OF INTEREST

DynaTek Automation Systems is distributing RAIDmark, a tool for benchmarking storage subsystems. RAIDmark is a RAID- and network-aware benchmarking tool that uses an application-level performance-measurement approach, which facilitates a universal storage subsystems comparison.

RAIDmark simulates real-life environments, allowing it to handle all read/write random-access devices and to predict performance in a multithreaded environment. RAIDmark is user configurable and can be used for optimizing network storage subsystems and disk arrays. A whitepaper detailing the algorithms used in RAIDmark is included with the software.

RAIDmark is available free of charge. Reader service no. 21.

DynaTek Automation Systems Inc.

A Windows GUI toolkit named application::ctor (application constructor) from Compass Point Software includes an object-oriented view editor, a user-interface class library (with over 100 classes), and a C++ class browser.

Windows objects built with application::ctor can have all the functionality of Windows dialog boxes, and the controls in a window can be related to each other and to the window itself in such a way that the window layout automatically rearranges or resizes the controls when the window is resized. The window's surface can also be divided into object-oriented, user-definable regions.

DDJ spoke with Jim Broomfield, a software engineer with Benson Douglas and Associates (Cary, North Carolina), who is using application::ctor to develop a Windows-based financial accounting package that has a relatively complicated UI. For this reason he needed more control over the layout design than he could have gotten with competing products, and so he chose what he termed application::ctor's "sophisticated look and feel." Jim also commented that, "The fact that the objects you draw are represented by C++ code from the class object library lets you build a real stand-alone executable without a runtime module."

The $99.00 package requires Windows 3.1 and a C++ compiler. Reader service no. 24.

Compass Point Software

332A Hungerford Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

301-738-9109

Shamus Software has released a new version of MIRACL, their portable multiprecision C library for implementing public-key cryptography systems. The library lets you use multiprecision integer and fractional data types in your programs. New to this version is a truncated-fraction alternative to floating-point arithmetic, which is illustrated by a scientific calculator program included in the package. Also included is PC-SCRAMBLER, which allows secure communication between two remote PCs.

All routines in the library are written in standard C and source code is included. Available via The Austin Code Works on a variety of platforms, including the PC, Macintosh, SPARC, and VAX. The price is $90.00. Reader service no. 23.

The Austin Code Works

11100 Leafwood Lane

Austin, TX 78750-3587

512-258-0785

CTOOLS960 4.0 from Intel is a C compiler for the i960 RISC processor. What's particularly interesting about the compiler is that it incorporates profile-driven optimization technology. That is, it uses information about the application program collected during dynamic execution to drive the compiler's optimization process. The compiler recognizes the program's behavior as it runs so that the data can be collected and used for further optimization.

Profile-driven compiler optimization differs from local and global optimization in that it is based on known runtime characteristics of the program. Thus, the compiler optimizes beyond conventional optimizations and is much more application specific. The profile information does the following: allocates additional resources to program parts that execute most often; transforms loops to separate paths that execute frequently from those that don't, thus reducing interference between code segments; places paths frequently taken through the program code in sequence, thus increasing instruction cache-hit rates; places heavily used global variables in faster memory such as on-chip SRAM; and performs function inlining across modules, targeting the most heavily executed call sites.

CTOOLS960 costs $2000.00 for DOS, $3500.00 for the HP9000, and $4300.00 for the SUN4 or IB RS/6000. Reader service no. 25.

Intel Corp.

P.O. Box 58065

Santa Clara, CA 95052-8121

408-765-8080

C-SPY is a high-level language debugger for embedded applications from Archimedes. It features a windowed interface that allows you to watch both C and assembler source code on screen; memory-based design for maximum speed; the ability to debug banked code, a watch window to monitor variables and expressions; and full type recognition of the variable definitions allowed in C. There is a log file option for logging commands and automated debug sessions; full support for auto and global variables; and a built-in assembler/disassembler to manipulate code in runtime debugging. All the basic debugging commands are included, as well as optional getchar/putchar emulation and a macro language to create complex breakpoints and simulate I/Os and interrupts.

C-SPY gets mixed reviews from its users. Guy Turley, who writes vending-machine software for Lizard Electronic Development Ltd. in Penryn, England, told DDJ, "You have to type all the commands in, and although it does the job, it's not as fast or efficient as a [competitor]."

On the other hand, Peter Bate, technical director at Cardinal Ltd., developers of smart-card terminals (Hemel Hemstead, England), found C-SPY ideal for cross development. "You can single-step at the C source level instead of debugging in assembler," he said, "and another plus is that it runs on more than one PC, reducing tooling-up costs."

C-SPY prices start at $995.00. Reader service no. 26.

Archimedes Software Inc.

2159 Union Street

San Francisco, CA 94123

415-567-4010

Power Programming: The IBM XGA, by graphics expert Jake Richter is available from MIS Press. The book includes full documentation and explanation of IBM's XGA standard and information on the VESA XGA standard, as well as the differences between the 8514/A and XGA APIs, complete register listings, and sample programs.

The price is $29.95; with source-code disk, $59.95. Reader service no. 27.

VisualWorks is ParcPlace's development environment for creating graphical, client/server applications that can be instantly ported across PCs, Macintoshes, and UNIX machines without recompilation. VisualWorks comprises several key components, the first of which is its graphical user-interface builder. The GUI builder uses a point-and-click palette and canvas with a variety of layout tools. Once the GUI is built, the ChameleonView feature lets you preview the new interface in the native-application look of either Windows, Motif, OS/2 Presentation Manager, Macintosh, or OPEN LOOK. VisualWorks provides direct database access for Oracle and Sybase and access to other databases via the EDA/ SQL gateway. The VisualWorks External Database Interface (EDI) handles database interaction. It makes the database interface an object, letting you apply object-oriented programming to managing relational data. The EDI allows developers to map data to objects allowing access to information regardless of the type of database.

VisualWorks' reusable application framework generates code to tie the interface and application together. It provides the structure for the application and includes tools that prompt for scripting of actions.

The price of VisualWorks is $2995.00 for Windows, OS/2, and Macintosh, and $4995.00 for UNIX. The database drivers cost $495.00 for Oracle or Sybase, and $995.00 for EDA/SQL. Reader service no. 28.

ParcPlace Systems Inc.

999 E. Arques Avenue

Sunnyvale, CA 94086

408-481-909o

Scientific Endeavors has announced GraphiC/Win, a C graphics library for Windows designed for creating scientific graphics. GraphiC/Win has routines that create linear, log, semilog, 3-D, contour, polar, triangle, and 2-D and 3-D bar plots, as well as a variety of charts. It supports a full set of 3-D routines for curves and surfaces, including hidden-line removal and projection of 2-D planes and stacked contour plots into 3-D space. Mathematical functions are included to help plot your data. Splines are available for 2-D and 3-D curves to interpolate and smooth data. Data that is not on a uniform grid can be used to draw 3-D surfaces and contour plots.

Source code for all of the library routines is available. GraphiC/Win costs $495.00. Reader service no. 29.

Scientific Endeavors Corp.

508 N. Kentucky Street

Kingston, TN 37763

800-998-1571 or 615-376-4146

The Codewright's Toolworks has released Alloc-GC, a garbage-collecting replacement for malloc. When malloc runs out of memory, Alloc-GC garbage collects, finding all unreferenced blocks, which are then reclaimed and reused.

The design of C++ classes and the code for constructors and destructors are often complex because objects must be deallocated. Garbage collection removes most of these complexities, rendering destructors almost unnecessary. In addition, Alloc-GC simplifies initialization and termination, and allocation and deallocation code in C. Also, unlike some other garbage collectors, Alloc-GC can use normal C pointers because it constructs bit tables so that it can quickly check that values it uses as pointer address legal memory.

For more on garbage collection, see "Garbage Collection for C Programs," by Giuliano Carlini and Susan Rendina in the November 1992 DDJ.

The price is $30.00 for a personal, noncommercial license, $130.00 for a DOS commercial license, and $300.00 for a SPARC commercial license. Reader service no. 32.

Codewright's Toolworks

Box 990

San Pedro, CA 90733-0990

310-514-3151

Now available from Quarterdeck is the DOS Protected Mode Interface (DPMI) Host, which accompanies QEMM-386, Quarterdeck's memory-management software. The DPMI Host is compatible with Microsoft C/C++ 7, Borland C++, and Intel's Code Builder Kit and supports virtual memory.

The DPMI Host fully implements version 0.9 of the DPMI specification, which defines a standard software interface for allocating extended memory to 16- and 32-bit protected-mode programs for the 286, 386, and 486.

DPMI Host costs $30.00 and is free to registered Quarterdeck users. Reader service no. 31.

Quarterdeck Office Systems Inc.

150 Pico Boulevard

Santa Monica, CA 90405

213-392-9851

BOUNDS-CHECKER 2.0, a DOS memory-protection tool, is now shipping from Nu-Mega. Prior to this version, both BOUNDS-CHECKER and a heap checking library were necessary in order to locate memory problems having to do with use of nonallocated memory. The new BOUNDS-CHECKER not only detects problems in a program's heap, stack, or data segment, but also handles array overrun detection and finds illegal memory accesses outside a program and automatically overwrites code. The new Smart Mode feature uses a built-in knowledge base of predefined heuristics to automatically decide the legitimacy of a memory access, thus obviating the need for system-level knowledge.

BOUNDS-CHECKER supports Microsoft C/C++ 7 and Borland 3.1, as well as third-party memory managers. The price is $199.00. Reader service no. 30.

Nu-Mega Technologies Inc.

P.O. Box 7780

Nashua, NH 03060-7780

603-889-2386