mac week v 10 n 7

h anxiety OpenDoc developers counter fears with 02.19.96 The Newsweekly for Macintosh Managers VOLUME 10 NUMBER 7 a ClickWorks, Scitex's foray into multimedia territory, will use a Finder-like metaphor for organizing media and defining behaviors. Scitex to venture into multimedia authoring By Kelly Ryer the fourth quarter for less than The object-oriented — $1,000. The software, which Sci- multimedia-authoring tool may tex will demonstrate at next come from an unlikely source. Its week's Seybold Seminars Boston developer, Pitango-MPS, is an 96, will be aimed at publishers Israeli division of Scitex Corp. looking to repurpose printed ma- Ltd., known primarily for itsdig- _ terials, the company said. ital pre-press technology. ClickWorks will use an object- Called ClickWorks, the new oriented interface to create multi- application is expected to ship in See Scitex, Page 62 next NEWS ANALYSIS VRML battle heats up By Kelly Ryer and James Staten Netscape Communications Corp. and Silicon Graphics Inc. last week proposed bringing 3-D mo- tion to the Internet in a way that could leave Apple and Microsoft Corp. out in the cold. The proposal, “Moving Worlds,” was presented to the VRML Ar- chitecture Group (VAG), last | week. The plan, which details | processes for animating Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) static models, is sup- ported by more than 50 companies, including Adobe Sy tervista Software Inc., Macrome- dia Inc. and Sony Corp. The move by Netscape and SGI, both of Mountain View, valif., has been lauded by the VRML community, including some members of the VAG stan- See VRML, Page 62 tems Inc., In- NEWS P APER SECOND CLASS ClarisWorks to be acontainer in 96 By Clifford Colby With OpenDoc for the Mac now available, Apple has begun to sketch its next moves for the component-software architecture. Claris Corp. this week will unveil an OpenDoc-enabled version of ClarisWorks, sources said, while Apple is at work on several Open- Doc-related initiatives, including the final version of berdog. Boarding the OpenDoc bus, Claris Corp. said it plans to unveil this week its first application sup- porting the component technology. Minolta copier to widen scope of color output By Kristin Balleisen Hoping to break into the color vill spotlight an aggressively priced cele r copier that doubles as «a full-bleed tabloid-size printer at next week’s Seybold Seminars Boston 96. Pricing for the CF900, due to ship in May, will start at $24,995. See Minolta, Page 64 Minolta’s CF900 color copier will do double duty as a tabloid-size printer. | copier big leagues, Minolta Corp. | The device will be the first color | Sources said the company will announce at this week’s Mac- world Expo in Tokyo that it plans to add container support to CiarisWorks by the end of the year. ClarisWorks will report- edly not be broken up into com- ponents but instead will gain the ability to support embedded OpenDoc parts. OpenDoc hitting stride “An OpenDoc version of ClarisWorks would be a major boost for the architecture,” an OpenDoc developer said. “This would allow third-party develop- ers to work with ClarisWorks. It would be great to plug parts into | something we all understand.” Claris declined to comment on See OpenDoc, Page 62 OpenDoc pieces lining up January eae! .0 released Apple to Weprate OpenDoc into Ce r First Java tool for Mac, Roaster 1, a harsh brew By Dave Taylor For Macintosh develop- ers eager to join in the fun with Sun Microsys- tems Inc.'s Java, it’s been a bleak winter, with neither a Java-enabled browser nor a de- velopment environment avail- able on the Mac platform. But with the recent release of Natural Intelligence Inc.'s Roaster and last week’s release of JavaSoft’s Java development kit, Mac devel- opers are finally starting to get their hands warm. We took the Roaster Developer Release | for a spin and found it better than using a Windows- based development kit, but it sports a clunky interface that only a hard-core program- mer could love. Since our examination, Nat- ual Intelligence posted on-line a 1.1 updater that the company said fixes many of the problems we found in the ini- tial release. (For a list of fixes, see http://www.natural.com/pages/ products/roaster/update noterdr1.html.) Nuts and bolts Roaster requires a Power Mac with 30 Mbytes of free disk space and at least 8 Mbytes of available RAM. Natural Intelligence is of- fering a Roaster subscription plan, in which a $299 purchase See Roaster, Page 64 “ nTRonueiNG ie | = POWER COMPUTING | DESIGNED TO BLOW “| YOUR NOADe. NOT YOUR BUDGET. Power Computing Introducess Fastest MacOS:System Ever aUiiriaPowerrt GU Fast PC! and NuBus Expansion Accelerated 64-bit PCI Video and Fast SCSI 3 Front Accessible Drives for optional Quad-Spin (4X) CD-ROM, lomega Zip, lomega Jaz, or SyQuest EZ-135 Easily upgradeable Plug & Play CPU daughtercards featuring the PowerPC 604 at 120, 132 and 150MHz Fast PCI 3-slot expansion Need NuBus? 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Go Configure! Since Power Computing is the manufacturer, you can customize your RAM, hard drive, video and monitor options — just call PowerComputing MORE POWER TO Your | | 02.19.96 VOLUME 10 NUMBER 7 Table of Contents PAGE 3 4 UP FRONT Apple licenses brand name for pre-K toys ® Iterated tool hastens Web graphics ¢ Adobe ships SiteMill ¢ Mac beta of Java ships ¢ Apple cancels dividend, rewards Amelio 6 NEWS Dominion’s WorkingPapers to tame paper backlogs ¢ Micro Planning adds Power Mac speeds to project-management apps ® Storage Beat: Releases from FWB, Direct Connections 8 GA Navigator plug-ins wire Web for multimedia © Monaco ships color-calibration suite ¢ Auto F/X tools hone graphics, video ¢ Font Box utility mops up after typeface conflicts 14 GATEWAYS Mac developers to get bumper crop of programming languages * More ATM cards ® Focus On: Are ISDN rate hikes necessary, or are phone companies trying to kill ISDN? Seeing red — and blue and green — is a lot easier with Monaco's color-calibration package. See GA, Page 8. Flights of fancy: Micro- spot's 3D World is fun and easy to use, but not very useful. See Reviews, Page 23. It’s a struggle dealing with quality problems on Macs. See MacinTouch, Page 31. | 19 Letters 23 REVIEWS Microspot USA 3D World: You get what you pay for ¢ Farallon Timbuktu Pro 2.0 adds ARA, IPX support @ Data Description DataDesk 5.0 a powerful statistics package 31 SOLUTIONS Developers have high hopes for OpenDoc technology, but worry that Apple and Mac vendors won't support it through lean times. DEPARTMENTS & OPINION 18 Editorial 31 MacInTouch 48 Second Decade 64 StockWatch 66 Mac The Knife 49 Mac Manager ALSO INSIDE 33 Mail Order 65 Advertiser Index 46 MarketPlace 65 Product Index Admiral Gilbert Amelio had been at the helm for only a week when Apple floated a new toy boat. Was it a hot new flavor of Mac? Or maybe it was a feline companion for Cyberdog? Nope, it was branding. This new idea was not some digitized variation on the latest tribalist twist from fashionable twentysomethings, but the lending of Apple’s “character” to other companies’ products. The Cupertino, Calif, computer maker will stamp its name and logo on Apple for Kids, a forth- coming line of edutainment devices for preschoolers. The whole kit and caboodle will be developed and marketed by Toy Biz Inc. of New York (see story, Page 4). Apple’s history of standing firm in the face of adversity gives it the bona fides to go toe to toe with branding stars such as basketball great Michael Jordan, — legend-before-her- time Liz Taylor and the cast of “Beverly Hills, 90210.” They have all moved from mere MACWEEK INSIDER DAVID MORGENSTERN Toying with Apple mortal status to join the pantheon of con- sumer symbols for rent. While some may look down their noses at this plan, it has the potential to bolster Apple’s bottom line. Unlike computer and PDA products, Apple for Kids will not eat up much of the company’s resources, other than the odd legal expense. Not even cloning is as cheap a means for Apple to spread its name throughout civilization. Unfortunately, any dividends from this branding deal are still fairly far off — the products are not expected to hit the streets for more thana year. Branding will let Apple move closer toa cradle-to-grave strategy, im- pressing its multicolored logo more firmly into the next generation's Instead of pounding on mom and dad’s Mac keyboard and mouse, hopefully the tots will bang away on their own child- hardened technological giz- mos. Apple wants to make sure that when children start consciousness. using real computers they will steer their parents toward the Macintosh or Pippin devices. The scheme leverages Apple's reputa- tion as the industry leader in both computer usability and education. Would consumers take seriously “My First IBM”? For exam- ple, one of IBM Corp.'s holiday print ads for its Aptiva line showed Santa Claus sit- ting by the fire, forced to enter Unix grep com- mands to search his data- base for good children. Obviously, Big Blue still doesn’t get it. ‘Apple has some small- scale experience with branding: It sells T-shirts and tchotchkes from its company Most mainland Mac users are unaware that the company also runs clothing boutiques in Tokyo. Several years ago, I picked up both Apple and Microsoft hand towels at the Tokyo Macworld Expo. However, the branding game is not a risk-free proposition. If the toys or other products are not quality efforts, Apple’s luster could be diminished even further in the public’s mind. This could hurt all branded products — Macintoshes and toys. The company will have to keep a store. Is the world ready for a brisk morning spritz of Apple cologne? watchful eye on the efforts of its partners. In addition, the masses can quickly grow weary of a popular face, as the cast of the TV show “Friends” reportedly discov- ered recently. Given multiple reports of its demise in the media, Apple can certainly use greater visibility, as long as that visibility leaves consumers with a sweet, not sour, taste for Apple. While the techno toy is the first step, there are plenty of other opportu- nities for Apple’s logo. Is the world ready for a brisk morning spritz of Apple cologne? Well, we know Bill Gates won't wear it no matter what, but here’s my humble suggestion for ad copy that can sell: “A breath ofa spring orchard, a splash of silicon spray with a hint of polyvinyl chloride.” Make room on the cosmetic counter, Liz, Apple’s here. The Talmud says, “If you must hang, choose a high tree.” That seems like good advice for Apple branding. Go for it. David Morgenstern is MacWEEK associate editorlnews. He invites feedback at david_ morgenstern@macweek.com. MacWEEK (ISSN 0892-8 118) is published weekly, with the exception of Jan. 1, July 1, Sept. 2, and Dec. 23 and 30, by Zff-Davis Publishing Co., 1 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. Single-copy pric, including postage: $6. One-year subscription rate: U.S., $125; Canada/Mexico, U.S. $225; Intemational, U.S. $350 (airmail. All orders must be prepaid, Direct subscription inquiries to Customer Service Department, MacWEEK, d/o JCI, P.O. Box 10634, Riverton, N.J, 08076-0634; (609) 786-8230. Changes of address require that a new application be filled out completely and include both new and old addresses. Allow four to six weeks for processing, We periodically make lists of our customers available to carefully screened mailers of quality goods and services. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, please let us know by writing to us at Customer Service Department, MacWEEK, P.O. Box 10634, Riverton, N.J. 08076-0634. Postmaster: Send address changes to MacWEEK, P.O. Box 10634, Riverton, N.J. 08076- 0634. Second:-<class postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices, Printed in U.S.A. Canada Post international Publications Mail Product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 410667. Canadian GST registration number is 8140496720. PAGE 4 Up FRONT Apple to play in toy biz Licenses name for pre-K ELAs ° By Jon Swartz After years of being derisively la- beled the “toy maker” among personal computer vendors, Apple is taking the plunge into the toy market. The company last week said it has licensed Toy Biz Inc. to create the new “Apple for Kids” line of “electronic learning aids.” The so- called ELAs will be designed, built and marketed by Toy Biz, a New York-based company that has sim- ilar deals with Marvel Entertain- ment Group, Gerber Products Co. and Jim Henson Productions. The first crop of toys, due next summer for 2- to 6-year-old chil- dren, will cost less than $100 each. Although Apple won’t invest any money and will have no role in cre- ating the toys — other than exercis- ing veto power to make sure they meet its quality standards — Apple will re- ceive a payment for every toy sold. “(The deal] is an extension of Apple’s R&D and distribution,” said Jon Holtzman, Apple direc- tor of entertainment marketing. “We get paid good royalties while gaining expertise in a business we don’t know much about.” Holtzman declined to comment on what type of toys are being de- veloped or if Apple plans to sign up additional brand licensees. Toy Biz Creative Director Avi Arad said Apple's. prowess in the K-12 and home markets makes it the premiere brand name SiteMill URL checker ships By James Staten Webmasters perplexed by bad links and missing URLs can now diagnose and repair these prob- lems quickly using Adobe Sys- tems Inc.’s_ SiteMill, which shipped last week. SiteMill, $595, is a Web site- management tool that lets users create and edit Web pages and view an entire site to see page links. The program alerts Web- masters to dead links or URLs (uniform resource locators) that do not point to anything and as- sists the user in reassigning the links. The program also alerts users to pages that are not refer- enced by other pages on the site and checks links made to re- sources outside of the main site. For page editing, SiteMill in- corporates the features of PageMill, Adobe’s WYSIWYG HTML editor, which is sold sep- arately for $149. Adobe Systems Inc. of Moun- tain View, Calif., can be reached at (415) 961-4400 or (800) 411- 8657; fax (415) 962-2930; info@adobe.com; http://www. adobe.com. 0 Dead on the Web: Adobe's SiteMill lets Webmasters see at a glance which pages are linked to each other and which are left hanging. for Toy Biz’s initial foray in the burgeon- pegged at $18.7 bil- lion by the Toy Man- ufacturing Associa- tion in New York. “Our strength is to take well-known brands and build them into multimillion-dollar, category- specific toy lines,” Arad. said. “The Apple license offers us an opportunity to build an impor- tant brand of learning products and bring the Apple franchise into the youth markets.” Apple saves and splurges By Jon Swartz Apple has scotched payment of its quarterly dividend because of money problems. But that hasn't stopped it from heaping a generous financial package on Gilbert Amelio, its new chairman and CEO. According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last’ week, Apple anted up a five-year employment agreement valued at $990,000 a year in annual salary, a $200,000 signing bonus and a $5 million loan. The principle deal will net Amelio $10.15 million, but that fig- ure could balloon to more than $50 million based on the performance of Apple stock and revenues. On top of that, Apple has agreed to lease Amelio’s personal plane for business trips. Meanwhile, the company — which lost $69 million during its first quarter and is girding for a second-quarter loss that some an- alysts peg at $150 million — sus- pended its first-quarter dividend and doesn’t expect to declare one “in the near future,” the SEC fil- ing said. Apple said gross margins will continue to decline this spring be- cause of pricing pressures wrought by intense competition in the per- sonal computer industry. The company took a $125 million re- structuring charge on Jan. 17. Apple announced a quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share on Dec. 15.0 ing ELA category, | Java tool kit for Mac gets beta release By James Staten JavaSoft finally gave Mac develop- ers its applet-creation technology last week by delivering a beta of its Java development kit for Macs. The software development kit, which runs on both 680x0 and PowerPC-based Macs, can be found at http://www.javasoft.com/ JDK-1.0/ndex.html. JavaSoft said the kit includes the Java Byte Code Compiler, AppletViewer for test- ing and running applets, a database of class files used in the compiler and applet viewer, the Java virtual machine, a virtual machine shared library for PowerPC, documenta- tion, and several sample applets. Ray Zimmerman, visiting sci- entist at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said he is excited that Java is finally available for the Mac. It’s “more complete” than Natural Intelligence Inc.’s Roaster Java development environment, he said (see Beta Test, Page 1). “The networking stuff is in there. For example, the AppletViewer has an Open URL command so you can view pages with Java ap- plets in them,” he said. Zimmerman added, however, that Roaster is currently a more robust development environ- ment. “There’s no debugger, edi- tor or project manager in [Java- Soft’s] kit.” Mac users eager to see Java ap- plets in action will have to down- load the development kit, since no Java-enabled browsers are available for the platform yet. JavaSoft said it is working on a version of its HotJava browser that will run atop the newly re- leased virtual machine for the Mac. No release date for the product has been set. JavaSoft, an operating com- pany of Sun Microsystems Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., can be reached at (415) 960-1300 or (800) 626- 5282; fax (415) 473-7104; java@ java.sun.com. 5 Iterated squeezes images for quick Web downloads By Matthew Rothenberg New compression technology from Iterated Systems promises to let Web users grab high-resolution graphics and video sequences more quickly. Fractal Imager and Fractal Viewer draw on Iterated’s fractal- compression technology, which converts images into an arithmetic formula. The company said its technique offers greater compres- sion than competing technologies that rely on pixel-based images. Fractal Imager, due in a Mac version by June, compresses files in the company’s Fractal Image Format (FIF) from formats such as JPEG, TIFF, EPS, GIF, PICT and Adobe Photoshop. Accord- ing to Iterated, the software can compress a 2-Mbyte TIFF image to 40 Kbytes. The software will be $39 for on-line registration or $69 for a package containing a CD-ROM and a printed manual. The company in March will offer Fractal Viewer, a free plug- Inc. in for Netscape Navigator 2.0 that lets Web clients open and manipulate FIF images. When users open a page with an FIF graphic, the plug-in immediately displays a thumbnail of the image that grows progressively larger as more image data is downloaded. Once an image is completely downloaded, users are able to zoom in on or blow up an image at any size without pixelization, Iterated said. The technology also lets users preview an image at a specified resolution without downloading the entire image. In addition, Iterated said it is developing a Mac version of CoolFusion, its video-streaming Navigator plug-in. The software, due in the second quarter, will let users watch animation and video sequences and listen to audio as files are being received. Iterated Systems Inc. of Atlanta can be reached at (404) 264-8000 or (800) 437-2285; fax (404) 264-8300; info@iterated.com; http//www. iterated.com. 0 02.19.96 MACWEEK Som | t he pen maybe mightier Scanner blows them bot Do you temember the panter's, the ve-dyes, the THE EPSON ES-l000C BUSINESS COLOR SCANNING SYSTEM. FOR UNDER $849. Dell bottoms cords? Funky What is the most effective way to express yourself? With force? Or with artistry? How about both? The y FLASHBACK Epson ES-1000C scans text and graphics. It gives : FABRICS INC. you 30-bit color and stiletto-sharp 3200 dpi resolu- Job At Flash tion (400 optical). And Epson’s Text Enhancement Se back those fam a ‘ i ‘ sWe've been digging them Technology improves your optical character recogni- up for the past 12. yews tion accuracy. The result? Astonishing image detail While our designers ¢o amazing things to make and color reproduction. (In other words, designs there Mashback fabucs . ae Jook shgnty av courant st and layouts that look like you never imagined they could.) Call 1-800-BUY-EPSON ext. 3200, or visit but it fs really cool our Web site at http://www.epson.com, and commu- nicate in a whole new way. (Powerfully.) The ES-I000C comes complete Y O U ? Vv E (@ O T T Oo S E E I T i N EPSON Cc O L Oo R® with Xerox Textbridge OCR and {dobe Photoshop LE sofiware so you cansiari'scaniing inunediniily: MSRP. PC/Mac configurations. Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corp. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the 2 properties of their respective holders. Do not scan published material without permission of the copyright holder. ©1996 Epson America, Inc PAGE 6 02.19.96 MACWEEK Dominion app masters docs By Carolyn Said Stacking up a solution to help small busi- nesses manage reams of paper, Dominion Software Inc. in April will deliver Working- Papers, a document-imaging system. WorkingPapers will let users scan docu- INTEGRATE MACINTOSHES ie Sun/ SGI Ww Server to the Macs... ments, perform OCR, organize documents into collections, search documents and share them via any AppleTalk Filing Protocol-compliant server. The program’s OCR capabilities, li- censed from Mimetics Corp. of Chatenay- Malabry, France, will allow for either batch or individual document recognition. Dominion said its collections style will allow users to catalog files on off-line vol- umes. Files can be searched by name, loca- tion, date or any user-determined category. For documents on a mounted volume, the software will offer both full-text and approx- imate text search. Approximate text search- ing, which users can adjust to anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent accuracy, will minimize the need for OCR cleanup, Do- minion said, because it will be able to find words even when they are misspelled. A page thumbnails feature will provide quick access to any page in a document. Using QuickTime JPEG compression, the software will reduce images to about one- tenth of their original size. Andras RiedImayer, bibliographer at the Fine Arts Library at Harvard Univer- sity in Cambridge, Mass., has been using a beta version of WorkingPapers to scan and archive hundreds of documents about de- stroyed institutions in Bosnia. “It presents | us a very broad range of flexibility,” he said. “You can add as much or as little an- notation as you wish; you can group docu- ments in collections and even before you do keyword searching you have ready groupings that are casier to examine. The system will support scanne many manufacturers, including Fujitsu Computer Products of America Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Microtek Lab Inc. and Ricoh Corp, it will also come standard with an Adobe Photoshop plug-in as well as Twain-compliant scanner modules. For three months after it ships, WorkingPapers will cost $199; the will be priced at $299. Dominion Software Inc. of Newton, Mass., can be reached at (617) 332-1144 or (800) 762-7633; fax (617) 332-5145; dominion@world.std.com; http://www. triplesoft.com/dominion/. s from ter it Conference In addition to . : ip, Power Mac- Taree Doe Prepare Pr Sorote ret Pradier SectPré_ native speeds, EZ 7: pa Aves anovss| — [’Ax/95 Micro Planner Manager 1.4.1 18 Projection Systems) saves users time spent in data entry by — advancing tasks |__ [rare Branca Perio Conference Materials freee] automatically. Lire Try Lifeson _ass7/95 evo a a Arran Lara otitis for Conference Atendees * k se Micro Planning updates apps By Jon Swartz Micro Planning International Inc. this month updated its project-management software lines. The company said $695 Micro Planner Manager 1.4.1 and $1,995 Micro Planner X-Pert 2.4.1 use native PowerPC code to boost performance. A resource analysis that previously took six minutes on a Quadra 800 now takes one and a half min- utes on a Power Mac 6100. The new versions also optimize project maintenance with an Auto Progressing function, which can reduce data entry up to 66 percent; users now need to update progress information only for tasks that are off schedule. “[The updates} give me a flexibility I didn’t have before,” said Dennis Hardle, owner of Hardle & Co., a consulting firm based in Mill Valley, Calif. He said he ap- preciated the new selective archiving fea- ture that allows modifications to long-range plans without significantly altering the base lines. “I can add or subtract projects to my overall plan, or I can change the time frame on certain projects,” Hardle said. The updates can perform tim calculations automatically or as back- ground tasks. Upgrades to Micro Planner Manager 1.4.1 and Micro Planner X-Pert 2.4.1 cost $149 and $395, respectively Micro Planning International Inc. of Denver can be reached at (303) 757. (800) 852-7526; fax (303) 757-2047; s microplanning.com. For the record The 01.29.96 story on VocalTec Inc.’s Internet Phone (Page 16) listed incorrect addresses. They are info@vocaltec.com and http://www.vocaltec.com. STORAGE BEAT FWB hammers out update. FWB Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif. re- cently shipped a free software update for its high-performance RAID Level 5 systems. Version 1.1 of FWB’s Sledge- HammereFT software now offers remote monitoring as well as striping and mirroring. It can also notify man- agers of system problems via PowerTalk e-mail or Ex Machina Inc.'s Notify! pag- ing software, FWB said. Phone (415) 833- 4616; fax (415) 833-4655; sales@fwb.com; http://www.fwb.com. Full-spectrum DAT. Direct Connec- tions of Eden Prairie, Minn., recently re- leased a Spectra Logic DAT jukebox. Based on the Spectra 4000/20, the $8,599 system uses a single-drive mechanism and can hold up to 200 Mbytes of compressed data on 20 Digital Data Storage-2 cassettes, Direct said. It comes with Dantz, Develop- ment Corp.’s Retrospect Remote backup software. Phone (612) 937-6283 or (800) 572-4305; fax (612) 937-6285. Storage bits and bytes. Unveiling an OEM technology for partisan partitions, Software Architects Inc. of Bothell, Wash., recently debuted a floppy divided with both Mac and Windows partitions. The disk shows Mac users a demo for its DOS Mounter 95 utility, while Windows users. are presented its Here & Now installer. ... Boosting its share of the drive market, OEM Seagate Technology Inc. of Scotts Valley, Calif., this month put the final touches on its buyout of Conner Peripherals Inc. of San Jose, Calif. ... Two storage ven- dors recently opened Web sites. Tape drive and jukebox maker Advanced Digital In- formation Corp. of Redmond, Wash., is now at http/www.adic.com. Maitland, Fla.-based RAID-hardware developer Distributed Processing Technology Corp. is at hp//www.dpt.com, By David Morgenstern Introducing cc:Mail for Macintosh Release 3.0. *In Canada, call 1-800-G0-LOTUS. ©19%b Lotus Development Corporation, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA D2LH2- Lotus is a registered trademark and cciMail is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. All company names are registered trademarks of their respective companies- otusmcc = Mai) iy for Macintosh” Release 3-0 lets you send and receive virtually any- thing you can create to virtually anyone, on any mail system, anywhere in the world. It doesn't matter whether other users you talk to work on Macintosh or computers running DOS, Windows, Ole USES CGecWOntysS 100+ file viewers let you read and print file attachments, developed on other operating systems and platforms. Gall i -s00-87ce-336 77 ext- BS10* for our cciMail for Macintosh demo CD- Or explore Lotus on the World Wide Web at www-+lotus-com for more information. |~ cc:Mail is the most comprehensive e-mail system for the Macintosh The new Release 3 features include: built-in AppleScript support which lets you drag-and-drop commonly used addresses, folders, and other objects to the desktop for easy accessibility; co:Mail Rules which make ging your e-mail easy by automating everyday tasks; and cc:Mail Viewers which let you view and print attachments even if you don’t have the application with which they were created. When it comes to e-mail for the Macintosh, nothing is more complete or easier to use than cc:Mail. Gh XRES PUMPS UP Macromedia Inc. this week shipped xRes 2.0, which adds new brushes and Its street price will be $489. ile formats. PAGE8 °* Graphics Applications © Publishing © Multimedia Plug-ins enable animation, sound By James Staten Netscape Navigator 2.0’s plug-in architecture has given developers an important new channel for dis- tributing their technology, and these third partics’ Internct cfforts promise to accelerate innovation in the multimedia market at large. “In the past few months, Netscape Navigator has become supercharged,” said Neil Mc- Manus, executive editor of Digi- tal Media, a Seybold publication based in San Francisco. The plug-ins available now for the Mac let users view compound documents, watch QuickTime movies and animation files, and listen to streaming audio. In the coming months, users will be able to enter multimedia 3-D worlds, view Adobe Acrobat files, and download and manipulate more- detailed but smaller images. This plug-in system lets devel- Navigator modules speed Web multimedia ©°!or management opers put their latest innovations into the hands of thousands of users for little cost. The chal- lenge, however, is to convince Webmasters to adopt their com- peting technologies for their sites. Analysts said the first war may come in image compression. Johnson-Grace Co., Iterated Sys- tems (sce story, Page 4) and Car- berry Technology are among a growing number of companies using Netscape Communications Corp.’s plug-in architecture to distribute competing graphics compressor-decompressors (co Shock the monkey: Totally Hip's Sizzler plug-in brings animations, such as this simian sequence, to Netscape Navigator 2.0 out Sun's Java or Macromedia's Shockwave. decs). All promise better com- pression than traditional JPEG or GIF file formats but require Webmasters to use proprietary compression engines “You have to look at what sub- stantial benefits these codecs pro- vide,” said Robert Davis, vice pres- ident of marketing and business development for Atlanta-based It- erated. “Do they offer greater de- tail, the ability to zoom in on the image or pan around in it? “Ultimately, Webmasters will | decide that different methods fit See Plug-ins, Page 10 Auto F/X packages edge into graphics, video By Carolyn Said Auto F/X Corp. wants to help designers get an edge on the competition. The company offers an array of tools that add special effects to graphics and video images. Current packages in the company's Edge Effects line include: >» Video/Graphic Edges Vol. I. Priced at $249, the software works with Adobe After Effects and Pre- miere as well as Avid VideoShop. Containing alpha channel and blue-screen keys for edge masking, it lets users add more than 750 edge effects to video, such as semitransparent, deckled or torn. > PagelEdges. The $249.95 package works with lay- out or illustration software, including Macromedia FreeHand, Adobe PageMaker and QuarkXPress. It includes more than 1,000 effects, such as edged text blocks, ragged page edges and drop caps. » Photo/Graphic Edges. Available in three $249 volumes, the software works with image- editing packages, including Adobe Photoshop and Fractal Painter. Each includes predefined edge effects such as ragged, wispy, burnt or feathered. Typo!Graphic Edges lets designers make type look roughened, eroded or even rubbed with sandpaper. > Typo/Graphic Edges. The $199 software, which works with Photoshop, offers more than 10,000 dif- ferent effects to make type and graphics look weath- ered, edged, eroded, gritty or chiseled, for example. It comes with modules for applying textures and shad- ows as well as building clipping paths. In addition, Auto F/X is readying a new line of effects modules for Photoshop that it described as “interactive special-effects macros.” Priced at $99 each, the mod- ules will ship every couple of weeks over the next few months, the company said. Auto F/X Corp. of Alton Bay, N.H., can be reached at (603) 875-4400 or (800) 839-2008; fax (603) 875- 4404; http:/www. autofx.com. 02.19.96 MACWEEK By Matthew Rothenberg Monaco Systems Inc. in January delivered a new suite of color- calibration tools that support ColorSyne 2.0. MonacoMatch, available now for $7,995, lets users create device profiles for ColorSync, Apple’s system-level color-management technology. The MonacoMatch package comprises: |» MonacoColor 2.0, a new version of the company’s scan- enhancement plug-in for Adobe Photoshop or compatible applica- tions. The company said Version Monaco tones up 2.0 features a larger preview win- dow and enhanced unsharp masking capabilities. Monaco- Color sells separately for $895. > MonacoExpert, a software plug-in that lets Photoshop users adjust individual colors in an image. Users can define color ranges and reference colors and select colors by hue, saturation or brightness as well as via a color wheel, slider or numerical values. The software lets users select end points for highlights and shad- ows and alter the sampling radius of the plug-in’s eyedropper tool. See Monaco, Page 10 Thinking big: The Monaco- Color 2.0 com- ponent of Monaco's MonacoMatch suite includes a larger pre- view window and enhanced unsharp masking capabilities. By Kelly Ryer That innocent-looking Fonts folder can hide a variety of evils. Over time, fonts can become or- phaned or corrupted, and dupli- cate fonts can cause problems or waste hard drive space. Startup Insider Software Co. aims to clean out that Pandora’s box with Font Box, a housekeep- ing utility for fonts. Via a sequence of dialog boxes, users can instruct Font Box to ana- lyze a hard drive, identify corrupt fonts, eliminate duplicates and fix font IDs. The utility checks for bit- mapped fonts that lack corre- sponding PostScript fonts and vice versa. When the analysis is com- plete, the software can move veri- New Font Box utility fixes typeface conflicts fied fonts into cither the System folder or a Font Box folder for use with a font-management utility such as Symantec Corp.'s Suitcase. A $29.95 personal version of Font Box can handle up to 250 font files. (Bold or italic styles of a single typeface, for instance, are counted separately.) A $69.95 version works on an unlimited number of fonts on all local volumes; a $159.95. profes- sional version works with net- worked volumes as well. Some versions of Font Box are available on CD-ROM for an extra $10. Insider Software Co. of Bryn Mawr, Pa., can be reached at (610) 526-0600; (610) 526-6667; http://www.thelnside.com. 0 Drive a High-Res, Full Page Photoshop Image. Real-Time, Anytime with Genesis MP. You know the tracks are there even if they’re covered under seven feet of snow. You know how to get the job done. You just need more time... or more power. Power counts. Especially when you have to produce an image in time to make the last courier. The less time spent waiting on Photoshop, the more time you have to be creative and still make it under the wire. The revolutionary Genesis MP is a powerful new Mac OS system using four of the fastest PowerPC 604 processors available. Now you can drive huge files in real-time rather than just pushing pixels. Genesis MP runs Photoshop seven times faster than a PowerMac 8100. It’s four times faster than Apple’s new PowerMac 9500. Even an SGI work- station costing three times as much runs at a fraction of the speed. Nobody does it faster than Genesis MP. In addition to Adobe’s Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere, and Strata’s Studio Pro, over 200 Mac software titles for publishing are being boosted to multiprocessing performance. So, it’s time to make tracks. Get a Genesis MP. Look us up on the Web at http://www.daystar.com or call us at 800.984.4510 for some hard data on the new line of Genesis MP computers. Genesis MP: A new beginning in Mac workstation performance. E> yyuauicry sar s ik fuot Mac 0S System Breakthrough Product © DayStar Digital, Inc. 5556 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch, GA 30542 * Phone: 770-967-2077 * Fax: 770-967-3018 PAGE 10 GA. 02.19.96 MACWEEK | | Monaco From Page 8 MonacoExpert is available separately for | $895. A package that includes Monaco- Expert, MonacoColor 2.0 and three cali- bration targets costs $1,895. > MonacoBatch 2.0, which adds back- ground batch-processing capabilities to MonacoColor. After users designate a source folder, the software automatically color corrects and separates all files located When You Make It To The Big Screen there and moves the processed image to a destination folder on the Mac or an Open. Prepress Interface server. The new version adds support for selec- tive color correction, including any separa- tion table compatible with Photoshop. MonacoBatch 2.0 sells separately for $1,495. > MonacoPrint, a print-profile package that lets users create a correction table for each color output device at a site. The soft- ware generates a calibration target from an output device. Users can then read the re- sults with an X-Rite DTP51 Auto Scan Colorimeter, included with the package, enabling the software to create a ColorSyne 2.0-compatible profile, a PostScript Level 2 rendering dictionary or a Photoshop- compatible table. The MonacoPrint package alone is priced at $4,995. Monaco Systems Inc. of Andover, Mass., is at (508) 749-9944; fax (508) 749-9977. 5 Second Best Is Not Good Enough. Apple’s #1 Choice In Mac-To-TV Interfaces When Apple needed to ship the best portable Mac-To-TV interface with their Apple Presentation System, they chose the FOCUS LeTV Portable. Simply because presenters, educators and train- ers can plug the small, lightweight LeTV Portable into a Mac with video-out capability (including PowerBooks) and ins have a fast, powerful, big screen multimedia presentation sy Duplicate the Mac screen on the TV or record to a VCR. Flicker elimination software, built-in RCA, S-Video connectors and all TV internal color card also lets classroom trainers use the TV as a second monitor. cables are included. The FOCUS LeTV Portable $229.99 LeTV Portable Pro $299.99 LeTV LC Card $299.99 will make your M COLOR From $339.00 Call for a free product guide INGRAM MICRO Our Customers’ #1 Choice In Big Screen Color Cards LapisColor Cards from FOCUS are performers, pure and simple. For Macs with an LC-PDS slot, the 64-bit Internal Bus Acceleration on LapisColor cards fly. With up to 3 megs of VRAM, they are favorites with our customers who work with complex graphics or video editing and viewing, and who have no patience to wait for their monitor to catch up with their mind. LapisColor cards are compatible with Apple, Sony, SuperMac, Radius and RasterOps monitors, to name a few. The complete line of LapisColor 24-bit, 16-bit or 8-bit cards work with any LC-PDS slot-equipped Mac. Call for more information or the reseller nearest you. jantly tem. Plug-and-play desktop or PowerBook Macs A Must For New Owners! your network and display. PowerBook 190/5300 Combo Video & Ethernet Cards For Macintosh PowerBook 190/5300 The new MV series, exclusively from FOCUS, gives your PowerBook fast 16-bit color for large monitor support, and a permanent, built-in Ethernet connection that doesn’t use precious PCMCIA slots. The MV family of cards use dedicated video and ethernet controller chips to provide maximum performance. A dual purpose MicroLatch connector cable provides a solid cable link to Display up to 16.7 million colors on your TV, and record to videotape. LapisColor MV8-EN $249.00 LapisColor MV16 $299.00 LapisColor MV16-EN $399.00 800-038 Computer Towsi 6000 FOCUS enhancements networking « graphics * software MaitWAREHOUSE Plug-ins different needs, but since all the codecs can be sup- ported at one time through the plug-in archi- tecture, choosing won't be a decision users have to make,” Davis said. McManus agreed, but said users will react to what could be an avalanche of plug-ins by settling on only a few, which will become the standards. ne. | Mac users may have little influence on this process, however. Most plug-ins are not available for the Mac until up to six months after their Windows counterparts. The following plug-ins are now avai able for the Macintosh; all are free. A full list of shipping and coming Mac plug- ins, including the URLs (uniform resource locators) where they can be found, is posted in the Resources section of Mac- WEEK Online at http://www.zdnet. com/~macweek/. > Totally Hip Software of Vancouver, British Columbia, now offers a beta of its Sizzler plug-in that lets users pl streaming animation files. Sizzler files are standard PICS files converted into a pro- prietary format. > Ivan Cavero Belatinde, a developer based in Lima, Peru, recently shipped ViewMovie, a QuickTime plug-in that provides an embedded movie player. The plug-in lets Webmasters add to their sites film clips that will play back while being downloaded. Belatinde said developers can use custom HTML tags that ViewMovie understands to present autolooping clips; movies that double as image maps; dy- namic animation files, such as animated buttons and menus; or background music. > DSP Group Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., offers TrueSpeech, an embedded decompression tool that supports stream- ing audio playback. > MVP Solutions Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., and Bill Tudor, a shareware devel- oper based in Albany, N.Y., have shipped text-to-speech plug-ins. MVP’s Talker works with Apple’s PlainTalk Speech Synthesis technology. Tudor’s Speech plug-in takes advantage of MacInTalk and Apple’s Speech Manager. Web-page de- velopers can mark sentences to be spoken using custom HTML tags. > Tumbleweed Software Corp. of Red- wood City, Calif., has released a plug-in that lets Web users view compound docu- ments saved in Novell Inc.’s Envoy portable document format. Envoy files are highly compressed but preserve the visual formatting and content of documents cre- ated using traditional desktop publishing applications, such as QuarkXPress. The plug-in lets users perform text searches and zoom a document. > Progressive Networks of Seattle has released the RealAudio 2.0 plug-in for Power Macs only; a 680x0 version is in de- velopment. The plug-in provides support for audio streams embedded in an HTML document and streams with embedded cues that can change the visual appearance of the current HTML page. 0 From Page 8 EtherWave® PowerBook PC Card PHBE 5e88 Award winning daisy-chainable 10Base-T with dual RJ-45 connectors allows you to connect to the network even if the only 10Base-T connection is already in use. (ZA, PNS95-TP $189 10Base-T EtherMac™ PowerBook PC Card Get basic 10Base-T or combo with thinnet (PN595-C) for an easy Ethernet connection for PowerBooks with PC Card slots. a Lwwustav: AirDock™ Now your infrared-equipped PowerBook can connect to any Mac or the network over thin air at 230kbps—without cables! 4 lastest PNS5O2a $39 EtherMac™ Transceiver PN550C-ADB $229 These small, low-cost transceivers offer Ethernet-equipped PowerBooks easy 10Base-T or thinnet network connections. a EtherWave® PowerBook Adapter EtherMac™ PowerBook Adapter Use the DIN-8 serial port to connect PowerBooks without on-board Ethernet EtherWave® Transceiver to 10Base-T or Thin Ethernet. a a New PowerBooks with PC Card slot Choose daisy-chainable EtherWave for the most flexible way to connect Ethernet-equipped PowerBooks to a 10Base-T Ethernet network. (A, ia] PowerBook 100 series and Duos with serial port a PowerBook 500 series ‘Wrether you've got a brand-new PowerBook (5300 or 190) or an older one, there’s a Farallon solution for you. For new PowerBooks with PC Card (PCMCIA) slots, PowerBooks with Ethernet installed, or even older PowerBooks without Ethernet, Farallon has the right connection that will put you on the network today.. All Farallon PowerBook products come with top-rated technical support and a lifetime warranty to guarantee you reliable performance. So when you need any type of connection for your PowerBook, Farallon has an ffordable plug-and-play solution f 7 Fe — ae Call now for your free consultation on the best way to hook your book. Ask for your free copy of Farallon’s Network Selector Slide Rule! America Online and AppleLink 1D: Farallon 1-800-949-7761 S| > «: Farallon’ com; All trademarks are the property of their respe sal eto Comic hae http://www.faralion.com/www/pbad.html at & Cay > G |= >, 4 fi y Macs son a mated US. street 1D: info@faral Seely The Source for SyQuest! “agg CubMac 88MB ™ mB C UUEEEETeETEVORTTTTTTTEA onvereeeereeeenerreeereeay 1-800-258-2622 ClubMac 105MB " Se nm PY —— == a0 ClubMac 200MB 4 = Bp fctwe (104 1803, ay Cuba 2 270MB (C104 1802 $198 2001 SyQuest’ EZ135 Drive a aby Slug ‘3 0: c cn DAY / MacOS asco” COMPATIBLE 656326 REMOVABLE TECHNOLOGY a 7 Hammond, Irvine CA 92718 * Q q © . ee Lp yy fe) S OR .1-800- FEL ETE NO SURCHARGE a MacWEEK + February 19, 196 2 AM ‘a While Supplies Last. Features! a For these and ipa dpi w/3 level Sharp Edge Technology mr a other great deals, © 17 scalable Adobe Type 1 fonts 35 scalable TrueType fonts - system resident call fora FREE = jiten" aot OS | .S b ti t © Energy Star Compliant ey POSTSCRIPT? ubscription to © Designed for use with Macintosh System Software th e Clu b M a C © Two Year Overnight Replacerment Warranty No27 1001 NEC Silentwriter 640 Printer 5399 Ue Nae : I seca ay ® Catalog! NO20 1075 NEC Silentwriter Toner Cartridge........°99 OVINN10-008-1 MacWEEK + February 19, 1996 f) P E N | | So ik | General Sales 24 Hours « Day, 7 Days a Week (800) 258-2622 Customer Service.......... M-F 7am - Spm Pst (800) 551-6398 J | l] | i | Inquiries/International Sales... F 5am 9pm Pst (714) 768-8130 — Technical Support cM ~F Tom - 5pm PST (800) 854-6227 eects eben Corporate/Education Sales M-F Sam -5pm Pst (800) 258-2621 24-Hour Fax... ssonnusnnennsnnen (114) 768-9354 @G 80: 0-258- 262 | a Gateways EMAILER UPDATED Claris has released Claris Emailer 1.0v3; it is available free from Fog City Software at http://www.fogcity.com. PAGE 14 Networking © Operating Systems ® Databases Mac developers get box of tools Apple, Mainstay update products By Clifford Colby Spring may still be weeks away, but a garden of new Mac devel- opment tools has already begun to sprout, > Apple is now shipping Re- lease 19 of its Macintosh Pro- grammer’s Workshop Pro devel- opment environment. The new version comes with Apple's C and C++ compilers for Power Macs, MrC and MrCpp. Release 19 also includes a new Code Fragment Manager for 680x0 Macs and SOMobjects for Mac OS, as well as updated versions of MacApp and Power Macintosh Debugger. MPW Pro costs $195. > dtF Americas Inc. released suite of OpenDoc tools for link- ing applications with databases; the company claims its dtF Data- base Toolkit is the first shipping OpenDoc application. See Tools, Page 16 ‘Mew developers tots on the way TOOL AVAILABILITY Absoft Fortran 90 Midyear Apple MPW Pro Black Star Publishing Java compiler dtF Americas dtF Database Toolkit Now EveryDay Objects Internet Authoring Toolkit Midyear Mainstay VIP-C and VIP-BASIC Now Pictorius ODBC version of Peregrine March Quasar Knowledge Systems SmalitalkAgents First quarter Willows Software Twin Second quarter FTPd becomes NetPresenz By James Staten The man from Down Under is throwing a new version of FTPd, his popular shareware Internet server, on the barbie. Shareware developer Peter Lewis, based in Booragoon, Aus- tralia, this month shipped Ver- sion 4.0 of the $10 product. Now called NetPresenz, the update adds Web CGIs (Common Gateway Interfaces) support for and Open Transport, plus several bug and interface fixes. “Three cheers for inexpensive, powerful software,” said Steve Maller, free-range programmer for Amalgamated Software Industries of Burlingame, Calif. “The performance is an order of magnitude better than Mac- HTTP [the shareware prede: cessor of Quarterdeck WebStar].” Lewis said he product NetPresenz to better reflect the program’s ability to serve files through FTP, HTTP (Hypertext. Transfer Protocol) and Gopher. Users who registered FTPd Inc.’s renamed the after Jan. 1 can upgrade free; those who registered before then can upgrade for $5. Peter Lewis of Stairways Soft- ware Pty. Ltd. can be reached at peter@stairv om.au; http:// www.share.com/peterlewis. AutoPay puts Mac ATM PCI cards. to arrive from Fore sales rep inside apps By James Staten Putting a new twist on sales au- tomation, Re recently unveiled a payment tool that can be embedded directly into an application. Release developers tie their products t Software Corp. AutoPay lets software electronic commerce system that allows users to pay for software di- rectly. The AutoPay API can also be used to customize the applica- tion. For example, the API can disable certain features until pay- ment is received or limit the amount of time the product can be used before payment is received. ay for such all application’s features for a Developers can use AutoP: more complex payment plan as per-use fees, which unlock of a day, month, quarter or year. For more aggressive sales efforts, de- velopers can set AutoPay to detect competing products on a user’s hard drive and adjust their prod uct’s price to undercut rivals. To See Release, Page 16 | By Clifford Colby Adding to its growing line of Asynchronous Transfer Mode products, Fore Systems Inc. said it intends to ship by early March two ATM PCI cards. The ForeRunner PCA-200- EMAC cards will be available in two flavors: one 155-Mbps card will use SONET (Synchronous 02.19.96 MACWEEK rino, vice president of Net- Space Corp., a software develop- ment company in Johnstown, Pa. “We are doing a lot of work in networked, 3D modeling, so we need the multi- cast capabilities, scalability and guaranteed service of ATM.” Fore Systems Inc. of Warren- at (412) 772-6600; fax collaborative, dale, Pa., i Optical Network) signaling over fiber-optic and $1,195; the second 155: Mbps card will run over Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair copper wire and sell for $995, *he cards will include device drivers for Open Transport 1.1 and will comply with the ATM Forum’s LAN Emula- tion 1.0 specifications. cabling “I’ve just started test- ing the Fore card, and with Open Transport, I'm getting close to 70 Mbps on a Power Mac 9500,” Michael said cost (412) 772 http//www.fore.com Set to tee off: Fore’s 155-Mbps ATM cards for PCI Macs will come bundled with Open Transport 1.1 device drivers. ISDN rate hikes draw protest When they first offered ISDN, or Integrated By Joanna Pearlstein In a move ISDN fans and consumer advocates consider a major setback, several common carri- ers are petitioning to raise rates for ISDN services, citing costs that were higher than expected. Common carriers’ ISDN prices COMPANY INSTALLATION MONTHLY CURRENT COST (LOCATION) FEE FEE FOR 50 HOURS* Bell Atlantic (Va.) $144.25 $31.00 $151.00 i Nynex (wy) : $300.00 $3420 $250.00 Pacific Bell (Calif.) $34. oe $24.50 Ei $87.54** ; US West (Wash.) $85.00 $35.00 =3 $125.01 **Pricing based on dual-channel usage per month, during peak hours. It includes monthly service fee. **Pacific Bell has petitioned for a rate increase that would push the rate for 50 hours to $150.52. Iris also seeking a $100 increase in its installation charge. Services Digital Network, phone companies set fairly low prices, hoping a low cost of entry would drive demand. With the explosion of the Internet and increased popularity of telecommuting, the plan worked — perhaps too well. Some users suspect that service providers are really trying to dis- courage ISDN use by pricing it at rates that, as one user put it, “only the Lamborghini crowd can af- ford.” These users believe phone companies don’t want to provide ISDN service because it is expensive and because technologies like cable modems (see 06.26.95, Page 20) and asymmetric digital subscriber line (see 11.06.95, Page 22) may make See Focus On, Page 16 6500; info@fore.com; For tech support contractors call MacTemps. Or find a tie for your new jacket. Instead of working until your friends in the white coats e to MacTemps for tech support contractors. They can help you with everything from DIMM and Ethernet card installation to sO re and system upgrades. They can help desks. And since MacTemps specializes in Macintosh per- sonnel, we're the one agency that can send you Mac contractors who can hit the ground runninc training, no hassles, no headaches. Don't wait. Get in touch with us right now. And ask for a free list of tech even staff yo support phone numbers. Or start thinking about what would match better: a flowered or paisley tie. Call the MacTemps office nearest you at 1-800-MACTEMPS. E-mail us at info@mactemps.com, or visit our World Wide Web site at http: //www.mactemps.com. MacTemps 1-800-MACTEMPS © Gateways PAGE 16 __ 02.19.96 MACWEEK > paaa EveryWare Tango to link ISDN obsolete in a few years. ISDN prices, like all common carrier services, are governed by tariffs managed by state utilities commissions. When a phone company wants to raise rates, it must propose the increase to the appropriate utilities commission, which considers the request and usually asks for customer input. Initially, many phone compa- nies charged a flat fee for at least a portion of ISDN service. For example, Pacific Bell has charged 3 cents per line for the first minute and | cent per line for each additional minute for ISDN use during normal _ business hours. If the call goes outside the user’s local calling area, then they pay only the normal per-minute rate for an analog toll call. Un- limited access in the evening and on weekends is included in the basic monthly fee. Tariff battles Now, like several other compa- nies, Pacific Bell wants to rescind the unmetered service, replace it with per-minute rates and raise prime-time rates. “The cost to bring [ISDN] ser- vice to remote users is higher, and their ranks are growing,” wrote Tom Bayless, switched digital services director at Pacific Bell, in a statement about the company’s proposed rate hike. “Unlimited night and weekend usage has dri- ven many to never turn their lines off during those times [which has] proven to be costly.” Sanjay Mewada, analyst at The Yankee Group of Cambridge, Mass., said he didn’t buy Pacific Bell’s argument that the remote location of many users drove prices up. “Research has shown that close to 80 percent of users fall within 18,000 feet of, or 3.4 miles, of an ISDN switch. Why should [the majority] pay more for those who are outside the 3- mile radius?” Mewada added that he did understand the phone companies’ desire to keep users from leaving connections open during off-peak times. Last November, Bell Atlantic Corp., which serves several mid- Atlantic states, stopped charging extra for customers who live out- side the 18,000-foot radius. “Our desire is to make it as easy and affordable as possible so that people will use the service,” said Bell Atlantic spokeswoman Joan Rasmussen. Rasmussen added that Bell Atlantic will roll out ISDN packages later this year; while she would not provide spe- | cific pricing, she said, “Pricing packages generally give people a break.” Bell Atlantic does not offer flat-rate service. US West Communications Inc. is seeking to divide its ISDN services into three categories and raise the price of unmetered ser- vice. Attempts by the company to raise rates in Washington state failed in January. Like US West, GTE Califor- nia is looking to divide its services into three categories and lower per-minute rates. “It will be cheaper for consumers,” said Larry Cox, the company’s state manager for public affairs. Rate change proposals are also afoot in New England, Nynex Corp.’s territory, as well as the Dis- trict of Columbia; however, the scope of those changes is unclear. Pricier ISDN: A conspiracy? James Love is director of the Washington D.C.-based Con- sumer Project on Technology, a consumer advocacy group that is trying to prevent ISDN rate in- creases. “[Phone companies] don’t want to sell residential ISDN,” Love said. “They want to offer it as a niche service and charge an arm and a leg for it. ... They design a rate structure that gives you all kinds of incentives not to use it.” David C. Barry Jr. of Reseda, Calif., hosts the Pacific Bell ISDN Rate Hike Protest Web page (http://www. pacificnet.net/ ~dcbarry/isdn/main.html). “Does Pacific Bell really want to promote this service, or don’t they?” Barry asked. “It’s hard for me to believe they need the extra revenue. I wonder if they are thinking, ‘We just don’t be providing this service.” Fred Goldstein, a senior consul- tant at Internet service provider BBN Corp. in Cambridge, said: “Phone companies hate [ISDN] because it’s all local calls to Internet service providers. They don’t like being in the data business, and they want to charge an unfair price.” Asked if he felt phone compa- nies were trying to steer customers away from ISDN, Mewada of, The Yankee Group said, “It is a question of, you build this hype and aggressively promote very reasonable pricing, and then when demand comes in you back off — this clearly creates a situation where users begin to question [the carrier’s| intentions.” Los Angeles resident Dan Kegel maintains a Web page de- | voted to ISDN (http://www. alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/isdn/). “[Phone companies] are tired of pouring money into ISDN and losing revenue,” Kegel said. “By [raising prices] they basically would really slow down growth, and they know it.” 0 Tools The $159 kit includes object- oriented parts for accessing the company’s cross-platform SQL relational database, dtF, and comes with a tool for building SQL queries and creating data- base front ends. The Cupertino, Calif., developer also released an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver for its SQL data- base. A stand-alone version of dtF costs $695, and a client-server version is $1,595. > EveryDay Objects Inc. an- nounced plans to release by midyear a suite of Internet tools based on Prograph CPX, an object-oriented development en- vironment from Pictorius Inc. According to Merrillville, Ind.- based EveryDay, the Internet Authoring Toolkit will let users build client-server applications that run over the Internet. Pric- ing has not been set. > Pictorius has been busy this winter as well, announcing it will ship in early March an ODBC version of Peregrine, its client- server development tool. Pere- From Page 14 SQL databases with Web By Clifford Colby EveryWare Development Corp. plans to add Open Database Con- nectivity to Tango’s steps while it finishes the final movement of Bolero, another ODBC-aware Internet database tool. Tango is EveryWare’s recently shipped development tool for in- tegrating SQL databases with Quarterdeck Inc.’s Web server, WebStar. With Tango, users can build forms, reports and design queries; Tango can then generate the necessary HTML and SQL code automatically. The initial release of Tango linked WebStar to EveryWare’s Butler SQL database. The new version, due by the end of this Release prevent unauthorized copying, AutoPay can also keep track of which machines are using it. Currently, AutoPay supports the proprictary electronic com- merce system run by Release. The company said it is working to de- velop hooks into other systems. The AutoPay API adds 90 Kbytes to an application. Users must have a modem to access the payment system; a toll-free 24- From Page 14 month, will expand Tango’s repertoire with ODBC, allowing users to link Tango to any data- base that has the appropriate dri- vers. Tango with ODBC will cost $495 for a two-user license and $995 for a five-user licens« EveryWare said it plans in March to ship Bolero, which tracks Web-site activity and logs it into ODBC-compatible databases. It will work with WebStar; sup- port for Unix and Windows Web servers will arrive later this year. Pricing for Bolero has not been set. EveryWare Development Corp. of Mississauga, Ontario, can be reached at (905) 819-1173; fax (905) 819-1172; info@everyware.com; http/www.everyware.com. hour payment service is also pro- vided. AutoPay with TCP/IP sup- port will be released later this year. The AutoPay APIs for Mac and Windows are available free at http//www-digimoney.com. Re- lease said instead of charging de- velopers up front for its technol- ogy, it will add a surcharge to the purchase price of each product sold through its commerce system. Release Software Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif., is at (415) 833-0200; info@digimoney.com. 5 grine will cost $1,495 to $2,495, depending on the number of server connections. The Halifax, Nova Scotia- based developer said it will also ship Power Mac and 680x0 com- pilers for Peregrine this month. A version of Prograph CPX for Windows 95 and Windows NT will ship in the spring; pricing on Prograph CPX for Windows has not been set. > Quasar Knowledge Systems Inc. of Bethesda, Md., plans to ship in the first quarter a Power Mac-native version of its Smalltalk Agents language. The update will include TSE Interna- tional’s CXBase Pro database en- gine and Symantec Corp.'s Think Reference. A Windows version is due in the third quar- ter. Pricing is not available. > Willows Software Inc. is preparing to ship in the second quarter its porting tool kit for the Mac. Called Twin, the company said the tool kit will contain a set of cross-platform tools and li- braries that will let developers migrate Windows applications to the Mac. Willows already has a Unix version available and_ is working on an OS/2 version. Li- censing for Twin will be $250 per application per platform. > Absoft Corp. of Rochester Hills, Mich., plans to offer what it says is the first Fortran 90 com- piler for Power Macs. The beta, due this month, will come with a 680x0 code generator; the final version is expected to ship this Fortran 90 will cost $799; current users of Absoft’s Fortran 77 can buy Fortran 90 for $399. > Mainstay of Camarillo, Calif,, in January shipped updates to its VIP-C and VIP-BASIC la guages. The $195 VIP-BASIC up- grade includes a BASIC-to-C code translator; registered users can upgrade for $95. The update to VIP-C comes with a set of tools for creating forms and costs $295, with an upgrade price of $95. > Black Star Publishing Co. of New York is offering a free Java compiler on its Web site, http://www.blackstar.com. U: can upload Java code to the site and then download the compiled class files. 0 summer. some Power Paybac sound reasons | Promotion. to buya Mac. bi. © | a shadows Whee the acon i ‘wo dimessond ane ene 3 srekfined ace of tack, te 4D “esa creas earns hc be exploet inary dnetion Most Reliable PCs’ #1 Apple #2 Compaq #3 Hewlett-Packard #4 Digital + When you buy any Performa® computer and qualifying printer now through March 17, a ie it te ea clr, Ie ced aks conk! vind» Aempory ds os q =| Requirin: « |Computers in . the Li ; Education’ " 08 Customer i ¢ : Support =| #1 Apple ' #1 Apple ¥ 21BM Be cha When you buy any PowerBook* _ © and qualifying printer now through March 17, » | #4 Tandy #5 Packard Bell } For a participating authorized Apple reseller, call 800-538-9696. Or for more information, look for us on the World Wide Web at | http://wwwapple.com/promo/powerpayback e | ‘| #3 Micron | ee | | ee When you buy a Power Mac7200 and any qualifying printer and/or monitor now through March 17, ry ublid 795 Compa rh renrd pe the eg Mac, Editor in Chief Mark Hall Editor Rick LePage Managing Editor Brenda Benner ‘Art Director Eleanor Leishman Director/Editorial Programs Anita Malnig News Editor Carolyn Said Business Editor Jon Swartz Senior Associate Editor/GA Matthew Rothenberg ‘Associate Editor/News David Morgenstern ‘Senior Writers Joanna Pearlstein, Kelly Ryer Staff Writers. Kristin Balleisen, Clifford Colby REVIEWS AND FEATURES Executive Editor Stephen Howard Senior Editor/Features Catherine LaCroix Assistant Editor Maria Sample Editor at Large Dale Coleman Editor Emeritus Henry Norr Contributing Editors Don Crabb, Ric Ford, Bruce Fase, Connie imo, Steve Hannaford, Jonathan Osk MACWEEK ONLINE Associate News Editor/On-line James Staten ‘Senior Editor, ZD Net/Mac Mark Simmons Associate Editor, ZD Net/Mac Sasha Pave COPY DESK Assistant Managing Editor Mariann Hansen Copy Chief Marty Cortinas Senior Copy Editor Patricia Orsini Copy Editor Rebecca Gulick ART AND eek Associate Art Director Margaret Lee Graphic Designer John Farnsworth I PRODUCTION Hesrag Steve Spingola bjackn ease Joy E. Krinsky Production Coordinator Jose Urrutia Pre-press Manager Tim Manousos Assistant Pre-press Manager Tamara Gargus Pre-press Technician Michele Kellogg Group Publisher ohn Blake Group Business Director Bret A. Violette Group Business Manager Mary E. Colbert Group Marketing Director Laurel Clark Skillman Group Research Director Neil Karlin Marketing Manager Renee Bula Sales Manager Chet. McKeithan Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Amold Director, Controlled Circulation Justin Williams Assistant Circulation Manager Lorraine O'Shea Circulation Assistant. Josephine Chang Assistant to _ Group Publisher Beth Ina Coordinators aot otto nde hattes Cen Dasher, Heather McKee, Gina Michelucci, Deborah Monaghan Editorial office: 301 Howard St., 15th Floor, San Francisco, Calif. 94105. Phone (415) 243-3500; fax (415) 243-3651; macweek@macweek.com MacWEEK Online: http:/www.zdnet.com/~macweek! CompuServe: go zmc:macweek, eWorld: shortcut: macweek Advertising office: 950 Tower Lane, Foster City, Calif. ‘94404, Phone (415) 378-5600; fax (415) 378-6903. Subscriptions: ‘Customer Service Department, MacWEEK, JCI, P.0. Box 10634, Riverton, niPasove dese Phone do (609) 786-8230. Permissions and Reprints: Requests for permission to quote from an article should be directed to Chantal Tucker, iff-Davis ape Co., 1 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016; fax (212) 33-5420. For price guoteson reprints, contact Zif-Davis Reprints at (800) 825-4237. ‘MacWEEK is an independent journal, not affiliated with eos Inc. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks le Computer inc. Entire contents copyright 1996 Ziff Davis dies coe Co. All rights reserved. Material in this publican my nate reproduced nay frm thou pt mission, MacWEEK isa registered trademark of Zif-Davis Publishing Co. WBEPA. OPINION PAGE 18 02.19.96 MACWEEK Big names in Mac future ith the gloomy events overshadow- ing Apple management these days, we’ve all taken our eye off the ball in terms of Mac products and their sig- nificance. But amid the chaos in Cupertino a few cool heads have continued to develop and have even begun to market future Macs. The most significant occurrence was both a marketing and engineering accomplishment. Two weeks ago at the industry insider conference Demo 96, an Apple engineer showed off System 7.5.3 running on a PowerPC Platform (PPCP) machine built by IBM Corp. More than a proof of concept, this seminal event kick-starts the beginning of a new clone business strat- egy for Macs, one that is likely to include licensees whose name recognition surpasses that of companies currently selling Mac compatibles. For two years Apple has been hinting that big-name companies will sell hardware with the Mac OS, but no major company has stepped forward with an an- THE SECOND DECADE HENRY NORR Apple as standard-setter? Let’s start with the facts Apple, according to the open letter it placed in daily newspa- pers Feb. 8, “continues to de- fine industry standards for the Internet.” Excuse me, but which stan- dards are those? After searching Apple's Web sites, white papers and press re- leases, I’ve found precisely one initiative that might be called Not-so-virtual re: Now consider what's actually happening. Most of the industry last week announced support for a different standard, called 3D VRML; Apple (as well as Microsoft Corp.) was conspicu- ously absent. Netscape Com- munication Corp.’s Web site lists four VRML plug-ins for its browser — not one of which nouncement, let alone a product shipment. That awk- | ward silence has contributed to the sense that Apple has been beaten in a conclusive battle with Wintel. Tocounsel patience at this point is to repeat a mantra that brings anything but inner peace. But patience is what’s needed. Announcements are coming, but we'll need PPCP machines to hear them. IBM will be one of the licensees of the Mac OS, in part because it needs to support its own RISC architecture and also because it appears to be scaling back its OS/2 client development on PowerPC. Macs make wonderful clients for OS/2 servers. And IBM will sell them. They also make great Windows NT clients, which is probably what Motorola Inc. has in mind when the inevitable happens and it finally announces that it, too, has licensed the Mac OS. These big-name companies will be joined by others. But these two are givens because their business in PowerPC servers is logical. And the best client OS for them, as shown at Demo 96, is the Mac. 0 ternet basics, Mac users face some serious gaps. Why isn’t Point-to-Point Protocol built into the Mac OS, as it is in Windows 95? When will Apple fix the significant bugs that mar the Apple Internet Connection Kit? (See MacWEEK’s on-line review at httpy/www.zdnet.com/macweek/mw_1004 /rev_internet_kithtml.) How many years will we have to wait for a 28.8-Kbps GeoPort adapter — not to mention ISDN (Integrated s Services Digital Network) support? Constructive cri m The Internet explosion gives Applea chance tomarket its technology in fresh forms; Pip- new era. If new CEO Gilbert Amelio asked my advice, I'd suggest giving top priority to exploiting such opportunities. But I'd add, to quote the headline on that open letter, “Let’s start with the facts”: In terms of pin and Cyberdog could mark thedawn ofa | standard-setting: The company has offered its 3DMF (3-D metafile format), royalty free, asa standard for the exchange of 3-D graph- ics over the Internet. According to the Jan. 9 announcement, Apple is “in discussions with leading browser companies” about its offer; it has also proposed the format to the VRML. Architecture Group as an extension to the existing 3-D display standard, Virtual Real- ity Modeling Language (VRML), Beyond that — hold on to your hats —it has “started an ongoing dialogue with members of the VAG on 3-D strategies for the Internet.” All in all, strictly a wannabe standard, I'd say. runs on the Mac. (Virtus Corp. offers a VRML browser and helper application for the Mac, but no plug-in yet.) Also listed were 19 other plug-ins, of which only four were available for the Mac. Such Mac stalwarts as Adobe Systems Inc. and Macromedia Inc. have Windows but not Mac plug-ins. Even Apple’s own QuickTime plug-in, an- nounced months ago, is still “coming soon.” Then there’s Java: It’s the hottest thing in computing, but there’s still no Java-enabled browser for the Mac. The problem, unfortunately, isn’t con- fined to the Web's cutting edge; even for In- client-side capabilities, the Mac today lags behind in some important ways, and self- congratulatory proclamations about stan- dard setting won't solve the problem. To catch up, Apple has to clean up its own In- | ternet act and go all-out — with evangelism, tools, technical assistance and maybe even ¢ development of third- party software for its platform. cash — to encot Henry Norr, editor emeritus of MacWEEK, edback in the MacWEEK forums on CompuServe or eWorld or at henry_norr@ macweek.com. welcom MacWEEK 02.19.96 PAGE 19 LETTERS Round and round Michael Spindler was a turnaround artist, too. Let’s hope that Gilbert Amelio, unlike Mr. Spindler, knows enough to stop turn- ing once he reaches 180 degrees. Rick Lesniak Data Fusion Technologies Williamsville, N.Y. OpenDoc key to future I am writing in response to the Mac- WEEK Insider (02.05.96, Page 3). You in- dicated that Microsoft had blown it by not fully supporting OLE on the Macintosh, thus making it more difficult for develop- ers to deliver cross-platform applications. While I agree with your premise, I think you have understated the importance of OpenDoc in the future of the Macintosh and cross-platform, client-server develop- ment. Most articles have focused exclu- sively on OpenDoc as a means of develop- ing “cool” compound documents that free users from application-centric work. While that is the most obvious feature of OpenDoc, far more important is the effect OpenDoc could have on cross-platform, client-server development. OpenDoc’s use of the CORBA, a standards-based cross-platform object bus, will bring, for the first time, distributed objects to a high-volume computing plat- form. Moreover, this industry standard is multiplatform, covering Unix and OS/2, as well as Macintosh and Windows. OLE, while here today, lacks many of the features that are important for client- server development. It currently does not support a distributed architecture, and when it does, it will do so first in a Microsoft-biased environment (Windows 95 to Windows NT). With all the bad news swirling about Apple and the mainstream press insisting that Apple has become a technology also- ran, I would think that the Apple trade press would spend more time disclosing to the public the true importance of technolo- gies such as OpenDoc. Jay G. Ethridge Engineering technical lead Dynamic Resources Inc. Falls Church, Va. Light a fire Apple needs to get fired up! Several chal- lenges and opportunities await the com- pany in 1996, and it can’t afford to mess them up because nobody will care in 1997. First, Apple must successfully manage the PowerPC Platform introduction. The Mac OS must run smoothly, and Apple must work closely with licensees to ensure their computers are well-designed. Second, the Copland transition must be flawless. Above all, Copland must be sta- ble. Apple must work with software ven- dors to ensure that their INITs, drivers and extensions are ported properly. Third, Apple must evangelize OpenDoc. OpenDoc’s document-centric, peer-to-peer object model is fundamentally superior to Microsoft Corp.’s application-centric object- embedding model. Users want simple tools that work, and OpenDoc delivers the neces- sary framework. Fourth, Apple should begin porting its technology to Windows starting with Open- Doc. Novell Inc. already dropped the ball, and I doubt IBM Corp. even sees the ball. Certainly, Apple is not dead. However, Apple cannot afford to repeat 1995. Benjamin K. Shoesmith IT consultant Deere & Co. Waterloo, lowa Religious doubts While Apple’s troubles depress the hell out of me, what really chokes me is the idea of having to use, 10 hours or more a day, some god-awful Microsoft OS. The notion of los- ing the ability to choose something other than Windows in its many incarnations is simply unacceptable. I need a new ma- chine, as does my college-bound daughter. We'll stick with the Mac OS for as long as it’s a viable option or until the world of computing moves on to a new level and to an altogether new paradigm. We need to see and hear some serious evangelism again. There truly is a quasi-religious as- pect to the faithful’s loyalty to the Mac and Apple, and it would be gratifying to hear Apple’s board acknowledge it. Dr. Seth Lewin Clinical Review Systems Needham, Mass. Apple under the pun Thought police at Apple? Perhaps that’s why it named its next operating system Cop Land. Now that Apple is, indeed, out of spin control, one can hope that the new management will Ameliorate the situation. Michael Markman How to contact MacWEEK Send letters to MacWEEK, 301 Howard St., 15th Floor, San Francisco, Calif. 94105; fax (415) 243- 3651. We can be contacted on-line: CompuServe, 76077,1351; eworld, MacW MCI, 323- 1203; Internet, letters@macweek.com. Include your name, address and phone number. We re- ‘serve the right to edit for clarity and length. Mac OS: Stumping for this candidate in 1996 Nov. 5, 1996. Election Day. The day that Apple starts selling Copland. Or System 8, or Mac OS 2 or whatever it’s called. (How about a real brand name?) Am I hoping Apple will be selling Cop- land by then? Or have I gotten caught up in the rhetoric of this early election season and am desperately seeking political tie-ins atevery turn? Perhaps. But Apple must have Copland outin time for the Christmas 1996 selling season. Election ‘96 Copland should dominate the thinking of the computer in- dustry and buying public in the same way that the fall elec- tion will pervade the Ameri- can political landscape. In fact, shipping Copland on Election Day would be a hell ofa good tie-in. Think of the marketing theme: “As you elect your new president, elect to take your personal computing experience to the state-of-the- art with the Copland Mac OS.” A bit of a stretch, you say? No more so than Mi- crosoft Corp. using the Rolling Stones to sell Windows 95. With Copland shipping on Election | Day, Apple would guarantee that it would have the new OS in time for all of its Christmas promotions. It would also guar- antee that Copland would ship long before the next version of Windows NT. No product is more important to Apple than Copland. Not OpenDoc. Not Cyber- dog. Not QuickTime VR. Not Quick- Draw 3D. Noteven the latest Power Macs, PowerBooks, Pippins or MessagePads that will be shipping by then. Copland will set the technology base for all of Apple’s strategic plans. Everything else builds on it. Can Apple win on Election Day? Can it ride the coattails of the biggest American electoral event? Can it keep its message clear and get major media coverage? Stuffing the ballot box It can’t so long as it keeps thinking small. Forget the development issues for a mo- ment (for example, can Apple actually get Copland done by Nov. 5?) and concentrate on the marketing messages that the Cop- land launch should emphasize: > Copland is the state-of- the-art OS for notebook and desktop computers. > Copland offers the most flexible yet robust interface of any personal computer OS. > Copland provides an OS platform that integrates all unique or best-of implementa- tion system technologies. > Copland works with ex- isting Macintosh applications and Mac OS products. > Copland uses the full hardware power of the PowerPC Platform and Power Mac lines. > Copland provides the best combirta- tion of protected services and performance of any personal computer OS. If Apple can create a Copland Platform, not unlike the political platforms, it can pull this off. But Apple will need alot more than marketing slogans to do this. It needs for Copland to beat Windows 95 and Win- dows NT by a landslide. Technically. On price. Through customer satisfaction. And ultimately, at the ballot boxes known as computer stores. Call this plan Apple’s New Deal if you will, but it better be a very Big Deal. 3 Don Crabb welcomes comments at his Internet address decc@cs.uchicago.edu. You can also check out his home page at http:llcs-wuw. uchicago.edu/~decel. “He never hunts, and the only thing he gathers is something called information.” ‘Comments? Ideas? Contact El at eltoons@aol.com WOr mirac ©1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft Office, shown here, includes: Word, Microsoft Excel, the PowerPoint presentation graphics program and a workstation license for Microsoft Mail (server and software acquired separately). For information only: in the 50 United States ‘and Canada, call (600) 531-6748. Outside the U.S. and Canada, call your local Microsoft subsidiary or (206) 936-8661. Customers can reach Microsoft text telephone (TT/TDD) services by calling (800) 892-5234 in the U.S. or (905) 568-9641 in Canada, Microsoft and PowerPoint are registered trademarks and Where do you want to go today? Is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Power Mac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. K les mArboa rowmaAZzoo In here You Your Power Mac” And Microsoft® Office Become one. eI ee SO oe <wonA.AePFrn FPmo- You assemble your thoughts Effortlessly. You drag Words tables Charts graphics From one program And drop them Into another Instantly. > ee | Ze OM aArmMo= =wmon You run Microsoft Excel calculations In your Word document. You turn your Word document Into a PowerPoint® Make something. presentation. Make anything. You see everything ouPrmizrpPr om Come together. This is you. Seamlessly. Microsoft WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TODAY?™ Working. IN THE MID-5O’sS, THE PHONE COMPANY PROMISED THE ARRIVAL OF THE VIDEO WHONE. The result of our mounting impatience is the easy-to-use, extremely affordable Connectix VideoPhone™ A complete camera and software solution that, ur computer into a desktop videoconferencing workstation. Connecti ideoPhone lets you video confer and share a mark-up board. Attend meetings from home. M office-wide presentations. O ow your id to your co-workers down the hall or ac the country. Because rather than wait another for ars for the phone company to x Corp, 2655 Camps Drive, San Mateo, CA 914083 US: nectx.comt» Connortis VideoPhone isa trademark of 04 1-505 Forno, vin FAN: S0-571-7958%« Web si ‘wor taken with 3 QuickCam, Except the one that wast © TIMBUKTU TEST RUN You can download a free trial version of Timbuktu Pro 2.0 from Farallon’s Web site at http://www. farallon.com. MACWEEK 02.19.96 Evaluations * Benchmarks © Testing PAGE 23 By Craig Lyn The application, which takes advantage of Apple’s QuickDraw 3D API, ap- Targeted at both novices and professionals, the easy- to-use 3D World can serve as 3-D training wheels for beginning modelers, but the lack of high-end modeling features and poor rendering quality will keep profes- sionals looking elsewhere. While Microspot is positioning 3D 3D World's on QuickDraw 3D helps, hinders users package is easy reliance Microspot USA Ine. is at- Low-priced World for low-end users tempting to bring 3-D to and up, you'll need a high- the masses with 3D World, modeling and end system to use the pack- its new modeling and real- age. The application re- time rendering package. | rendering quires a Power Mac with System 7.1.2 or later, and at least 2 Mbytes of RAM. But 3D. World also requires pears to be a steal at $139, | tg use but not | QuickDraw 3D — and that but the reality is you get can cost you as much as 16 what you pay for. very useful. | Mbytes of RAM when the program is running. Also, to take advantage of several features of 3D World, ranging from basic attributes such as transparency to advanced features such as Constructive Solid Geometries, you'll need to purchase a QuickDraw 3D accelerator card. The lowest-priced board, Apple’s QuickDraw 3D Accelerator Card, carries a $399 list price (see 11.13.95, Page 1), but that hardware- software combination is still less Microspot USA Inc. List price: $139 Overall value @¢ expensive than most other 3-D packages we've reviewed. Performance # ¢ Features ¢@ Ease of use ¢# Documentation/support ¢¢@ 3D World, a low-cost 3-D modeling and rendering application that requires QuickDraw 3D, aims to serve novices and professionals but will disappoint the latter. The easy-to-use program is best-suited as a3-D training ground, thanks to its clean interface, drag-and-drop texture mapping and basic model- ing tools. The program falls short in the rendering department: 3D World relies entirely on the Quick- Draw 3D rendering engine to create final output, and the jagged edges it produces are not appropriate for most print or multimedia projects. Because of this and the lack of advanced modeling features, professionals won't find much use for the program. Also, you'll need a Quick Draw 3D accelerator card toadd transparency to your models or to use several of the plug-ins that come free with the program — that will set you back another $400 or so, but the total is still less than most other 3-D packages. Easy 3-D Microspot has taken the Quick- Draw 3D Interface Guidelines to heart: 3D World’s interface appears to be a direct imple- mentation of Apple’s excellent guidelines. Objects can be ro- tated or scaled using widgets, which are red control handles placed at key points around a 3-D bounding box. A_ tool palette holds buttons for creat- ing primitives, lathing 2-D ines and switching between 2-D and 3-D drawing modes, among other functions. Grids, snap-tos and object alignment tools help make your models easy to cre- ate. There are also floating Lights and Info palettes that control basic lighting and coor- dinate data, as well as a Win- dow tool bar for changing views, scaling and navigation. Key $666 Excellent ©€®® Very good © Good © Fair © Unsatisfactory ‘S File Fait View Options Microspot's 3D World lets you view and manipula’ QuickDraw 3D. Lighting, model orientation and camera view can be changed on the fly. We found model manipulation to be quirky at times. For example, when scaling or moving an object, one misclick will pan the document window to another view. Drag-and-drop texture mapping makes color mapping a breeze. You just drag tex- tures from another application, the Scrap- book or the Librarian (a 3D World utility) directly onto a 3D World object. The Li- brarian works like the Scrapbook but also has a search engine and can reference an ite 3-D models in real time, thanks to Apple’s external file via an alias. There’s a down- side to 3D World’s texture mapping, how- ever: You have no control over the type of mapping (such as cubic, spherical or pla- nar) that’s used to cover an object’s surface. You can also drag and drop sounds onto a shape and play them back by clicking once on the object — a unique feature. You can save these models in 3D World’s format — 3D World can also save files in See 3D World, next page Timbuktu Pro 2.0 opens up with ARA, By Mark H. Anbinder IPX support With Timbuktu Pro2.0, | New interface Timbuktu. Pro 2's re- Farallon Computing Inc. designed New Connection continues to broaden the | and connection | window makes it much easier horizons of its network- able screen-sharing and remote-control software. While previous releases expanded the application upgrade to methods part of to specify a connection method. Always-visible folder tabs let you more easily choose be- twegn methods (instead of the pop-up menu used in Tim- beyond its Macintosh- | remote-control | buktu Pro 1, which showed only and AppleTalk- only the current selection and only beginnings by add- | application. not your other options). The ing support for Windows clients and TCP/IP con- nections, Timbuktu Pro 2, priced at $145, integrates a built-in Apple Remote Access (ARA) client so you can access networks as a remote node. It also lets you connect via Novell Inc.’s IPX protocol, a boon for the many cross-platform company networks. that haven't jumped on the TCP/IP band- wagon. A revamped user interface and Power Mac-native code round out this highly successful upgrade. | AppleTalk, ARA, IPX and TCP/IP tabs appear only if the | required software is installed, so your | screen isn’t cluttered with options you won't use. Farallon’s built-in ARA client is pretty smooth, but we'd like to see better interac- tion between Timbuktu Pro and ARA. Timbuktu Pro does allow you to manually initiate an ARA connection from within the New Connection window, rather than hav- See Timbuktu, Page 26 PAGE 24 02.19.96 MACWEEK 3D World 3DMF (3-D metafile format) and PICT file format — but you won’t be able to dis- tribute the audio-enabled files this way be- cause sound is currently not a component of 3DMF. Background or foreground im- ages as well as text can also be dragged and dropped into a scene. Thanks to QuickDraw 3D, an object’s color, transparency, shininess and reflec- tivity (which, unlike other 3-RQ programs, is really the diffuse levels of an object) can be altered on the fly. You can also view color maps in real time. Unfortunately, transparency can be enabled only if you have a QuickDraw 3D card installed. From previous page 3D World's Lights palette lets you create cither point or spot lights in a 3-D scene, as well as adjust the color, brightness and shadow-casting capability of a light source. Life signs weak While 3D World offers features that will appeal to first-time users, it lacks capabili- ties that professionals and even some be- ginners will want. For instance, aside from simple walk-throughs and pans, there are no animation features, nor is there a way to export these simple movements, such as by creating a QuickTime movie. If your pro- jects require more than basic movement, you'll have to export your models to an- other program. Apple's Quick- Draw 3D Inter- face Guidelines at work: Objects can be rotated or scaled using red control han- dles placed at key points around a 3-D bounding box. In addition, professionals will find the modeling tools fairly primitive compared with those offered by other low-priced kages, such as Ray Dream $499 Ray Dream Studio 2.96, Page 67). The lack of high-end modeling features, such as 3-D text and lofting, will surely be missed. Performance and rendering We tested 3D World on a Power Mac 8500 with 30 Mbytes of RAM allocated to the application. The program per- formed well for the most part but acted sluggish when drag- ging and dropping some mod- els from the Scrapbook or Li- brarian into the application. While you can print a hard copy of your scene or save the image asa PICT file, the results might not be entirely desirable. This is because 3D World relies solely on the QuickDraw 3D rendering engine for creating final output. Since QuickDraw 3D uses Gouraud shading, color-mapped objects tend to look ex- tremely blurry. Images also tend to hi very jagged edges. Thus, a rendered image from 3D World is not suitable for most print or multimedia applications because of the low image quality. 3D World's smart drag-and-drop Librarian utility can cata- log 3DMF, sound and PICT files in one database. Plug-ins 3D World ships with a few plug-ins that create primitives such as a torus, or align a model or light source to a specific coor- dinate. Once you’ve registered your ap- | plication, though, Microspot will send you the free 3D World Plug-ins Volume 1, which includes Mountain, a terrain gen- See 3D World, Page 26 Expan: Up to.230 MB. of Java Match 3 1, 1996! npsemiaincleo oti tionfor a Book 190/5300 ie ata, providing virtually lim ie © Uses ISO ot 128MB and 230MB. 'MOldisks © g Disks are compatible with desktop SCSI M a word g tecte ental baékups in or ly a few minutes rf OMB; and. 2 ‘GB sizes now, vailable + Expansion Bay ag Mayne op creat Dri Drives.are 4 ae fect backup anert Eac pee ‘archiving mettio rise eg ith a k,990/5301 I D ge and et halen: ofpe Griv j , », © : able — no need & seer oun’ oF regi é { 3 ‘ the box =sjust Plug-N- -Play! % ition and rchiiving e MO cartridge stores *” 20 ARTMENT pad, Suite ; 2. Je Conco - rBQok 190 extra"1.2 GB ofstoragé s es’ sli he i, Massachusetts. Q1742 ° (508) 24 G00 - 5300 Computers into the pongibok k atking if | yy Ne we | s Perfect output at a surprisingly perfect price. For the first time in laser printer history, the new Accel-a-Writer® 8300 with X*ACT™ allows you to calibrate the accuracy of your printer to within the width of a single dot. No other printer on the market delivers these exacting standards. And true Adobe™ PostScript™ offers another standard of perfection with high perfor- mance and incredible output accuracy. The new Canon’ JX engine is at the heart of this leading-edge printer. And with 1200 x 1200 dpi, your Accel-a-Writer 8300 becomes a desktop plain-paper imagesetter with the capability to If your output could be close to perfect or perfect, which would you choose? The new Accel-a-Writer 8300 featuring X*ACT (XANTE’s Accurate Calibration Technology) print up to 12 x25 inches. Finally, XANTE’s Enhanced Screening Technology allows you to further fine-tune your output quality by providing 40% more levels of gray when enabled for exceptional halftones. So ask yourself... if your output could be close to perfect or perfect, which would you choose? We think you know the answer. XANTE’s new Accel-a-Writer 8300. There’s no other printer like it. YXANTE ATsT Capital Corporation olivetti Dealers Innovations In Oulput 1-800-926-8839, ext. 2328 Ul ext.2329 FAX: 334/476-9421 Adobe PostScript PAGE 26 02.19.96 MACWEEK 3D World erator,and Walkthrough, a bare-bones an- imation extension. The most useful of the lot is the Con- structive Solid Geometries (CSG) plug-in, which is, in essence, a Boolean modeling tool. Unfortunately, it will work only with a QuickDraw 3D accelerator card in- stalled. Another, albeit lesser, annoyance is that the plug-ins’ interfaces don’t follow the clean design of the application. Also, the on-screen prompts don’t work with the plug-ins. The 3D World manual is clear and easy to understand and provides good details on many of the program’s features. Problems arise, however, when you get to the read- me files included with the Volume 1 plug- ins, as they don’t often do a good job ex- plaining how the tools work. From Page 24 Conclusions 3D World is an easy-to-use application of rather nebulous utility. We found it diffi- 3D World’s street price will probably be in the double digits, which will be reason enough for ‘some users to try their hand at modeling. cult to come up with several practical ap- plications for the program. Its comfortable learning environment makes it a good training ground for new- comers to 3-D, but its modeling and ren- dering features are extremely limited. For higher-end users, the poor image quality of the rendering engine and the dearth of animation and advanced model- ing features relegates this application to possibly one use: as a previsualization tool. You can import more-complex models created in other programs and then place them and add lighting and rudimentary color mapping in 3D World. But why bother when you can do these tasks in a more full-featured 3-D program and then render the scene using a more sophisti- cated rendering engine? 3D World’s street price, however, will probably be in the double digits, which is reason enough for some users to try their ha