Dr. Dobb's Journal January 1998
Elsinore Technologies has released Visual Intercept, a scalable bug-tracking system optimized for the Microsoft development environments. Visual Intercept integrates with tools such as Visual SourceSafe, Visual Basic, Exchange, and Visual Studio. The tool lets you create deep hierarchies of projects and subprojects for categorizing bugs. Visual Intercept is an ODBC, three-tiered application with a complete API. It retails for $699.00 and runs on Windows 3.x/95/NT.
Elsinore Technologies Inc.
P.O. Box 20686
Raleigh, NC 27619-0686
713-956-1221
http://www.elsitech.com/
NetGrapx from Data-Disk Technology is a Zlib-based lossless data-compression library for use with any programming language that uses C calling conventions on any platform. NetGrapx also utilitizes the Lev Zimpel (QLZ) compression algorithm for real-time compression of general files.
Data-Disk Technology Inc.
45615 Willow Pond Plaza
Sterling, VA 20165
703-318-8600
http://www.erols.com/halwood/comp.htm
Crossware has developed an 8051 ANSI C compiler that features smart pointers that produce efficient code without the programmer declaring specific pointer types. Crossware's linker performs a full type-check across the complete program, and checks all global variables, structures and unions, and all function attributes, including parameter types and numbers, to ensure total program integrity. The compiler supports all variants of the 8051 microcontroller, and supports large and small memory models and tiny memory model for the Philips 80C750 family. It can generate nonreentrant code for maximum speed and efficiency or reentrant code for full ANSI conformance. The compiler is available for both DOS and Windows 95/NT 4.0. The Windows 95/NT 4.0 version comes complete with the Crossware Embedded Development Studio, which provides project management, build and browsing support, as well as context colored drag-and-drop editing.
Crossware Products
St. John's Innovation Centre
Cowley Road
Cambridge CB4 4WS, UK
+44 (0) 1223 421263
http://www.crossware.com/
Agranat Systems has announced EmStack, a fully compliant TCP/IP stack bundled with EmWeb, Agranat's embedded web server product. EmWeb with EmStack provides web-based monitoring and control for any microprocessor-based device without the need for an operating system. EmStack and EmWeb each have a 20-KB footprint.
Agranat Systems Inc.
1345 Main Street
Waltham, MA 02154
781-893-7868
http://www.agranat.com/
Binary Evolution's Velocity Engine for Perl and Velocity Engine for Tcl are available for free download. The Velocity Engines are server-side plugins for Netscape's or Microsoft's web servers that allow the creation of dynamic web pages based on database content. These products embed a thread-safe, persistent Perl or Tcl interpreter into the Web Server. The Velocity Engine is backward compatible with the CGI protocol, and can run existing CGI scripts. The Velocity Engine Beta Release requires the Netscape FastTrack or Enterprise Server running on Windows NT Intel, Solaris Sun, or Linux Intel.
Binary Evolution
P.O. Box 3258
Rancho Sante Fe, CA 92067
619-481-7438
http://www.binevolve.com/
Applied Language Technologies (ALTech) has announced SpeechWorks 3.0, which features speech recognition technology, rapid application development tools, and predefined application component templates. SpeechWorks 3.0 uses object-oriented building blocks, known as DialogModules, to deliver significant enhancements in vocabulary size and natural language capabilities. Each DialogModule accomplishes a particular task within an application, ranging from "simple" tasks such as capturing a yes/no response to more complex tasks such as capturing credit card information or name and address information from a caller. Through embedded human factors expertise, pre-built grammars, user-interface design, internal call flow, and error recovery routines, DialogModules provide application developers with easy-to-use functionality. Using a set of GUI-based composition and vocabulary editing tools provided by ALTech's SpeechBuilder toolkit, DialogModules can be customized by developers for specific application requirements.
Applied Language Technologies Inc.
695 Atlantic Avenue, Third Floor
Boston, MA 02111
617-428-4444
http://www.altech.com/
California Scientific Software has released BrainMaker Professional/MMX 3.6 This version of BrainMaker (a neural network tool that can interface with various applications) is optimized to run on Intel MMX Pentiums. BrainMaker Professional/MMX costs $795.00 and runs on Windows 95/NT.
California Scientific Software
10024 Newtown Road
Nevada City, CA 95959
916-478-9040
http://www.calsci.com/
Azalea Software has released three new encryption and security SDKs: DESTools 1.5, Blowfish Tools 1.5, and SHATools 1.0. All three tools are a set of DLLs and work with Windows 3.x/95/NT. DESTools sells for $149.00, Blowfish Tools for $199.00, and SHATools for $99.00, respectively.
Azalea Software Inc.
P.O. Box 16745
Seattle, WA 98116
206-932-6028
http://www.encryption.com/
SftBox/DLL 1.0 from Softel vdm is a DLL-based Combo Box control for Windows 3.1/95/NT. SftBox/DLL offers three combobox styles with features such as multiple columns, variable-height items, multiple text lines per cell with word wrap, built-in row and column headers, user-resizable columns, and more. Included is the SftBox/DLL Wizard for rapidly adding a combo box to applications. SftBox/DLL 1.0 includes 16-bit and 32-bit DLLs using the same API across all Windows platforms. The controls are royalty free and cost $260.00.
Softel vdm
318 Tamiami Trail, Suite 14
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
941-505-8600
http://www.softelvdm.com/
Accent Software International has announced Version 1.3 of its Global Development Kit (GDK), a developer's tool for creating international Windows applications. The new version includes MFC support, Asian language localization support in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and an interactive word-for-word translation tool. In addition to the libraries and APIs, the GDK includes the Globalization Suite, applications that help automate and manage the task of translating the user interface into other languages. Also included is an improved porting tool.
Accent Software International Ltd.
2864 South Circle Drive, Suite 340
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
719-576-2610
http://www.accentsoft.com/
ILOG JViews is a high-performance 2-D Java graphics library. ILOG JViews offers application-specific objects and behaviors that can be customized to create a wide variety of applications, from network topologies to maps displays. ILOG JViews runs on any Java platform that supports JDK 1.1. Prices start at $6500.00 for a single developer license.
ILOG Inc.
1901 Landings Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043
800-367-4564
http://www.ilog.com/
The Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) has announced MapObjects 1.2, a toolkit for embedding mapping and spatial analysis capabilities into applications. MapObjects is an ActiveX control and a collection of 35 programmable automation objects. This version provides support for Spatial Database Engine 3.0, ESRI's geodata server for storing and managing vector, CAD, and image data. MapObjects 1.2 also supports 24-bit Windows BMP files, pie and bar chart labeling capabilities, and geocoding for Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
Environmental Systems Research Institute
380 New York Street
Redlands, CA 92373
909-793-5953
http://www.esri.com/
SmallCycle, from Unity Software Systems, is a software maintenance system for IBM's VisualAge for Smalltalk that handles software distribution, problem management, and task-based workflow. SmallCycle requires IBM VisualAge for Smalltalk version 3.0 or later on OS/2 or Windows, with Lotus Notes version 3.x or later.
Unity Software Systems
7000 East Shea Boulevard, Suite 256
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-483-7075
http://www.unity-software.com/
Desaware has announced Desaware ActiveX Gallimaufry, a set of eight ActiveX controls written in Visual Basic 5.0. Source code is included. The Desaware ActiveX Gallimaufry includes a Banner control, HexEdit Control, PerList control, MDI Taskbar control, RotatePic control, and SpiralBox control. The kit also includes a Common Dialog component, which offers access to the Windows Common Dialogs, and the Gallimaufry Component Library, components that implement stacks, queues, linked lists, and quick sorts. The Desaware ActiveX Gallimaufry is available for $79.00.
Desaware
1100 East Hamilton Avenue, Suite 4
Campbell, CA 95008
408-377-4770
http://www.desaware.com/
Acucobol's ACUCOBOL-GT 3.2 is a Year 2000 compliant development environment that lets you develop graphical user interfaces and client/server capabilities for Cobol applications. ACUCOBOL-GT 3.2 extends the ANSI-85 Cobol language to support multithreading, modeless windows, a dual-file system, graphical controls, and the ability to execute GUI programs in a non-GUI environment.
Acucobol Inc.
7950 Silverton Avenue, Suite 201
San Diego, CA 92126
619-689-7220
http://www.acucobol.com/
The ProjectStart model libraries from Project Technology are a collection of model patterns that make it easier to build model-based applications. ProjectStart model libraries are packages of object patterns that have repeated application within a specific industry. Each pattern is an executable graphical model consisting of four to 12 objects. ProjectStart Telecom I, the model library focusing on telecommunications, costs $3000.00 for a three-user license.
Project Technology
10940 Bigge Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
510-567-0255
http://www.projtech.com/
Schlumberger has demonstrated the first Java-based SIM (subscriber identity module) for mobile phones, and released it for beta-testing to telecommunications companies. The Java capability allows the smart card provided with digital mobile phones to operate as a miniature computer and run a spectrum of additional applications, including applets downloaded dynamically over the network as required. In short, the SIM card allows mobile phones to function as a secure and portable gateway to the services available on networks. Schlumberger's SIM prototype is based on its Cyberflex product. Conforming to the Java Card Forum-endorsed API standard developed for smart cards, this provides an interoperable platform for portable applications. For more information, see http://www.cyberflex.austin.et.slb.com/ or http://www.javacardforum.org/.
Schlumberger
P.O. Box 200015
Austin, Texas 78720-0015
http://www.slb.com/
TracePoint Technology has announced Visual Basic and C++ versions of HiProf, its graphical hierarchical profiling tool. HiProf 2.0 supports Visual Basic 5.0 and Visual C++, and features a redesigned interface with wizards and enhanced performance. With HiProf 2.0, you can automatically see which chain of functions renders the slowest path through the application. A new feature in the console displays real-time stack traces so that users can watch the stack change dynamically and find threads that are competing for resources. The C++ version costs $249.00, and the VB version costs $199.00. HiProf 2.0 runs under Windows 95/NT.
TracePoint Technology Inc.
One Almaden Boulevard, Suite 1100
San Jose, CA 95113
408-283-5350
http://www.tracepoint.com/
Microsoft has announced the availability of Version 2.0 of its SDK for Java. The SDK includes Microsoft's virtual machine, the Microsoft Application Foundation Classes (AFC), and J/Direct. The SDK is available for free download at http://www.microsoft.com/java/ (connect-time charges may apply).
The AFC is a set of UI-centric class libraries (written in Java) for creating Java applications. AFC ships with Internet Explorer 4.0 and is slated to ship with Windows-based PCs and Macintosh systems in the future. J/Direct lets you call the Win32 API or any other DLL directly, without having to write Java-aware native code wrappers. The Microsoft virtual machine provides automatic, bidirectional integration of ActiveX technologies and JavaBeans, letting you mix and match components written in Java and other programming languages. The virtual machine's package manager handles automatic installation of class libraries and provides version control. These features work with any standard web server, and security is enforced on downloaded libraries.
Microsoft Corp.
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080
http://www.microsoft.com/
DDJ