Apple has announced its Advanced Chinese Input Suite (ACIS), an integrated suite for inputting Chinese text on Mac OS-based computers. The suite includes the Apple Chinese Dictation Kit, the Apple Chinese Handwriting Kit, and Apple Chinese Text-to-Speech. The Chinese Dictation Kit requires the user to train the system to recognize his or her voice by reading 25 pages of text, which takes about two hours. The Chinese Handwriting Kit requires little training and recognizes any handwritten Chinese character, as long as it is written in the sequence of common strokes used to write the Chinese language. ACIS runs on any PowerPC-based Mac OS system with System 7.5 or later; Chinese Language Kit 1.1.1 or later. ACIS requires 8 MB of RAM, at least 35 MB of hard-disk space to accommodate the voice file generated during the training phase of the Chinese Dictation Kit, and 16-bit sound input.
Apple Computer
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014-2084
408-996-1010
http://www.apple.com/
Sequiter Software has announced the addition of Java support to the CodeBase 6 database engine. CodeBase now supports Java, C, C++, Visual Basic, and Delphi. Sequiter has also updated its database server to unlimited client/server distribution. Developers can now distribute both client applications and the CodeBase database server itself royalty free.
Sequiter Software
P.O. Box 783
Greenland, NH 03840
403-437-2410
http://www.sequiter.com/
Silicon Graphics has shipped the final version of the Cosmo suite. Cosmo is a code-free environment for developing and deploying web sites based on HTML, Java, and VRML. The suite includes: Cosmo Player, a VRML 2.0-compliant viewer that works as a plug-in for Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer; Cosmo Create, a WYSIWYG HTML page-layout tool; Cosmo Worlds, a VRML 2.0-compliant authoring system for developing interactive 3-D worlds; and Cosmo Code 2.0, a visual Java development environment for creating cross-platform applications. All Cosmo applications run on the SGI platform.
The entire Cosmo suite is available for download from Silicon Graphics for $2500.00. By itself, Cosmo Create sells for $495.00, and Cosmo Code for $495.00. Cosmo Worlds (which includes Cosmo Create) sells for $2300.00. Cosmo Player, a VRML 2.0-compliant viewer, is available for free at http://vrml.sgi.com/.
Silicon Graphics Inc.
7011 N. Shoreline Blvd.
Mountain View, CA 94043-1389
http://www.sgi.com/
Secant Technologies has announced its Secant Persistent Object Manager (POM), which is an object-management toolset for building object-oriented, client-server applications. POM's mapping services allow relational, ISAM, and stream-oriented datastores to be integrated into an application's object model. The metadata compiler compiles an object-oriented schema, including all database mappings, to a working C++ object model. This includes all the code necessary to manage object storage to a database.
In addition to the mapping services, POM provides an integrated Object Manager that offers transaction services to C++ applications. This allows operations such as "rollback," "checkpoint," and "commit" to be applied to in-memory objects as well as to databases. The transaction services are coded to OMG COSS standards that allow POM clients to easily plug in to any OMG-compliant three-tiered environment.
The Secant POM toolset is available for C++ and SOM-enabled languages. It runs on Windows 95/NT and OS/2. POM supports Visual C++, Borland C++, Visual Age C++, ODBC, and Borland's Database Engine (BDE).
Secant Technologies
23811 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 244
Beachwood, OH 44122
216-595-3830
info@secant.com
http://www.secant.com/
NCompass Labs has released ScriptActive, a plug-in that provides ActiveX support for Netscape Navigator. ScriptActive allows intranet and Internet developers to script ActiveX control applications using VBScript, JavaScript, or other ActiveX scripting languages, and run these controls under either Microsoft's ActiveX or Netscape's LiveConnect Frameworks. To provide compatibility between Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, ScriptActive comes with a conversion tool that allows HTML pages featuring ActiveX Controls and VBScript to become directly compatible with Netscape Navigator.
NCompass Labs has also released CaptiveX, a set of ActiveX controls that enable site developers to embed dynamic visual objects into Web pages.
NCompass Labs Inc.
3rd Floor 321 Water Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V6B 1B8
604-606-0950
http://www.ncompasslabs.com/
Kuck & Associates released NiTro*Code for Pentium/PentiumPro machines under Windows NT with one or more processors. NiTro*Code is a source-code optimization tool designed to enhance FORTRAN77 code. It allows NT programmers to automatically take advantage of multiple processors. NiTro*Code can be purchased for a retail price of $199.00 for the serial version, and $299.00 for the parallel version.
Kuck & Associates Inc.
1906 Fox Drive
Champaign, IL 61820-7334
217-356-2288
http://www.kai.com/
Sinectonalysis has announced four software libraries for the PowerPC. These libraries provide fast routines for edge detections, convolutions or FFT transforms, and the like. Each library has been optimized at the algorithm level to run in the shortest number of cycles for the best possible performance. These libraries can be used on their own, or can be used to prepare for the release of the hand-tuned versions, which will provide substantially increased performance.
In addition to the PowerPC versions, these libraries are also available for Windows NT on the Intel x86, IBM RS/6000, Sun workstations, and Texas Instruments TMS320C4x/TMS320C3x DSPs.
Sinectonalysis Inc.
3702 South Virginia Street, Suite G-12#164
Reno, NV 89502-6034
702-345-0148
http://www.clark.net/pub/sinecto/index.html
O'Reilly & Associates has announced the second edition of Programming Perl, by Perl creator Larry Wall, Randal Schwartz, and Tom Christiansen. This heavily revised edition discusses Perl 5. It includes an introduction to Perl, which explains the language and its syntax, functions and modules, its object-oriented features, and more.
O'Reilly & Associates
103 Morris Street, Suite A
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-829-0515
http://www.ora.com/
NuMega has released BoundsChecker 4.2, which provides supports for ActiveX and ODBC. Version 4.2 also supports more than 100 additional Windows NT 4.0 API functions (as compared to BoundsChecker 4.0). BoundsChecker 4.2 Professional Edition sells for $549.00 and BoundsChecker 4.2 Standard Edition for $349.00.
NuMega Technologies
9 Townsend West
Nashua, NH 03063
603-889-2386
http://www.numega.com/
HiTecSoft Corp. announced its Intranet Compiler, a streaming compiler that compiles NetBasic Scripts, HTML, GIF, JPEG, audio and video into a single NLM with a stream of data that can be sent directly to the browser. The Intranet Compiler can also compile NetBasic scripts into a Net2000 NMX (Network Modular Extension) allowing developers to create Net2000 components using Basic or C/C++. Developers can link in their C or C++ code as well.
HiTecSoft also announced NetBasic WebPro, a Netware development tool that allows users to create applications that are accessible from a Web browser. Included with WebPro is a secure Web server that incorporates RSA encryption and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). An API module for Btrieve databases is included, and optional modules for Oracle and dBase databases are also available. WebPro can also create HTML pages on the fly from Basic scripts.
HiTecSoft Corp.
3370 N. Hayden Road, Suite 203
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
602-970-1025
http://www.hitecsoft.com/
Hi/fn has announced its Hi/fn 9710/9711 compression coprocessors for routers, firewalls, and remote-access servers. The Hi/fn 9710/9711 can support up to four T1/E1 lines. The Hi/fn 9710 compresses and decompresses data in the LZS format, while the Hi/fn 9711 compress and decompresses in both the LZS and MPCC formats. Both coprocessors support pipelined operations, requiring no CPU interventions between operations, and up to 2048 simultaneous histories.
Hi/fn also announced Hi/fn MUM 1.0, an encryption-integrating compression tool. Hi/fn MUM 1.0 provides processor-independent implementations of RC4, DES, and Triple DES data encryption, HMAC-SHA, HMAC-MD5 keyed hash functions, and LZS and MPPC compression for Internet, intranet, and client-server networks.
Hi/fn Inc.
12636 High Bluff Drive
San Diego, CA 92130
619-794-4550
http://www.hifn.com/
Xerox has announced a program to support third-party software developers and system integrators in their efforts to develop and market application-specific solutions for Xerox production printers. The Software Solution Provider (SSP) program formalizes a range of offerings to third-party firms, including training, technical assistance, and compatibility testing, as well as sales and marketing programs.
Xerox Corp.
295 Woodcliff Drive 817-03A
Fairport, NY 14450
716-264-2807
http://www.xerox.com/
L3 Systems has released the Keyat Keyboard Port Adapter that lets you connect to a PC's keyboard port using either RS-232 or RS-485 interfaces and still be able to use the existing keyboard. The Keyat is designed to aid software testing, allowing a test controller to simulate keyboard use without adding special software or communication hardware to the target computer system.
The Keyat is addressable, and the RS-485 interface allows you to have one host computer to control the testing of up to 58 target systems simultaneously. You can send the Keyat ASCII, scan codes, or keyboard codes. The Keyat can also monitor keyboard sessions for developing regression test data, or for detecting key combinations which are causing software problems. The unit comes with manual and keyboard adapter cable, and is priced at $99.00.
L3 Systems
P.O. Box 5438
Redmond, WA 98073
206-836-5438
http://aa.net/L3/
Visigenic has announced its Caffeine, a tool that lets developers of IIOP-based (Internet Inter-ORB Protocol) distributed applications program objects directly in Java. Caffeine, based on Visigenic's VisiBroker for Java technology, provides transparent interoperability between ORB (object request broker) objects implemented in Java and C++. VisiBroker for Java acts as a code generator in Caffeine that takes Java-interface files as input and produces IIOP-compliant objects in return. Caffeine also enables application developers to pass any objects from one machine to another by value. VisiBroker for Java is a Java-based ORB that lets you send object-level messages via any programming language, hardware platform, operating system, or network infrastructure.
Visigenic has also announced the availability of its VisiODBC Driver for IBM DB2, which allows ODBC-enabled applications to access the complete family of IBM DB2 databases for MVS and VM mainframe, RS/6000 AIX, AS/400, OS/2, and Windows NT.
Visigenic Software
951 Mariners Island Blvd., Suite 120
San Mateo, CA 94404
415-286-1900
http://www.visigenic.com/
Motorola's Wireless Division has released details of its DSP56305, an addition to its DSP56300 family of programmable 24-bit DSPs. The DSP combines filter, Viterbi, and cyclic code coprocessors with an 80-MHz DSP56300 core. The DSP56305 is software-compatible with other members of the DSP56300 family, enabling the DSP56305 to utilize existing DSP56300- family development tools. Available for PC, Sun, and Hewlett-Packard host platforms, the DSP56301ADS application development system provides a real-time development and debugging environment. A cross-linker assembler and simulator (CLAS) development package is also available.
Motorola Wireless
8701 N. Mopac, #150
Austin, TX 78759
512-502-2100
http://www.motorola-dsp.com/
Litronic has announced the CryptOS SDK for integrating "hardware-strength" cryptography into software-only systems. Supporting the Netscape security architecture, the Smartcard-based CryptOS SDK lets you integrate token-based digital signatures, encryption, public-key certificates, and secure and portable private key storage into existing applications. Litronic's CryptOS is a multiplatform, object-based library providing an interface to a host of hardware devices including Smartcard Readers, PC-Card Readers, and the Litronic CipherServer.
Litronic Inc.
2950 Redhill Road
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-545-6649
DDJ