialogs/ windows, display dialogs/windows, expression parsers, graphing capabilities, and file management. These routines provide support for the Macintosh interface and all numeric types in the package.
The package supports LightspeedC, and future releases will support Lightspeed Pascal and Turbo Pascal. The $125 price includes documentation, C source code, and project files for the Lightspeed environment. Reader Service No. 23.
Metaphor P.O. Box 612 College Place, WA 99324 509-525-7120
The THEOS 386 multiuser, multitasking operating system is now commercially available for 80386-based computers, from AT-class machines to super micros. THEOS 386, from THEOS Software, addresses up to 4 gigabytes of memory and supports up to 128 users. Also available is THEOS C, a companion C compiler that enables Unix and DOS C programs to be recompiled and run under THEOS 386.
With the THEOS 386, a group of users can collect and send data, run a variety of programs, and communicate simultaneously by sharing one microcomputer rather than a mainframe. In addition to multiuser capabilities, the product introduces "multi-sessioning," which lets the user on the main PC console toggle between as many as 12 screens running different processes at the same time.
THEOS 386 also provides a standard application migration path, which allows users to convert their software applications for use with the THEOS 386 by recompiling. THEOS 386 also offers on-line help screens, multilingual capability, electronic mail, security passwords, I/O redirection, command pipes, and a multi-level director structure.
The product costs $799, the single. user version is $399, and bundled development kits start at $1,599. Reader Service No. 26.
THEOS Software Corp. 1777 Botelho Dr., Ste. 360 Walnut Creek, CA 94596-5022 415-935-1118
Microsoft and Micro Focus have signed a strategic marketing and software development agreement with the objective of sharing product and marketing knowledge as well as producing and selling advanced Cobol application development tools and setting a standard for Cobol on OS/2 and DOS. --Together the two companies will provide a Cobol development environment for professional Cobol programmers.
Micro Focus has licensed its Micro Focus Cobol/2 compiler to Microsoft for retail distribution, and Microsoft has licensed certain programming language tools and utilities to Micro Focus for retail distribution. The combined software has resulted in the Microsoft Cobol Optimizing Compiler, Version 3.0, and a new release of Micro Focus Cobol/ 2, Version 1.1. Reader Service No. 27.
Micro Focus Inc. 2465 E Bay Shore Rd., Ste. 400 Palo Alto, CA 94303 415-856-4161
Language Extensions 1, which adds nine features to Actor has been released by The whitewater Group. The features include macros, object storage, stringpattern matching, Method Browser, EditWindow enhancements, ordered dictionary, change log compression utility, literal collections, and deep copy.
The define macros introduce new syntactical forms and shortcuts, allowing conditional compiling and a variable number of arguments. With macros, you can compile one Actor program in different modes. Object storage stores whole objects onto streams or DOS files for recall at a later time. String pattern matching compares strings using wildcard characters, such as ? and *.
Method Browser appears as a popup window in response to a senders or implementators menu choice. It displays source code from a select group of methods. The class EditWindow has been enhanced to support horizontal scrolling and the cursor keys. With it you can edit files wider than the size of your browser and file windows.
Ordered dictionary introduces a modifiable ordering convention for dictionaries that is either chronological or sorted. Change log compression utility removes outdated code from Actor's backup log, and literal collections eliminates runtime creation of objects.
Deep copy is an object copying method that copies one object to another object recursively through all levels of data, eliminating aliasing. Language Extensions I sells for $99. Reader Service No. 28.
The Whitewater Group Technology Innovation Center 906 University Place Evanston, IL 60201 312-491-2370
STSC has begun shipment of the APL*PLUS II for 80386-based personal computers. The APL interpreter operates in the 32-bit protected mode of the 80386, and the memory area or "workspace" used by APL resides in extended memory.
APL*PLUS II also contains a family of language features, collectively known as nested arrays. The product also includes file management, full-screen editing, communications, and graphics. STSC provides a family of compatible versions of its proprietary APL*PLUS system on a variety of machines, from IBM mainframes to DEC VAX minicomputers and Unix workstations, as well as personal computers. APL*PLUS II sells for $1,500. Reader Service No. 29.
STSC Inc. 1225 E Jefferson St. Rockville, MD 20852 301-984-5000
Version 7.0 of the APL Language Interpreter, called MultiAPL, is now available from Spencer Organization. MultiAPL uses various coprocessor boards based on the Motorola 680x0 microprocessor with up to 4 Mbytes of RAM available for the APL programming Languages under PC-DOS. Floating point support for both National's 32081 and Motorola's 6881 math coprocessors is also available. Coprocessors include a 10-MHz 68000, 12, 16, and a 20-MHz 68028.
Version 7.0 includes support for Halo 88, the newest version of the Halo Graphics Library of graphic subroutines. Other bindings include: Softcraft's Btrieve, a keyed access file system; Softcraft's version of SQL, called XQL, for use in querying Btrieve file systems; XDN, an SQL server; Flashup, an application menu and help system; and Aolmacs, a memory resident APL.68000 editor based on the Emacs programmer's editor. All optional programming language products are available from the Spencer Organization and are fully compatible with Novell Advanced Netware.
The assembly language version of APL.68000 is also available for the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, and Apple Macintosh. Price starts at $1,495. Reader Service No. 30.
Spencer Organization Inc. 366 Kinderkamack Rd. P.O. Box 248 Westwood, NJ 07675 201-666-6011
INMOS International has announced a VME-compatible addition to its line of TRAM (transputer module) modules and motherboards. Called the IMS BO14 module motherboard. This new product can accommodate up to 8-TRAM modules, each with its own transputer and memory.
The IMS BO14 is compatible with VMEbus Specification rev C.1 and is a standard depth, double-height card 6U height by 160 mm (width). The BO14 extends the range of buses with which the transputer now interfaces to include VME, VAX, Sun Macintosh, and the IBM PC. The product sells for $2,040. Reader Service No. 31.
INMOS Corp P.O. Box i6000 Colorado Springs, CO 80935 719-630-4215
Hecht-Nielsen Neurocomputers has released the Anza Plus/VME, a neurocomputing coprocessor board for Sun workstations that is supplied with software that facilitates the integration of neurocomputing into C programs. With this product, users can apply neural network technology to image processing, high-speed industrial inspection, signal procession, and process control.
Equipped with 10 Mbytes of onboard RAM, the Anza Plus/VME is a singleboard coprocessor that installs in any Sun 3 VME slot. All neurocomputing functions are performed by this product, and it can implement neural networks with any combination of up to 2,500,000 processing elements and interconnections. The coprocessor can update the network at a rate of 10,000,000 interconnects/sec. (IPS).
Costing $25,000, the Anza Plus/VME is sup plied with release 2.1 of HNC's neural network software system, operating under the Sun Unix operating system. Reader Service No. 32.
HNC 5501 Oberlin Dr. San Diego, CA 92121 619-546-8877
Cogent Software has announced the availability of HyperBase, an application development tool for the IBM PC. Combining Hypertext, interactive graphics, and the artificial intelligence programming language Prolog, HyperBase permits users to develop and deliver intelligent documents on an IBM PC.
Authors and readers of documents do not have to be familiar with Prolog to develop or use applications, yet they can produce documents that contain complete expert systems attached to both graphics and text. Furthermore intelligent Hypertext links may be constructed that aid a reader in using the document and that modify themselves according to the reader's skill level.
HyperBase comes with a toolkit for capturing images directly from the computer screen and incorporating them into documents. A built-in Prolog interpreter supplies the intelligence engine. Intelligent HyperBase documents may be created by annotating pre-existing documents in a text editor.
HyperBase requires an IBM PC, AT, PS/2, or compatible with at least 384K free memory and DOS 2.1 or later. A hard disk and graphics display are recommended, and mouse support is provided.
HyperBase is available in two versions, a $99 personal version and a $249 developer system, which permits the creation and distribution of standalone applications. HyperBase is compatible with the Cogent Prolog compiler ( available separately for $199), and code produced with the compiler may be attached dynamically to HyperBase documents. Reader Service No. 34.
Cogent Software Ltd. 21 William J. Heights Framingham, MA 01701 508-875-6553