Dr. Dobb's Journal February 2004
Intel has introduced Version 8.0 of its C++ and Fortran compilers for Windows and Linux, along with the Intel C++ Compilers for Windows CE .NET. The compilers are designed for systems based on the Intel Pentium 4, Itanium 2, Xeon, and Centrino processor families. The Intel Visual Fortran Compiler for Windows combines the language features of Compaq Visual Fortran (CVF) and Intel compiler optimization and code-generation technology, letting you move source code developed with CVF to Intel Visual Fortran. CVF language features are also available on both Intel 32-bit and Itanium-based systems running Windows. In addition, it brings CVF language features to Linux on systems using Intel 32-bit and Itanium processors. An enhanced version of the compiler, Intel Visual Fortran Compiler Professional Edition for Windows, includes the Visual Numerics's IMSL Fortran 5.0 Library. Moreover, the compilers support the forthcoming Intel processor, code-named "Prescott," which includes new graphical and video instructions and other compute-intensive application characteristics, and Mobile MMX technology that similarly provides performance capabilities for graphical, audio, and video performance on mobile phones and PDAs. The new compilers also support Intel's Hyper-Threading technology and OpenMP 2.0. New tools offered with the compiler suites include the Intel Code Coverage and Intel Test Prioritization Tools.
Intel Corporation
2200 Mission College Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8119
408-765-8080
http://www.intel.com/software/products/
Inivis has released AC3D 4.0 of its 3D graphics package. AC3D lets you create 3D models for games, design graphics and logos, and for general 3D visualization. The new version includes subdivision surfaces, Boolean operations, 2D/3D text, and faster rendering of high polygon count models. The program features fast real-time OpenGL graphics views (2D and 3D) with a click-and-drag user interface. It allows multipoint and polygon editing down to vertex level and includes a texture coordinate editor. Many 3D graphics file formats are supported, including 3Dstudio, VRML, POVray, and Renderman. Windows and Linux versions are available.
Inivis Limited
59 Tennyson Place
Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 3WF
UK
+44 20 768 11 11 0
http://www.ac3d.org/
IBM is licensing Version 1.1 of its MPEG-4 video and audio toolkit. The toolkit supports the creation and playback of MPEG-4 content, as well as the development of MPEG-4-based applications such as an interactive TV presentation, on any Java-compliant platform. IBM has also announced a new version of its Java Card Open Platform (JCOP) operating system, a platform designed for building, testing, and deploying smartcard solutions. The new IBM JCOP21-D is more efficient, has a smaller footprint, and works with Philips's SmartMX family of processors.
IBM Corporation
1133 Westchester Avenue
White Plains, NY 10604
404-238-1234
http://www.alphaWorks.ibm.com/
The Mindego Analyzer is a software tool for examining the structure, contents, and conformance of MPEG-4 media data. The Windows-based software uses a top-down approach to stream examination and provides navigation aids to enable random access at any level of the file and its video contents. Release 1.0 support the analysis of MPEG-4 video (ISO/IEC 14996 part 2), simple and advanced simple profiles, and MP4 atom structure, runs semantic and syntactic video compliance tests, and checks for conformance to MP4 metadata and ISMA 1.0 specifications where applicable.
Mindego Inc.
100 Buckingham Drive, Suite 238
Santa Clara, CA 95051
408-243-6384
http://www.mindego.com/
Microsoft has announced it will make available for licensing its FAT File System Technology. The FAT file system lets operating systems keep track of the location and sequence of each piece of a file, and lets it identify which clusters are unassigned and available for new files. Microsoft is offering two types of nonexclusive licenses: one for removable solid state media manufacturers to preformat the media, such as compact flash memory cards, and another for consumer electronics devices.
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
425-882-8080
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/
ip/tech/fat.asp
AppForge is shipping Version 4.0 of AppForge MobileVB, which lets you create applications for PalmOS, Pocket PC 2000/2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Nokia Series 60/80, or Symbian UIQ Smartphone, within the Visual Studio IDE. A lighter product, MobileVB Solo, is available for targeting a single device platform. AppForge also debuted its Crossfire product line for mobile and wireless application development environment using Visual Studio .NET 2003 and the .NET Platform.
AppForge Inc.
3348 Peachtree Road NE
Tower Place 200, Suite 625
Atlanta, GA 30326
678-686-9000
http://www.appforge.com/
CodeFutures has updated its FireStorm/DAO database persistence tool for Java programmers. FireStorm/DAO 2.0 generates the business logic for accessing relational databases in service-oriented and object-oriented architectures. FireStorm/DAO can import Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise, Informix, MySQL, and PostgreSQL schemas from Database Definition Language (DDL) SQL scripts. FireStorm/DAO can also import schemas from any JDBC-compliant database. Any elements of the schema metadata can be modified, and it is also possible to create new schemas using FireStorm/DAO, and then generate SQL scripts to create the physical database.
Code Futures Ltd.
Suite 305, Wey House
15 Church Street
Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8NA
UK
+44 1932 228260
http://www.codefutures.com/
DDJ