MacWEEK articles from September 1994

MacWEEK archives from September 1994

If I were Michael Spindler. (Apple's misguided licensing practices) (MacWEEK Insider) (Column)
September 5, 1994... Would Windows 3.0 have been such a huge winner if Apple had licensed the Macintosh operating system in 1991? Or would Windows 3.0 have existed at all if Apple had authorized Mac clones in 1987, when the topic first came up for consideration?...

Sonic to send SNMP to mixed nets. (Sonic Systems Inc LANScape SNMP application to monitor and configure devices) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Network administrators will break through LAN management barriers when Sonic Systems Inc. ships one of the first Mac-based SNMP management packages that lets them monitor and configure devices on AppleTalk and TCP/IP networks simultaneously....

FWB serves up trio of RAID boxes for Mac networks. (SledgeHammer FT fault-tolerant systems for network servers) (includes related article on growth predicted for Mac server RAID systems) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... FWB Inc. is arranging to move its RAID storage products in a new direction. This month it introduced the SledgeHammer*FT series of high-performance and fault-tolerant systems for network servers. FWB's other implementations of RAID, or...

HP extending image with tab-size printer: Scanner-app bundle also due in October. (HP LaserJet 4MV color laser printer, to ship enhanced color flatbed scanner) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... While it puts the finishing touches on its color laser printer, due this month, Hewlett-Packard Co. is also preparing two additional imaging products that break with HP tradition: a large-format printer and a scanner bundled with a complete set...

Putting it all together pushes platform forward. (Apple's System 7.5 system software) (part one of two) (includes related article on System 7.5 glossary) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... First of a two-part look at Apple's latest system software. Odds are this month's shipment of System 7.5 will garner only a fraction of the attention the mass media have already lavished on Chicago, a Windows upgrade that won't begin reaching...

Now Utilities Version 5 to ship: some components get PowerPC boost. (Now Software Inc) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Now Software Inc. this week is scheduled to ship Version 5.0 of Now Utilities, its system-enhancement product. The update includes improvements to some package components and introduces two new modules, Now QuickFiler and Now FolderMenus. The...

Cumulus PowerPro 2.0: Powerful image database; Canto app excels at managing images, sounds and documents. (Canto Software's image database) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Score Card: Cumulus PowerPro Canto Software Inc. Version tested: 2.0 List price: $1,495* Overall value 4 With blistering speed and powerful networking features, Cumulus PowerPro is not only an impressive upgrade from Cumulus...

FileWave 2.0 eases software distribution; recent U.S. arrival uses model approach. (Wave Research) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Score Card: FileWave Wave Research Inc. Version tested: 2.0 List price: $895* Overall value 4 FileWave ushers in an entirely new way of tackling electronic file distribution. A soft partition at each user's workstation is...

Cirrus PowerPro 2.1 provides versatile scanning. (image processing software) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Overall value 4 Having an image cataloger as powerful as Canto Software Inc.'s Cumulus PowerPro doesn't do you any good if you don't have anything to catalog. Canto can help solve that problem with Cirrus PowerPro 2.1, an upgrade to its...

Intellihance 1.2.9; smart Photoshop plug-ins make routine tasks painless. (DPA Software's image processing software) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Smart Photoshop plug-ins make routine tasks painless Overall value 4 For all its popularity, Adobe Photoshop is, out of the box, a somewhat cumbersome tool for the subtle job of adjusting scanned and Photo CD images. In a worst-case...

For the record. (Correction Notice)
September 5, 1994... The Aug. 8 review of MicroFrontier Inc.'s Color It! 3.0 (Page 29) incorrectly stated the program's bundling policy. Color It! 2.3 is bundled with Kai's Power Tools from HSC Software.

LitePro 550; In Focus offers all-in-one, portable presentation system. (Hardware Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Overall value 4 In Focus Systems Inc.'s LitePro 550 is a portable LCD projection system that attempts to offer presenters everything they need in one package -- color display, stereo sound and video capability. At $8,999, the LitePro 550...

The 'dynamic language' snafu. (Mac the Knife) (Column)
September 5, 1994... You have to admit that Bob Dylan is in distinguished company. According to the suit he filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles last week, Apple has acquired a taste for name-dropping. The suit charges Apple with using "the names of famous...

Ethernet port work-around. (Ask David Ramsey) (Column)
September 5, 1994... Q. The Ethernet port on my Quadra 950 appears to have failed, and my dealer's only solution is a logic-board swap at more than $700. Isn't there a way to just repair the port? A. Well, yes, but Apple won't do it for an end user. When you swap...

Accel-a-Writer 8200; Xante's latest printer adds speed and keeps flexibility. (laser printer) (Hardware Review) (Evaluation)
September 5, 1994... Overall value 4 Desktop publishers pining for large-format, high-resolution black-and-white printers have a new friend in Xante Corp.'s Accel-a-Writer 8200. The $4,495 true Adobe PostScript Level 2 laser printer is a significant advance over...

Microsoft readies PowerPoint 4.0: Cue Cards, Wizards lend users a hand. (presentation graphics software) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Microsoft Corp. announced that it began shipping PowerPoint 4.0, an update to its presentation graphics program, for 680x0-based Macs early this month. Microsoft has added several features to make this version of PowerPoint easier to use. >...

Contact Ease now available in custom setups. (WestWare Inc's Contact Ease Enterprise sales-automation software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... WestWare Inc. in August announced a customizable, client-server version of Contact Ease, its sales-automation software. The cross-platform Contact Ease Enterprise will be built to order for specific customer requirements. The new version is...

Xante LaserPress 1200 delivers large, high-quality halftones. (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Xante Corp. this month will deliver a new printer that combines high-quality halftones with full-bleed, tabloid-size output. The Xante LaserPress 1200, which is priced at $7,495, is based on a 600-by-600-dpi Toshiba engine that handles pages...

Sony 14-inch display targeted at small-office, home market. (CPD-1425) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Sony Electronics Inc. Component and Computer Products Group in October will roll out a low-cost color monitor focused on home and small-office users. The CPD-1425, which will carry a price tag of $399.95, is built around a vertically flat...

Power Mac products recently shipped. (Illustration)
September 5, 1994... Company Product Price/upgrade Absoft Corp. Absoft C/C++ 1.0 (1) $399/n/a (810) 853-0108 Adobe Systems Inc. Adobe Type Manager 3.8 $60/$29.95 (415) 961-4400 or...

Scientists get new acquisition tools: board turns Mac into oscilloscope. (National Instruments Corp's LabSuite, Information Systems Technology Inc's MacQuire product) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... National Instruments Corp. recently shipped LabSuite, a bundle that saves scientists and engineers $295 on the company's numerical-analysis and graphical-programming packages. In related news, Information Systems Technology Inc. delivered a...

Proxima panel with infrared remote projects 1,024-by-768 pixel images. (Ovation 920 projection panel) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Proxima Corp. this month will ship the Ovation 920, a high-end projection panel designed to add color, depth and clarity to desktop presentations. Priced at $14,595, the active-matrix, 24-bit-color panel offers a maximum resolution of 1,024 by...

RemotePoint gives users control from 40 feet away. (Interlink Electronics Inc's RemotePoint infrared remote device) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Public speakers will be able to aim their Mac-based presentations at a wider range of targets this month when Interlink Electronics Inc. releases RemotePoint, an infrared remote device that offers a variety of controls at distances of up to 40...

Xplain inherits SFA software. (Xplain Corp to distribute AdLib, MAScript and Savvy MacApp development tools) (Developer Briefs) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... Filling the gap created when the Software Frameworks Association disbanded in August, MacTech magazine publisher Xplain Corp. has taken over distribution of three MacApp development tools from the support organization. The software includes Ad...

Memory Mine gets to bottom of bugs. (Adianta Inc's Memory Mine software for locating bugs) (Developer Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Adianta Inc. has released Memory Mine, a $99 tool for tracking down memory-management bugs, such as memory leaks and heap corruption. The software monitors a program's memory use as it executes and lets developers stress-test memory use without...

Absoft SDK moves to Power Macs. (Macintosh Programmer's Workshop) (Developer Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Absoft Corp. is now shipping a prerelease Power Mac version of its C and C++ Software Development Kit. The $395 Macintosh Programmer's Workshop development tool includes native compilers and a linker. It also comes with Absoft's Fx debugger and...

Prograph tool kit gets handle on database reports. (Prograph International's CPX Report Writer generates database reports) (Developer Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Prograph International this month plans to ship CPX Report Writer, an extension to its Prograph CPX environment that generates database reports from Oracle, Sybase, DAL/DAM and ACI US Inc.'s 4D database servers. Pricing has not been set. The...

Symantec to hold developers conference. (Developer Briefs) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... Symantec Corp. will hold its first developers conference Sept. 19-21 in Monterey, Calif., with tracks in general object-oriented and client-server programming as well as Power Mac and Windows development. Symantec Corp. of Cupertino, Calif., can...

Faster X servers for RISC, 68K: Tenon, White Pine ship apps, litigate. (White Pine Software Inc's eXodus 5.1 Power Mac-native X server, Tenon Intersystems Inc's MachTen X Server 3.0) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Mac managers seeking faster access to X Window System applications will get what they wish for as White Pine Software Inc. and Tenon Intersystems Inc. ship new speedier Mac-based X servers. Next week White Pine plans to release its Power...

Mac is No. 2 at ONE BBSCON; focus on interface, Internet tools. (Online Networking Exposition and Bulletin Board System Convention highlights new Mac products) (Interface Builders' Online Workshop front-end development tool, ResNOva Software Inc's NovaLink Professional, other products) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Atlanta -- Users trying to map out the local streets leading to the information superhighway found Macs in the back alley at a BBS convention held here in late August. The aisles at the third annual ONE BBSCON, or Online Networking Exposition...

Claris, ACI roll out PPC server rebates. (ACI US Inc, Apple, Claris introduce rebates on FileMaker Pro Server and 4D Server when purchasing Apple's Workgroup Servers) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... Apple and third-party database developers are sweetening the pot for network administrators who are betting on PowerPC-based servers. In August, Claris Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., ACI US Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., and Apple announced rebates...

OST's Boxster puts ISDN link on LocalTalk LAN. (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... OST Inc. in August shipped a networked ISDN device that can also provide Mac connections to high-speed switched 56-Kbps lines. The $695 Boxster attaches to a LocalTalk network and to the RS-232C serial interface of an ISDN (Integrated Services...

Modems gain drag-and-drop interface: ASPAP! transfers files from the Mac desktop. (Fast Lane Inc's data communications software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Fast Lane Inc.'s ASAP!, which debuted in August, gives users a drag-and-drop interface for modem-to-modem file transfers. The $500 ASAP! software license buys one receiver pack and an unlimited number of sender packs. Configuring the sender...

IPT LessTalk helps reduce server chatter. (Information Presentation Technologies Inc's LessTalk system extension) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Information Presentation Technologies Inc. in late August announced a system extension that reduces AppleTalk update packets between clients and file servers. LessTalk, starting at $39.95 per user, allows a manager to specify the frequency of...

Native TeleFinder 3.5 talks to the Internet. (Spider Island Software Inc's TeleFinder Group Edition Host 3.5 database access software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Spider Island Software Inc. this month plans to ship Internet add-ons for its TeleFinder BBS along with Power Mac-native host software. Version 3.5 of the single-line $425 TeleFinder Group Edition Host will control connections based on Mac...

Switching hubs. (Lantronix introduces LSB4 Ethernet switch, Kalpana Inc and IBM Corp to develop token-ring switches) (Hubs + Routers Update)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Transceiver achiever Lantronix of Irvine, Calif., this week will ship its first Ethernet switch, the four-port LSB4. The $1,995 device has four AUI (attachment unit interface) ports that handle 1,024 nodes each. The LSB4 switches 29,850 packets...

Branch-office routers. (Compatible Systems Corp's MicroRouter 900i router) (Hubs + Routers Update) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... Moving from a Macintosh focus to a multiprotocol one, Compatible Systems Corp. of Boulder, Colo., will show off its unannounced MicroRouter 900i at NetWorld+Interop in Atlanta this month. The small device connects Ethernet to a switched 56-Kbps...

Central routers. (Cisco Systems's Cisco 4500 LAN-WAN router, Wellfleet Communications to incorporate AppleTalk Update-based Routing Protocol in its routers, SynOptics Communications Inc hubs are compatible with Security Dynamics Inc's SecurID system) (Hubs + Routers Update)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Cisco Systems Inc. of San Jose, Calif., is expected to ship in September the Cisco 4500, a LAN-WAN router based on a 100-MHz R4600 RISC processor. The $9,200 chassis accepts the same port modules as the Cisco 4000 model; the extra CPU punch is...

FTP client to work like the Finder: Snatcher will put net on the desktop. (Software Ventures Corp's Snatcher Finder-like Internet clients)
September 5, 1994... Mac users will come interface-to-interface with the Internet when Software Ventures Corp. ships its Finder-like Internet clients. The company showed a new FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client at the Boston Macworld Expo in August. It is the...

InterCon upgrades TCP connection. (InterCon Systems Inc's TCP/Connect II 2.0) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... InterCon Systems Inc. last week shipped a feature-rich upgrade to its TCP/Connect II line and a new package for dial-in connections. TCP/Connect II 2.0 adds support for MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), plus remote connections via...

Apple patches its remote server to support ARA 1.0 client calls. (Apple Remote Access) (Client Enabler for Apple Remote Access 2.0.1 add-on shipped for Apple data communications software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Apple last week shipped an add-on for its remote access software that fixes a limitation that prevented Apple Remote Access 2.0 servers from accepting calls made by AppleTalk Remote Access 1.0 clients. The 1.0 Client Enabler for Apple Remote...

BASIC gets new life on Newton. (NS Basic Corp's NS Basic BASIC programming language dialect) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... An old programming language is making a comeback on the Newton. NS BASIC, priced at $99, is a dialect of the BASIC programming language that runs entirely on the Newton, requiring no host system. It has the functions of the original language...

H ving pr blemms with y ur Du keyb rd? (Apple addressing problems with PowerBook Duo keyboard) (Mobile Solutions) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... PowerBook Duo users who find themselves pounding the "a" or "o" key to get those letters to appear on the screen may not have their aggressive typing habits to blame; the keyboard could be the culprit. Apple has made three revisions to the Duo...

Spyglass to handle Mosaic licenses. (Internet World-Wide Web client to be managed by Spyglass for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications) (Spyglass's Enhanced NCSA Mosaic database access software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... NCSA Mosaic, the most popular World-Wide Web client, moved its digs from the ivory tower to a more commercial locale in August. Based in Savoy, Ill., Spyglass Inc. will handle all future commercial licensing of Mosaic for the National Center...

AlphaPage update adds AppleScript. (Information Radio Technology Inc's AlphaPage 6.2 paging software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Information Radio Technology Inc. last month updated its Mac paging software, adding AppleScript support. AlphaPage, priced at $139, consists of a database directory and interface software that let Macs format short text messages and send them to...

ASD rereleases Wiz Tools for PBs. (ASD Software Inc's Wiz Tools 1.01 for PowerBook) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... ASD Software Inc. last week shipped an update to Wiz Tools for PowerBook that resolves several compatibility problems. In addition to adding support for 68040-based PowerBooks, Version 1.0.1 of Wiz Tools for PowerBook fixes a bug that rendered...

New Notion offers easier data entry. (Eidetic Inc's Notion: the Newton List Manager 1.1) (Newton Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Eidetic Inc. is expected to ship a new version of its popular Newton list manager this month. Notion: The Newton List Manager 1.1, priced at $59.95, will add two field types that can be changed in the list view: enumerated, a pop-up list of up to...

TimeReporter 1.1 helps control billable hours. (iambic Software's time tracker) (Newton Briefs)(Brief Article ) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... iambic Software recently shipped an update to its time tracker for the Newton. TimeReporter 1.1 lets users drill down from the summary to more detailed views of billable hours. Time can now be shown in hours and minutes in addition to decimals...

Overlay puts wall between screen and scratches. (Concept Kitchen's WriteRight Screen Enhancement product for the Apple Newton) (Newton Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... For less than $3 a month, the WriteRight Screen Enhancement for the Newton can protect a MessagePad screen from annoying scratches while improving the feel of writing. The Concept Kitchen's WriteRight is a piece of clear plastic film precut to...

LaserMaster ships dual-use printer: PressMate outputs both film and proofs. (thermal printer) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Pre-press operations can be brought in-house with LaserMaster Corp.'s PressMate, a $19,995 high-resolution thermal printer that outputs both dry-process film and four-color proofs. The product will debut at next week's Seybold San Francisco...

PowerBook and MIDI sequencer help resurrect dinosaurs. (technology used to create Marine World Africa U.S.A. dinosaur display) (Screen Test) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... With the aid of a PowerBook and a MIDI sequencer, Eric Hvinden brought an extinct species to life. A major attraction at Marine World Africa U.S.A. in Vallejo, Calif., as well as the recently opened Devil Canyon Science & Learning Center in...

Nikon designs new still camera specifically for digital shooting. (Nikon Digital Still Camera) (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... A new Nikon camera, designed from the ground up to be digital, will debut at Seybold San Francisco next week for less than $15,000. The Nikon Digital Still Camera is slated to ship in the spring. Nikon said it will offer two models: the E2s,...

Pre-press speeds get boost with native Aldus TrapWise. (native Power Macintosh version of image-trapping program ships, TrapWise 2.1) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Speeding one of the most time-consuming parts of the pre-press process, Aldus Corp. last month shipped a native Power Macintosh version of TrapWise, its $4,995 image-trapping program. According to the company, Version 2.1 increases the speed of...

Clip-art releases include borders, cartoons and ornate initial caps. (T/Maker Co's clip-art collection, Corel Corp's Corel Gallery, Image Club Graphics Inc's Volume 28, 29 clip-art collections, Aridi Computer Graphics Inc's Volume 1,2,3 clip-art collections) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... The newest crop of clip-art collections offers designers a wide array of images, including cartoons, fancy initial capital letters and woodcut-style pictures. > T/Maker Co., based in Mountain View, Calif., has combined five of its ClickArt...

Fontographer update native on Power Mac. (Altsys Corp's Fontographer 4.1 font editing application) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Adding some perspective to Fontographer, Altsys Corp. has announced an update to the font editing and creation program. Fontographer 4.1, due in October, will run native on the Power Mac, offering speed increases of three to ten times,...

DK&A upgrades imposition XTension. (INposition 1.5 imposition QuarkXTension) (GA Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... DK&A Inc. recently released Version 1.5 of INposition, its imposition QuarkXTension. Imposition, usually the final stage of pre-press, is the process of configuring and stripping pages onto film, readying a publication for printing. The new...

Aldus releases free enhancements to PageMaker. (PageMaker 5.0 Enhancement Pack Volume 1) (GA Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... Aldus Corp. last month released a free group of utilities and filters for PageMaker 5.0. Called the PageMaker 5.0 Enhancement Pack Volume 1, the package includes the QuarkXPress Converter for Aldus PageMaker 5.0, which lets XPress users translate...

TypeFace NameBase catalogs fonts. (SourceNet's collection of Microsoft Word Files cross-references typefaces) (GA Briefs)(Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 5, 1994... To help users wade through the seemingly endless number of fonts, SourceNet has created the Typeface NameBase, priced at $275. The collection of Microsoft Word files cross-references the name of a typeface with the many names under which it may...

Go wireless: using e-mail without phone connections.
September 5, 1994... With wireless e-mail, messages and files can be sent any time from almost anywhere. But there's a price for being untethered. Wireless data communications can be the most convenient way to send and receive e-mail, connect to a network, access...

QuickTime 2.0 jams with MIDI synthesizer. (MacInTouch: Product Watch) (Apple's desktop video software)
September 5, 1994... New version keeps the Mac one step ahead of Microsoft, and one of its intriguing components is a built-in MIDI music synthesizer. Here's how it works. Apple's release of QuickTime 2.0 is an important step forward for the Macintosh and...

The good war. (hardware prices) (Editorial)
September 5, 1994... Benjamin Franklin once wrote to a friend, "There never was a good war or a bad peace." However, ol' Ben didn't know about the battles computer companies wage over market share. Last month Compaq Computer Corp. launched the latest assault on...

Letters. (Letter to the Editor)
September 5, 1994... Mac vital signs still strong despite the ailing market Yes, as pointed out by Andrew Gore in the MacWEEK Insider column "Mac's death greatly exaggerated" (MacWEEK, Aug. 22, Page 3), the reports of the Mac's imminent demise are not accurate. As...

Microsoft wins trademark for Windows name; four-year request for approval ends. (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... After four years of lobbying, Microsoft Corp. has finally received trademark protection for Windows, a federal official said last week. Esther Belenker, a senior trademark attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said the word...

Adobe completes Aldus buyout; up to 400 layoffs are expected. (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... It's official. Following months of waiting and legal wrangling, Adobe Systems Inc. last week acquired Aldus Corp. in a stock swap worth about $438 million. Adobe President Charles Geschke and Adobe CEO John Warnock head the software company,...

Stock watch.
September 5, 1994... 08.31.94 close Weekly % change Apple 36.19 3.76 Software developers Adobe 31.75 0.99 Aldus 31.50 1.20 Caere 7.50 1.69 CE Software 2.94 11.90 Macromedia 13.00 13.04...

Claris no. 1 in Mac unit shipments; but Microsoft sales total $270 million. (software marketing)
September 5, 1994... Claris Corp. supplanted Microsoft Corp. as the market leader in Mac software shipments last year, but Microsoft easily remained the top money-making developer. According to Dataquest Inc., the Apple subsidiary shipped 2.1 million units...

Novell set to lay off 1,750 employees. (Brief Article)
September 5, 1994... Novell Inc. last month reported a $4 million loss for its third quarter and said it would lay off 1,750 workers over the next six months to boost its bottom line. The Provo, Utah-based company said it has experienced higher costs and lower...

Off the wire.
September 5, 1994... High-tech companies continued their shopping spree last month with several more acquisitions and mergers. Global Village Communication Inc. said it will buy SofNet Inc. for $13.5 million. SofNet, based in Marietta, Ga., develops communications...

Under the covers: baring the secrets of System 7.5. (The Second Decade) (Column)
September 5, 1994... "System 7.5 sucks less," according to the T-shirts and party invitations its developers were passing out at Macworld Expo in August. For Mac managers and users, the question is how much less and in what ways. You'll have to come up with your...

Object lesson revealed by OOP booster's demise. (The Mac Manager) (Software Frameworks Assoc) (Column)
September 5, 1994... Amid our late-summer festivities, we should take time to pray for Apple developers everywhere -- and for ourselves. The Software Frameworks Association, which should have been the premier Apple developers user group, closed down Aug. 26. It's...

Newtons to get enterprise link. (Wayfarer Communications Inc's software)
September 12, 1994... Start-up Wayfarer Communications Inc. reportedly is taking steps to make the Newton into a real-time front end to enterprise data. According to sources, Wayfarer's software, due to ship by the end of the year, is based on TCP/IP and custom...

Taking stock of Apple DTP: user reviews mixed on publishing push.
September 12, 1994... One year after Apple's statement of recommitment to the publishing market, users and industry watchers are looking back for signs of Apple's new focus. In his keynote speech last fall at Seybold San Francisco, Apple CEO Michael Spindler...

PowerBook 500s still in short supply; no relief in sight. (500 series notebook computers)
September 12, 1994... While vaporware may not be a term closely associated with the PowerBook 500 line, dealers and buyers are using four-letter words to describe the model's long-running shortage. Most dealers' shelves have been empty since May and, according to...

Power Mac lineup retuned, prices cut. (Apple)
September 12, 1994... In the fast-paced world of computer sales, only the fleet-of-foot stay in the lead, so it should not be surprising that Apple this week intends to tinker with Power Mac configurations, beefing up their features while reducing their prices....

QuickDraw GX: worth the weight? (Apple's System 7.5's image processing software) (part 2 of 2) (Software Review) (Evaluation)
September 12, 1994... Second of a two-part look at Apple's latest system software. The biggest innovation in System 7.5, and the one with the most uncertain prospects, is QuickDraw GX. Like PowerTalk, it's not even an option in the main System 7.5 Installer: To load...

Adobe basks in the sun of success. (MacWEEK Insider) (Column)
September 12, 1994... It might not be like the triumphant return of Julius Caesar from the Gallic Wars, but this week's Seybold San Francisco show should be a welcome homecoming for Adobe Systems Inc. At Seybold, we'll see Apple's Return to DTP II, Sun Microsystems...

Acrobat 2.0 offers free views; Adobe to release API, add Verity searching. (Adobe Systems Inc's portable document software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... Adobe Acrobat will climb to Version 2.0 in October with new multi-user functions, an open architecture and a new bundling scheme. One change likely to alter the way the document-exchange system gets used is free distribution of Acrobat Reader,...

Bug in Norton Utilities for Mac may trash data. (in Speed Disk module) (Symantec Corp file management software) (Brief Article)
September 12, 1994... Symantec Corp. announced last week that it has found a bug in the Speed Disk module of Norton Utilities for Mac 3.0 that can result in data loss. The company said less than 1 percent of NUM 3.0 users reported the problem, but all customers...

NewGen outputs high-res printers; models feature tabloid-size output. (NewGen Systems Corp's DesignXpress 6 and 12 laser printers) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... NewGen Systems Corp. in August introduced a series of high-resolution laser printers that offer full-bleed, tabloid-size output. Printers in NewGen's DesignXpress line are based on Canon U.S.A. Inc.'s new 16-page-per-minute, 600-dpi LBP-BXII...

XVT enhances development environment. (XVT Software Inc's Development Solution for C++ application development software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... XVT Software Inc. in August revved up its cross-platform development environment. Version 3.0 of Development Solution for C++ now contains an enhanced application framework, a new data-structure architecture and a visual programming tool....

CFM ships a leaner TeamFlow tool. (TeamFlowcharter workgroup software) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... CFM Inc. last week shipped a trimmed-down version of TeamFlow, its professional work-flow processing tool, aimed at Total Quality Management users. TeamFlowcharter, priced at $95, lets users quickly create a visual representation of work flow...

Hewlett-Packard set to release Mac inkjet with snap-on color. (Brief Article) (DeskWriter 540) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... Hewlett-Packard Co. this week is scheduled to introduce the first Mac printer in its fall color line when it ships a new DeskWriter model. The DeskWriter 540, which starts at $365, is a 600-by-300-dpi inkjet model that outputs monochrome...

Old screens, new Macs linked. (Griffin Communications Corp's Composite Sync Adapter) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... Griffin Communications Corp. is breathing new life into old monitors with a video adapter that lets users connect them to Power Macs and other new models. The $40 Composite Sync Adapter addresses incompatibility problems that arise from...

Niles updates EndNote bibliography tool. (Niles & Associates Inc's EndNote Plus 2.0 word processing software add-on) (Brief Article) (Product Announcement)
September 12, 1994... Niles & Associates Inc. this week is slated to ship Version 2.0 of EndNote Plus, software designed to give researchers and scholars a better way to track their academic references. EndNote Plus, a $299 bibliographic-database product, and its...