OF INTEREST

Advanced Computing Labs has introduced Neural++, a collection of neural networks implemented as a C++ class library. Among the neural nets included are BP, CPN, Kohonen, and Outstar. Data scaling and Z-score data preprocessing are transparently automated. Available for DOS/Windows, Neural++ sells for $269.00 and includes Math++, a set of numerical classes that provide access to matrices, vectors, linear algebra, random numbers, regression, simulation, and data analysis. Reader service no. 20.

Advanced Computing Labs

West Chester, OH 45069

XVT-Architect 1.0, from XVT Software, is a new visual programming tool for cross-platform development. XVT-Architect provides a graphical means of developing C++ programs using point-and-click interaction with the XVT-Power++ application framework. Integrated into XVT-Architect is the Rogue Wave Tools.h++ library, which consists of more than 100 classes for data, string, and character manipulation.

The XVT-Architect package is composed of three modules: Blueprint, which is a hierarchy browser; Drafting Board, which is a graphical layout tool for designing windows, menus, strings, and the like; and Object Strata, which is a tool that lets you view the class inheritance of an object selected from either the Object Strata or Blueprint module.

Once the program design is complete, XVT-Architect generates code separately for both the user-code shells and the GUI. XVT-Architect is included as part of the XVT Development System for C++ 3.0 and is available for Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, OS/2, OSF/Motif, and Open Look. The development system sells for $1950.00 per developer for PCs, and $6300.00 for workstations. Reader service no. 21.

4900 E. Pearl Circle

Boulder, CO 80302

Novell has begun shipping its Visual AppBuilder 1.0, an object-oriented visual programming environment. The package includes the AppWare Loadable Module (ALM) Builder library consisting of more than 80 component objects for tasks ranging from messaging and authentication to directory services. Additionally, with the ALM Builder you can write your own C/C++ ALMs for use in the Visual AppBuilder development environment. The package also includes the AppWare Bus, an engine which manages and coordinates the interaction of the ALMs. Visual AppBuilder sells for $495.00 and includes a royalty-free run-time license. Reader service no. 22.

122 East 1700 South

Provo, UT 84606-6194

Image Format Library 5.0, an imaging library from AccuSoft, includes tools for reading the Kodak Photo CD format and incorporating high-performance raster-imaging capabilities into your software. In addition to Photo CD, the library supports JPEG, TIFF, PCX, DIB, TGA, GIF, WMF, PICT, DCX, WPG, EPS, and BMP formats. Version 5.0 also provides automatic thumbnails and new compression algorithms. The Visual Basic library sells for $495.00 and the Windows/DOS library for $795.00. Version 5.0 32-bit libraries for Windows, NT, OS/2, Visual Basic, UNIX, and Macintosh are priced at $995.00 each. Reader service no. 23.

Westborough, MA 01581

The SQL-Sombrero suite of database-development tools has been announced by SFI. The suite provides an interface to Sybase's Client Library and Microsoft's DB-Library without having to resort to C/C++. Additionally, the toolset supports OLE Automation, VBXs, and OLE Custom Controls, allowing direct access to Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server data.

The SQL-Sombrero family, which works with all versions of SQL Server (including Sybase Server 10) on all platforms, sells for $249.00. Reader service no. 24.

880 Boulevard de la Carrière, Suite 120

Hull, PQ Canada J8Y 6T5

The CodeSafe Protection Engine from EliaShim Microcomputers is a copy-protection system that prevents "protected" files on diskettes from being copied. However, the protected information is transferable from a CodeSafe diskette to a local hard drive without the need for a key disk. In other words, the unique serial number assigned by the CodeSafe system cannot be duplicated.

One protection is based on an envelope method, which adds a protection shell and encrypts existing EXE or COM files. Encryption algorithms are included to prevent debugging. Another method uses calls embedded in the source code to a function contained in object files that are supplied for most programming languages. The engine, which supports DOS 3 through 6.x and Windows 3.x, is priced on a per-unit-of-protection basis starting at $1.00 per copy. Reader service no. 25.

EliaShim Microcomputers

4005 Wedgemere Drive

Tampa, FL 33610

The Guide Reader DLL, a dynamically linked library that lets you embed hypertext-structured documents into a Windows-based host application, has been announced by InfoAccess (formerly OWL International). By embedding hypertext display capabilities into applications, developers avoid writing their own hypertext engines, yet still provide users with interactive access to text, graphics, and other multimedia data. Built on top of the Guide Reader, this DLL also provides bookmarks, annotations, full-text search, and other document-related features. Reader service no. 26.

2800 156th Ave. SE

Bellevue, WA 98007

Visual/Recital 1.0 for MS-DOS, an object-oriented development environment for client/server applications, has been released by Recital. The environment provides character-mode, DOS-based systems with window user interfaces that sport dialog boxes, pull-down menus, push buttons, and the like. The system also provides an integrated data dictionary and RDBMS engine.

Applications developed with Visual/Recital 1.0 for MS-DOS (which is fully xBase compatible with dBase IV and 5, Microsoft's FoxPro, and Computer Associates' Clipper) are portable to VAX/VMS, OpenVMS, HP MPE, and more than 70 UNIX platforms. Reader service no. 27.

85 Constitution Lane

Danvers, MA 01923

Software developers creating localized applications for international markets might want to investigate Wintertree Software's Sentry Spelling-Checker Engine, which now provides multilingual support. By adding support for the 8-bit ANSI character set, the engine works with languages such as French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Versions of the royalty-free Sentry Spelling-Checker, which include American English and British English dictionaries, are available with source code (ANSI C) for $599.00; in binary form for MS-DOS it sells for $99.00, or for Windows, $169.00. Dictionaries for other languages sell for $199.00 each. Reader service no. 28.

Wintertree Software

43 Rueter Street

Nepean, ON Canada K2J 3Z9

DT Software has released Version 3.0 of its text-retrieval software: dtSearch for DOS and dtSearch for Windows. The package performs indexed, unindexed, and combination searches across multiple indexes, directories, and drives. Searches include Boolean, proximity, phrase, wildcard, segment, and filename/date.

Version 3.0 has been enhanced to support network servers, fuzzy searching, phonic searching, unlimited indexing, scrolling word list, stemming, multiple-file tagging, annotation, and so on. dtSearch for DOS sells for $149.00 (single user) and dtSearch for Windows for $199.00 (single user). Reader service no. 29.

2101 Crystal Plaza Arcade, Suite 231

Arlington, VA 22202 703-521-9427

IBM has announced that the next version of OS/2 will include TCP/IP communications software that provides comprehensive Internet access. Additionally, OS/2 will include utilities such as Gopher, ftp, and Telenet, in addition to other e-mail capabilities such as its own graphics web browser called "WebExplorer." All utilities will be available via point-and-click access. Reader service no. 30.

1133 Westchester Ave.

White Plains, NY 10604

PageAhead Software has started shipping Version 2.1 of its SimbaEngine SDK, which provides an SQL engine and other components for creating ODBC drivers for any non-SQL data source. In particular, the Version 2.1 query-optimization engine supports push-down filters and joins so that ODBC drivers can "push" views or joins down to the application for maximum query performance; column caching, so information is retrieved only once and is stored in memory; transaction processing that allows users to undo updates, inserts, or deletes; and both session- and table-based security models. Other improvements include support for decimal data up to a precision of 60 decimal places and hashed indexes. Reader service no. 31.

PageAhead Software

2125 Western Ave., Suite 301

Seattle, WA 98121

Among recent books released by Butterworth-Heinemann are The PowerPC: A Practical Companion, by Steve Heath, and ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook, Second Edition, by David Hoyle. In his PowerPC book, Heath covers the programming model, instruction set, memory management, exception processing, and practical programming techniques. The 388-page book sells for $24.95. ISBN 0-7506-1801-9.

The new edition of Hoyle's ISO 9000 book includes recent clarifications and amendments to the standard, as well as annotations detailing rationale and compliance suggestions. The 420-page book sells for $29.95. ISBN 0-7506-2130-3. Reader service no. 32.

Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers

313 Washington Street

Newton, MA 02158-1626

PCMS*CTS from SQL Software is a process-configuration management package that uses e-mail to alert interested parties that changes have been made. Process-configuration management combines the traditional elements of version control with defect tracking and problem-management systems. PCMS*CTS uses the SQL standard to target for heterogeneous networks. Consequently, organizations can change software, hardware, or documentation in a well-defined and visible fashion. Reader service no. 33.

8500 Lessburg Pike, Suite 405

Vienna, VA 22182

Mosaic Communications Corp. has unveiled Mosaic NetScape, a Mosaic browser for the World Wide Web, and Mosaic NetSite, a Mosaic server. The Mosaic NetScape Network Navigator, a browser optimized to efficiently run over 14.4-Kbit/sec modems, is available for Windows, Macintosh, and the X Window System. The browser provides encryption and server authentication and supports the JPEG image format. The UNIX-based Mosaic NetSite server is designed for users who want to set up and maintain servers for distributing information and conducting commercial operations. The NetSite Communications server is for nonsecure applications, while the NetSite Commercial server, which incorporates RSA data security, is for applications where security is important. Reader service no. 34.

Mosaic Communications Corp.

650 Castro Street, Suite 500

Mountain View, CA 94041

Building Better Applications: A Theory of Efficient Software Development, by Michael R. Dunlavey, has been published by Van Nostrand Reinhold. In his book, Dunlavey, who wrote the article, "Performance Tuning: Slugging It Out!" (DDJ, November 1993), provides tools for more effective software development, including high- and low-level methods of increasing application speed, differential techniques for simplifying data and source code, and reusable diagnostics for call-stack sampling and time-line analysis. The 176-page book sells for $39.95. ISBN 0-442-01740-5. Reader service no. 35.

Van Nostrand Reinhold

New York, NY 10003

Dart Communications recently released PowerTCP Tools for Windows, a set of protocol libraries that provide turnkey TCP/IP protocols for a flat license fee. The SDK, which includes both 16- and 32-bit DLLs and a 16-bit VBX, will run in any environment that provides a Windows Sockets interface. The DLLs provide C/C++ (Microsoft name-mangling only) interfaces. The first protocols offered include TCP, Telnet, ftp, VT-220, and SMTP. The PowerTCP development license sells for $598.00 (single-user) or $998.00 (five-user license). Run-time licenses range from $1600.00 to $3000.00. Reader service no. 36.

Dart Communications

6 Occum Ridge Road

Deansboro, NY 13328-1008

OnCmd xBase for OS/2, recently released by On-Line Data, provides multiuser xBase functionality to OS/2. The software makes it possible for you to convert FoxPro, Clipper, or dBase programs to native OS/2 32-bit Presentation Manager applications. The toolkit sells for $695.00 but is available at an introductory price of $149.00. Network licenses are also available. Reader service no. 37.

Copyright © 1994, Dr. Dobb's Journal