MacWEEK articles from January 1997

MacWEEK archives from January 1997

NeXT chapter for Mac OS: Apple turns to NeXTstep as heart of future system. (Apple buys NeXT Software and its operating system)
January 6, 1997... Apple to renovate system; compatibility path unclear Three weeks of negotiations and $400 million bought Apple more than just a time-tested OS with the industrial-strength underpinnings System 7 lacks. The company also got a development...

Mac developers hold judgment, await OS details. (NeXT Chapter for Mac OS) (Apple's acquisition of NeXTstep operating system) (Company Business and Marketing)
January 6, 1997... Relieved that Apple made a definitive move to replace the aging Mac OS, Mac developers greeted the news of the NeXT Software Inc. deal with a raft of questions. Although many third-party vendors were pleased with the deal, they said Apple must...

Buyout redefines platform around NeXT foundation. (NeXT Chapter for Mac OS) (few details about how Apple with combine Mac technology with NeXT Software's NeXT technologies) (Company Business and Marketing)
January 6, 1997... Two and a half weeks after the announcement, Apple's acquisition of NeXT Software Inc. has left company executives scrambling for explanations. On Dec. 20 Apple announced it was buying NeXT for $400 million and would use NeXT software as the...

AppleShare rewrite to service LANs, Net. (Apple's AppleShare IP 5.0 server suite) (Product Development)
January 6, 1997... Apple this week will take the wraps off it new server suite, AppleShare IP 5.0. Code-named FutureShare, AppleShare IP will go into public beta this week with Web, FTP, e-mail and print services in addition to the traditional AppleShare file...

Expo show picks. (Jan 1997 Macworld Expo plans) (includes four related articles on products to be introduced at show) (Industry Trend or Event)
January 6, 1997... The Mac community is avidly awaiting a taste of Apple's NeXT strategy at this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. In the meantime, a trove of new hardware and software offerings will represent the current state of the platform. Apple will...

Surround Video add-on comes to Mac at expo. (Black Diamond Consulting's ActiveX Control)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... Black Diamond Consulting Inc. will enter the Mac virtual-reality Web scene at Macworld Expo San Francisco with a new version of its ActiveX Control. The Surround Video tool will let Web users view and navigate 360-degree panoramic photographs and...

TriMedia to drive demo of MPEG-2 video playback. (Philips Semiconductors' new coprocessor) (Product Information)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... The TriMedia coprocessor will make its Mac debut at Macworld Expo in San Francisco this week. Philips Semiconductors of Sunnyvale, Calif., will conduct a technology demonstration of MPEG-2 video playback on a Power Mac 9500. Apple plans to...

Tektronix to upgrade dye-sub color printer. (Phaser 450)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Tektronix Inc. this week will announce a new version of its letter-size dye-sublimation printer at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. The Phaser 450, slated to ship immediately for $6,995, replaces the company's Phaser 440; current 440 owners can...

Accounting apps updated. (Softec L.L.C.'s A4 5.5 client/server accounting and business-management application, Aatrix Software's Mac P&L 5.0) (Big Software is giving away copies of Big Business 2.0 business-management/accounting application)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... Just in time for the new year, two vendors are readying upgraded accounting packages. Softec L.L.C. is announcing this week Version 5.5 of its A4 client-server accounting and business-management package. The software, based on ACI US Inc.'s...

Intuit halts QuickBooks for the Mac. (drops QuickBooks Pro for Macintosh as well) (Product Information)
January 6, 1997... Intuit Inc. is no longer developing QuickBooks or QuickBooks Pro for the Macintosh. In fact, the only mention of the Mac in the news release for Intuit's just-released QuickBooks 5.0 is that the Windows package can convert data from the...

From inkjet to mopy: '97 printer outlook. (machines to produce multiple-original copies, inkjet printers to be popular) (Industry Trend or Event)
January 6, 1997... The new year will bring many desired changes to the printer market. In 1997 customers will get more features for less money. For the Mac market, Apple's strategic relationship with OEM partner Hewlett-Packard Co. will offer users a broad range...

Conley to ship SoftRAID 1.5. (disk-management package)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Conley Corp. intends to ship this week at Macworld Expo in San Francisco SoftRAID 1.5, a disk-management package for single- and multiple-drive volumes. The Power Mac-native package was originally developed as Apple RAID and bundled with the...

Wolfram releases Mathematica 3. (Wolfram Research's technical computing environment)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Interface supports math typesetting Wolfram Research Inc. ended 1996 by releasing Version 3.0 of Mathematica, the company's technical computing environment. The major revision of the software was originally due in August but was delayed by...

Shana updates forms software. (Informed 2.0 electronic forms software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Shana Corp. in December shipped Version 2.0 of Informed, its electronic forms software. The new release provides complete compatibility between the Mac and Windows versions and includes expanded Internet capabilities, Shana said. The update...

Crystal Ball's computation improves. (Decisioneering's Crystal Ball 4.0 risk-analysis software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Decisioneering Inc. closed out 1996 by shipping Version 4.0 of its risk-analysis software, Crystal Ball. The $395 Microsoft Excel add-on has new computational capabilities and improved graphics, the company said. Aimed at financial analysts,...

Apple update fills out QTVR. (QuickTime VR 2.0 virtual-reality runtime engine and authoring tool to support C API)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... New API to boost appeal to vendors Apple will roll out a major update to QuickTime VR at this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Slated to ship later this month, Version 2.0 of the virtual-reality runtime engine and authoring tool will...

Revamped Media 100 redraws line. (Media 100 now separate company from Data Translations parent-company; revamps product line of digital video products) (Company Business and Marketing)
January 6, 1997... Media 100 Inc. separated from parent company Data Translation Inc. in December and revamped its product line. Data Translation changed its name to Media 100 Inc. and adopted the NASDAQ ticker symbol MDEA. At the same time, the company spun...

New 3-D software bound for the Mac. (four new applications)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... The Mac continues to gain speed in the 3-D tools market, judging by the latest flurry of activity from new converts and upstart developers. Two 3-D applications are slated to cross over to the Mac platform at this week's Macworld Expo in San...

Media Composer gets handle on scripting. (Avid Technology's Media Composer 6.5 video-editing system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... The latest installment of Media Composer is ready for prime time. In December, Avid Technology Inc. delivered Version 6.5 of the nonlinear video-editing system, which the company said offers new scripting capabilities and higher image and audio...

Opcode tunes Galaxy. (Opcode Systems' Galaxy Plus Editors 2.1 application development utility, Galaxy Universal Librarian 2.1 software , Studio 64X MIDI interface and patch bay device)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Opcode Systems Inc. in December added 15 patch editors and 50 librarian programs to its Galaxy Plus Editors package when it released Version 2.1. The company also released Galaxy Universal Librarian 2.1 software and the Studio 64X, a...

Canto ships Cumulus 3.0. (Canto Software's Cummulus Media Management System 3.0 multimedia archiving system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Canto Software Inc. in December shipped Version 3.0 of Cumulus Media Management System, the company's multimedia archiving system. Cumulus 3.0 draws on Macintosh Drag and Drop technology to let users drag a category to the Finder to create a...

Screen's sales sharp in fiscal '97. (Dainippon Screen Manufacturing announces profit for 1st half of fiscal year 1997) (Company Financial Information)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan, in December announced a profit for the first half of fiscal 1997, which ended Sept. 30. According to the company, its total international sales of electronic and graphic arts equipment...

MS targets OpenDoc; ActiveX Part Adapter beta due. (also introduces Mac Active X SDK, Internet Explorer 3.0 for Macintosh, other products) (Product Development)
January 6, 1997... In a surprise move, Microsoft Corp. this week will preview software that ties its ActiveX architecture to Apple's component technology, OpenDoc. Also during San Francisco's Macworld Expo, the company will roll out Sun Java tools and ship the...

Cyberdog 2.0 gains browser revisions. (Apple's suite of OpenDoc Internet client tools)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Apple early this year will unleash Version 2.0 of Cyberdog, its free suite of OpenDoc Internet client tools. With Cyberdog, users can employ OpenDoc components for e-mail, browsing and other Internet applications. Most of the changes in...

ISDN offerings multiply at expo. (Big Island Communications' BoogieBoard ISDN PCI card) (Farallon Communications' Netopia ISDN PC Card, Groupe Sagem Sagem Easy ISDN line-provisioning service)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Big Island Communications Inc. and Farallon Communications Inc. this week will connect Mac users to new ISDN offerings at San Francisco's Macworld Expo. Big Island will introduce BoogieBoard, a five-user ISDN PCI card aimed at small offices....

Symantec's Java tool, HTML editor debut. (Visual Cafe RAD tool, Visual Page Web authoring tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Promising a soup-to-nuts Web authoring solution, Symantec Corp. will ship its Java development and Web editing tools at this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Visual Cafe, a drag-and-drop rapid-application-development tool for Sun Java,...

GoLive preps CyberStudio. (Web authoring software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Targeting those who balk at HTML coding but want to create high-end interactive sites, GoLive Systems Inc. this month will release the beta version of GoLive CyberStudio, the company's Web authoring tool. When the final version ships in March,...

Open Door offers Webmaster Suite. (Open Door Networks' Multidomain Webmaster Suite Web tools)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Ashland, Ore.-based Open Door Networks Inc. this week will introduce the $695 Multi-domain Webmaster Suite, a collection of three Web tools: HomeDoor, software that lets Web servers host Web sites with multiple domain names; LogDoor, which stores...

Web Server 4D updated. (MDG Computer Services' Web Server 4D 1.0.5 HTTP server)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... MDG Computer Services Inc. of Bartlett, Ill., in December shipped Version 1.0.5 of the $245 Web Server 4D, an HTTP (Hypertext Transport Protocol) server that now supports server-side includes. The new Denial of Service Attack feature prevents...

Akimbo ships Globetrotter 1.1.1. (Akimbo Systems' Globetrotter Web Publisher 1.1, 1.11 applications)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Akimbo Systems Inc. of Somerville, Mass., in December released Version 1.1 and 1.1.1 of its Globetrotter Web Publisher package for the Mac. Version 1.1 gained enhanced outlining and table functions; support for cell spacing, padding, and Visited...

EtherShare picks up speed. (Helios Software's EtherShare enhanced with integrating Asante Technologies' NetDoubler network-acceleration tool)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... The EtherShare server platform from Helios Software GmbH will get a speed boost this week. Helios' AppleShare-compliant, Unix-based network server software is integrating Asante Technologies Inc.'s network acceleration tool, NetDoubler. Helios...

FCR Software Inc. (LinkUPPP Point-to-Point Protocol client)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... FCR Software Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., in December released Version 1.0 of LinkUPPP!, its Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) client that carries both AppleTalk and TCP/IP. FCR said the $59.95 software connects to any remote-access server supporting...

Vicom Technology Ltd. (SurfDoubler 3.7 utility lets two people use same Internet and modem account from separate computers)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Vicom Technology Ltd. of Mountain View, Calif., this month will unveil SurfDoubler 3.7, the first version of the $149 utility that lets two people use the same modem and Internet account from separate computers. For two machines connected via...

SoftArc Inc. (First Gateway gateway for SMTP and NNTP e-mail)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... SoftArc Inc. of Markham, Ontario, in December rolled out a new gateway for SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP). Available now, the $495 First Gateway for SMTP/NNTP lets FirstClass users send and receive...

Shiva Corp. (LanRover, LanRover Access Switch and NetModem/E now includes software that supports Apple's OT/PPP)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Shiva Corp. of Bedford, Mass., in December announced that the server software included with its LanRover, LanRover Access Switch and NetModem/E products now supports Apple's OT/PPP. By supporting the Open Transport version of PPP, users of...

Brinksmanship. (future of the Mac OS) (Product Development)(Editorial)
January 6, 1997... The Mac industry stands on a precipice. The well-trodden ground of System 7 stretches on one side, while on the other a vacuum yawns, waiting to be filled by NeXTstep. CEO Gilbert Amelio brought Apple, Mac users and developers to this edge; now...

Keeping new OS portable a prudent response to RISC. (future of PowerPC Platform)(The Second Decade) (Product Information)(Column)
January 6, 1997... The first time I interviewed former Apple CEO Michael Spindler, back in 1989, he told me that making the Mac operating system portable had to be one of Apple's priorities. At the time, to be honest, I thought at first he was talking about...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 6, 1997... Apple, where were you? I had just about given up on Apple's Internet strategy, and last week's Internet World in New York was the clincher. Microsoft, Sun and Netscape each had a strong presence at the show and featured dozens of developers...

NeXT can give Apple new OS now, Be couldn't. (buying NeXT Software is a good decision)(The Mac Manager) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
January 6, 1997... I was all set to write about Harmony, the Mac OS 7.6 release. Or maybe the cool 20th-anniversary Macintosh. But all that seems passe right about now. Passe because, hot damn diddly, Apple does have a pulse after all. Yes, by God, the company...

Amelio's team talks tough but waffles on OS plans. (how well Apple executives performed in 1996)(Year in Review) (Calendar of Events)
January 6, 1997... Having diligently tracked the highs and lows of Apple's product lines over the years, MacWEEK was eager to apply the same rigorous testing methods to the company's executive upgrade, which debuted this year. In a series of revisions, the...

Best part of past year for Apple: It's history. (firm experienced problems in all areas in 1996)(Year in Review) (Calendar of Events)
January 6, 1997... 1996 saw problems all across the board Apple's travails overshadowed Mac triumphs in the past year: Financial losses, managerial shake-ups and quality-assurance snafus provided the company with more than a year's worth of grief. Even worse,...

MacWEEK sources unplugged, in the raw. (MacWEEK sources tell why they agree to talk with magazine)(Year in Review) (Industry Trend or Event)
January 6, 1997... Who exactly are the sources for MacWEEK stories? This is a common question from readers as well as bigwigs at Apple and third-party Mac companies. The answer is simple: We can't tell you. But in honor of this special year-end feature,...

Psychic peers into Apple's future. (mixed future for Apple in 1997)(Year in Review) (Calendar of Events)
January 6, 1997... Corporate psychic Barbara Courtney predicts a mixed year ahead for Apple and the Macintosh. We spoke with the self-described "intuitive consultant" in early December, well before the Dec. 20 Apple-NeXT Software Inc. merger announcement. During...

The Knife's dubious achievements.(Year in Review) (News Briefs)
January 6, 1997... Mac industry rumors are like a box of chocolates: Some are tasty; some are nutty; and some most closely resemble those mysterious nougat creations that, while they look pretty resting atop their little paper doilies, prove repellent once they're...

A modern Mac OS: Graphics users ready for some big changes. (managers give opinions about future of Mac OS) (Product Information)
January 6, 1997... While Apple pondered alternatives in bringing the modern features of a multitasking, protected-memory OS to the Macintosh, MacWEEK asked Mac managers for their insight into the situation. The users we queried were in businesses relating to...

Incremental gains: Good, bad and sometimes ugly. (users updating Mac OS) (includes related article on Mac OS 7.6) (Product Information)
January 6, 1997... For better or worse, the era of the monolithic Mac OS rollout is over. Apple's now-formalized policy of a major system release every six months alternating with incremental releases (dubbed dripware by one manager) means that Mac managers will be...

MacWEEK Advisory Board sounds off on OS issues. (features needed in upcoming Apple Mac OS) (Product Development)
January 6, 1997... In addition to conducting our subscriber QuickPoll using strict research methods, we informally polled MacWEEK's Editorial Advisory Board. We asked the board members the same questions but invited them to go into more detail in their answers. Our...

Warranty, price make StarMax models shine. (Motorola Computer Group's PowerPC-based systems) (includes related articles on StarMax compatibility and on MacBench 4.0) (Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
January 6, 1997... Score card StarMax 4000/200 MT 4 diamonds $3,595* StarMax 4000/200 DT 4 diamonds $3,195* StarMax 4000/160 MT 4 diamonds $2,995* StarMax 4000/160 DT 4 diamonds $2,595* StarMax 3000/200 MT 3 diamonds $2,195* StarMax...

Adobe sharpens interface, compositing in Photoshop 4. (Adobe Systems' image processing software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
January 6, 1997... Score card Photoshop 4.0 4 diamonds Adobe Systems Inc. List price: $895* Hits: New Transform commands, Image Cache and "big data" make compositing easier; Adjustment Layers provide nondestructive editing with unlimited Undos;...

System 7.6 beta slightly faster, but few noticeable innovations. (Apple's OS) (includes related article on Apple's Location Manager for PowerBook systems) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
January 6, 1997... More than two years after Apple introduced System 7.5, Mac OS 7.6, code-named Harmony, is poised to hit the Mac community later this month. The update does little more than assemble on one CD-ROM the emerging technologies of the past two years,...

Macromedia FreeHand 7.0 leaps ahead of competition. (draw software) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
January 6, 1997... Score card FreeHand 7.0 4 diamonds (Very good) Macromedia Inc. Est. street price: $399* Hits: Great blending and gradient tools; graphics search-and-replace; text and multipage layout features; improved performance. Misses:...

Macromedia xRes 3.0 lacking in maturity, grace. (image editor) (Software Review)(Evaluation)
January 6, 1997... Score card xRes 3.0 2 diamonds (Fair) Macromedia Inc. Est. street price: $399* Hits: Lets you work with large files on a low-RAM system; good EPS rasterizer; fairly well-integrated with Macromedia FreeHand 7.0. Misses:...

After last year's turnaround, Apple needs to deliver. (review of 1996, goals for 1997)(MacInTouch) (Company Business and Marketing)(Column)
January 6, 1997... This column was written prior to Apple's announcement that it will acquire NeXT Software Inc. Ric will follow up on the changes in a future column.--Ed. A year is a long time in this business, and 1996 was a critical one for Apple. What did...

Groupware technology moves to the Internet. (includes related article on real-time audio-video groupware) (Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
January 6, 1997... Like other network services on the Macintosh, groupware technologies for communication and collaboration are moving to the Web. Internet-based groupware will encompass a range of services now available from proprietary client-server packages,...

Tool vendors join NeXT generation. (Metrowerks, Symantec, others to offer development toosl for Mac OS/NeXT OS hybrid OS) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... The specifics of Apple's acquisition of NeXT Software Inc. are still emerging, but vendors are already lining up to provide developer tools for the hybrid OS. Metrowerks Inc. announced it will release compilers for Objective C --the NeXT OS...

Clones speed to expo. (UMAX Computer's S900/240, Power Computing's PowerTower Pro 225, DayStar Digital's Genesis LT 400+)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... Mac clone vendors will use this week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco to roll out new models, including high-speed single- and dual-processor CPUs. > UMAX Computer Corp. will introduce its S900/240, which uses a 240-MHz 604e processor. The...

Choices slim for PPCP OSes. (IBM and Motorola drop plans for Power PC NT servers, but Windows NT 4.0 to be available for PowerPC Platform) (Product Development)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... The PowerPC partners may have put Windows NT 5.0 development in dry dock, but their Macintosh plans are moving full speed ahead. In December, IBM Corp. and Motorola Inc.'s Computer Group dropped plans for NT servers based on the PowerPC...

StockWatch. (News Briefs)(Illustration)
January 6, 1997... 01.02.97 weekly close change Apple 21.00 -2.00 MacWEEK Composite* 171.02 -4.80 Software Developers Adobe ...

Iomega's site zips up storage. (Web site)
January 6, 1997... Eye-catching graphics beckon you to get your 'stuff' together Iomega Corp. http://www.iomega.com Iomega Corp.'s Web site mixes a primary-color palette with a busy design to excellent effect. The concept recalls some of the company's most...

Emulation on the Macintosh. (Web site information) (News Briefs)
January 6, 1997... http://www.komkon.org/~stiles/emulation/ The motto of this site is "The future of computing lies in emulation," and after visiting this site you may be a believer. Emulation is the process of running software designed for one computer on...

Hot List: San Francisco. (Web sites about city)(Directory)
January 6, 1997... In town for Macworld Expo? Attendees can surf the Web for alternative attractions--if they can break away from product demos on the show floor. > The Gate http://www.sfgate.com At this joint endeavor by daily newspapers The San Francisco...

Fear of a Mac planet.(Mac the Knife) (News Briefs)(Column)
January 6, 1997... As another New Year's Day dwindles rapidly behind us, Spaceship Earth continues to careen toward the millennium like Robert Downey Jr. navigating the Pacific Coast Highway. Cowering in the rumble seat, the Knife can only marvel slack-jawed at how...

ScriptAgent ships. (Productivity Enhancements' ScriptAgent AppleScript Toolkit for 4th Dimension)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 6, 1997... Productivity Enhancement Inc. shipped in December its ScriptAgent AppleScript Toolkit for 4th Dimension. The company said the kit lets third-party developers of the 4D database from ACI US Inc. embed script code directly into 4D procedures....

Best buggy software of the year. (Diehl Graphsoft Inc's MiniCAD CAD program featured in X Files television show)(Brief Article)
January 6, 1997... Eagle-eyed "X-Files" fans last year caught glimpses of output from Diehl Graphsoft Inc.'s MiniCAD program on an episode of the television show on Fox Broadcasting Co.'s network. In the episode titled "File Number 3X12: War of the Coprophages,"...

Keynote audience gives Amelio mixed reviews. (Macworld Expo 1997 keynote address given by Apple CEO Gilbert Amelio) (Company Business and Marketing)
January 13, 1997... Attendees at last week's Macworld Expo weighed in on Gilbert Amelio's much anticipated keynote address, during which the Apple CEO laid out the company's plans for its OS and shared the stage with a host of luminaries. Reaction to the nearly...

Mac-NeXT duet in OS: Rhapsody to offer migration route. (new OS to include Mac OS 7.x and NeXT Software's OpenStep OSes) (Product Development)
January 13, 1997... "We're creating a dramatic shift that changes everything," Apple CEO Gilbert Amelio said last week in his San Francisco Macworld Expo keynote address. Driving that shift will be Rhapsody, a new operating system that will include NeXT Software...

BeOS taps into Mac apps, Fredlabs shows emulator. (Fredlab's VirtualMac BeOS-based Mac virtual machine)(Product Announcement)
January 13, 1997... While Apple delineated its plans for NeXT Software Inc.'s OS, aisle walkers at last week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco got their first look at a BeOS-based Mac virtual machine from Fredlabs Inc. OS developer Be Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif.,...

Fiscal trouble dogs Apple's recovery plan. (Apple predicts up to $150 million loss in 1st fiscal quarter of 1997) (Company Financial Information)
January 13, 1997... The future of Apple may hang in the balance sheet. Although last week the company focused on upcoming OS technology, this week Apple has to face a big loss in its latest quarter. Wall Street and customers are looking to see whether Apple's...

Java leaves mark on expo. (four firms shipped or announced Java-based products at Jan 1997 Macworld Expo)(Product Announcement)
January 13, 1997... In keeping with San Francisco's coffeehouse tradition, Java was flowing freely during last week's Macworld Expo. Four companies at the show announced or shipped products that draw on the platform-independent language. RandomNoise Inc., a San...

Adobe posts 4th-quarter, yearly gain in profits. (Adobe Systems) (Company Financial Information)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Adobe Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif., last week announced a modest upturn for its fiscal year and fourth quarter, which ended Nov. 29. The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $207.7 million, compared with $200.9 million in the fourth...

VideoShop to groove with AirWorks TuneBuilder. (Strata to license AirWorks Media's TuneBuilder music-editing software, to be part of the Strata VideoShop Professional video-editing application)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 13, 1997... Strata Inc. last week announced that it will license TuneBuilder, music-editing software from AirWorks Media Inc. of Edmonton, Alberta, and will make the software part of Strata VideoShop Professional, the forthcoming update to its video-editing...

Microtech to offer $139 3-D accelerator card. (Microtech International's 3D Xplosion 3-D accelerator card)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Microtech International Inc. last week announced a new 3-D accelerator card, the $139 3D Xplosion. Expected to go into full production in May, the card will be based on the PIX 3-D acceleration chip from S-MOS Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif....

Mac software sales tumble. (3rd quarter 1996 sales survey findings) (Industry Trend or Event)
January 13, 1997... Sales of Mac software took a dive during the third quarter of 1996 but grew in key segments, particularly Internet development, according to a recent survey. A quarterly review of the U.S. and Canadian software market by the Software...

Sound Vision digital camera gets big picture. (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Making its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week was a camera from Sound Vision Inc. that will squeeze its images into small spaces. The camera, which will be offered exclusively through undisclosed OEM agreements, will...

OpenDoc puzzle holds many components. (Apple needs to focus on integrating OpenDoc with counterparts from Netscape, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft) (Company Business and Marketing)
January 13, 1997... December's delivery by IBM Corp. of OpenDoc for Windows fulfilled the technology's multiplatform promise. Now Apple and its partners can focus on the next step: integrating the component architecture with counterparts from Sun Microsystems Inc.,...

Virex 5.7 surfaces at expo. (Datawatch's anti-virus application)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Datawatch Corp. injected Virex 5.7, the latest version of the company's anti-virus package, into San Francisco's Macworld Expo. In addition to Virex's scheduled scans, called hot-key scans, Version 5.7 includes a new DropScan feature that...

Caere ships forms-recognition package. (OmniForm 2.0 OCR software)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... OCR software reads, edits forms Caere Corp. last week shipped Version 2.0 of OmniForm, a software package that converts paper forms into electronic ones, at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Available for $199, OmniForm 2.0 converts existing...

Apple Club serves updates; subscribers get faster access to online software. (Web-based commercial subscriber service) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Apple took the first step toward hosting a commercial Internet site Jan. 7 with the launch of the Web-based Apple Club. Announced at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, Apple Club is a subscriber service that Apple said provides quick and easy...

Fujitsu's new laser printers double real RAM, resolution. (Fujitsu Computer Products of America's PrintPartner 10V and 14AV)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Fujitsu Computer Products of America Inc. will ship at the end of this month two workgroup laser printers that output resolutions rivaling 1,200 dpi, the company said. Using Fujitsu's Enhanced Imaging Technology, the $899 PrintPartner 10V and...

For the record. (Credit Ratings)
January 13, 1997... An article in the 12.09.96 issue (Page 34) should have said that the computer-to-plate software used at The Source is from Contex Prepress Systems, a division of Xyvision Inc. of Wakefield, Mass.

Touch-3D 2.0 expands realm. (Lundstrom Design's modeling application)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Lundstrom app handles 3DMF Putting a new fold into industrial design, Lundstrom Design of Stockholm, Sweden, recently revised its $395 Touch-3D modeling application. Touch-3D originated in 1993 as a utility that imported models created in...

Radius names president, COO, ships new gear. (Mark Housley) (PhotoDV image-capture system, ThunderPower 30/1600 graphics board, Thunder 3D system)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Radius Inc. last week appointed company alumnus Mark Housley as its president and chief operating officer. Meanwhile, the company rolled out a number of new products, including a digital video still-image capture system, at Macworld Expo in San...

Extensis, Alien Skin retitle plug-in sets. (Extensis' VectorTools 2.0; Alien Skin Software's Eye Candy 3.0 Photoshop filters)(Product Announcement)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Extensis Corp. and Alien Skin Software LLC focused show goers' attention on their renamed plug-in packages at last week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Extensis unveiled an update to its DrawTools package of Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia...

QuickTime to adopt high-res image format. (Apple and Live Picture licensing deal to combine Live Picture's FlashPix image format into Apple's QTML) (Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
January 13, 1997... Apple and Live Picture Inc. last week announced a licensing deal that folds Live Picture's FlashPix image format into the core multimedia technologies in Apple's QTML. FlashPix, developed last year by Live Picture, Eastman Kodak Co.,...