OF INTEREST

Pacific HiTech has introduced its Windows Interactive Archive (WIA), a compilation of thousands of Windows programs from the Internet. The WIA is a two CD-ROM set containing over 1100 MB of files from a variety of sites. A GUI lets you search by program name, author, description, or category. Program categories listed on WIA include: drivers, utilities, writing, business, education, and games. The WIA CD-ROM set retails for $29.95.

3855 South 500 West, Suite M

Salt Lake City, UT 84115

http://www.pht.com/

Imagix 4D (from Imagix) is a tool designed to help developers better understand C/C++ code by providing a graphical, 3-D view of application code. The Imagix data-collection system enables Imagix 4D to analyze any source code written in K&R, ANSI, Microsoft, or GNU C.

The tool collects data from different sources, ranging from the software itself (source code and makefiles) to static- and dynamic-analysis data files generated by the compiler. Once collected, the data is integrated into an entity/relationship/attribute database. This information is then used to create a series of views--from high-level architecture snapshots, to the nitty-gritty of class and function dependencies.

Imagix 4D is currently available for Sun workstations, under both Solaris and SunOS. It sells for $795.00 per seat.

3800 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Suite 227 Beaverton, OR 97005-2035

Computer Associates has released its CA-Visual Objects SDK. The SDK, which is available on CD-ROM, includes CA-Visual Objects coded for class interfaces, online documentation, and sample programs.

The SDK includes APIs for: Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Subsystem, which provides the functions required to interface with the CA-Visual Objects IDE; Replaceable Database Drivers (RDD) Subsystem, to enable database drivers for different file formats using a common language interface; Repository Subsystem, which lets you store data and code used or generated by add-on and replacement tools in the CA-Visual Objects repository; Item Subsystem, which provides the interface for C, C++, and assembly-language programmers for CA-Visual Objects polymorphic variables; Error Subsystem, which enables the implementation of customizable error-handling capabilities to support enhancements to the CA-Visual Objects language. The CA-Visual Objects SDK sells for $195.00.

Computer Associates International

One Computer Associates Plaza

Islandia, NY 11788-7000

http://www.cai.com

NetManage has released Version 4.5 of its TCP/IP software-development kit, NEWT-SDK. The NEWT-SDK suite provides developers with tools for creating custom TCP/IP applications. The SDK lets developers work at a higher level than the WinSock API by packaging all of the protocol intelligence into DLLs and VBXs.

The SDK includes five new VBXs and six new APIs. The new VBX support includes custom controls for FTP, SMTP, and SNMP, allowing you to create network applications in Visual Basic without knowing the underlying application protocols or the TCP/IP protocols. All of the VBXs are based on the Windows Sockets TCP/IP API, so any application developed with these VBXs can communicate across the Internet. The new APIs include a Win-CGI interface to NetManage's Personal Web Server.

NEWT-SDK 4.5 also includes support for the WinSNMP standard that allows SNMP applications to be portable across different TCP/IP protocol stacks. NEWT-SDK 4.5 sells for $500.00 per single copy.

10725 De Anza Blvd.

Cupertino, CA 95014

http://www.netmanage.com

Template Graphics has announced Open Inventor for Win32, a version of its Open Inventor 3D C++ toolkit for Microsoft Win32 environments. Open Inventor, a C++ toolkit used for the rapid development of 3-D graphics applications, is based on the OpenGL interface for rendering.

Open Inventor for Win32 provides tight integration with Microsoft Visual C++, API choices between Win32, MFC, and UNIX (libSoXt), complete Open Inventor look-and-feel, Open Inventor 2.0.1 code set, Inventor Wizard with walk, fly, examine, and scene viewers, WebSpace viewer for the Internet, SceneViewer for CAD/CAM, VRML 1.0 node support, MDI support, OpenGL/3D-DDI acceleration, Windows 95 build and run time, OLE in-place activation and automation, and more. The toolkit lists $1495.00.

Template Graphics Software

9920 Pacific Heights Blvd., Suite 200

San Diego, CA 92121

619-457-5359 ext. 233

http://www.sd.tgs.com/template

The SimbaEngine 3.0 SDK from PageAhead Software is a toolkit that allows you to build a Windows-based ODBC driver for any data source. SimbaEngine 3.0 includes a variety of enhancements, including subqueries, unions, and ODBC Version 2, Level 2 API functions. SimbaEngine 3.0 is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT, and Windows 95.

PageAhead Software Corp.

2125 Western Ave., Suite 301

Seattle, WA 98121.

http://www.pageahead.com

SoftQuad is shipping Version 2 of its HoTMetaL Pro HTML editor, along with Panorama Pro, an SGML browser for the Internet. Among other features, HoTMetaL Pro 2.0 provides filters that convert Word, WordPerfect, and Ami Pro documents into HTML. Panorama Pro works in conjunction with Web browsers such as Mosaic and Netscape to allow access to SGML documents. HoTMetaL Pro 2.0 sells for $195.00; Panorama Pro retails for $139.00.

56 Aberfoyle Crescent

http://www.sq.com

Watcom has announced Version 10.5 of its C/C++ development system. Version 10.5 includes Visual Programmer from Blue Sky Software, as well as Windows 95 support. Visual Programmer is a visual development tool and MFC code generator for developing 16- and 32-bit applications. Watcom C/C++ 10.5 sells for $350.00. Current users can upgrade for $129.00.

Watcom International

415 Phillip Street

Visual Numerics has announced ObjectSuite, a family of object-oriented development tools. The first member of the family to be released is the IMSL Math Module for C++. This library is organized into classes of mathematical and statistical algorithms. More specifically, the six sections include complex arithmetic, vectors, matrices, matrix factorization, splines, and pseudo-random-number generation.

The Math Module will initially support Windows and Windows NT (using Visual C++ and Borland C++), as well as UNIX workstations (Sun and HP). The Math Module sells for $695.00 for both the UNIX and Windows implementations.

Visual Numerics

9990 Richmond Ave., Suite 400

Houston, TX 77042-4548

Subtle Software has announced the release of its Subtleware Class Generator (CGen), an interactive Windows tool that creates C++ class definitions from a relational-database schema.

CGen lets you connect to a database, select a schema (table) in the database, and generate C++ class definitions that model the selected database schema. Once a C++ class has been generated, you can refine that class by adding methods, data members, and superclasses. CGen runs under both Windows 3 and Windows NT and works with virtually all databases using ODBC. CGen sells for $89.00.

Subtle Software

7 Wells Ave., Suite 27-28

Newton, MA 02159

Forefront has announced its Forefront Help Buttons, a toolset for creating buttons and toolbars for Windows Help files. The toolset adds Up, Down, and Inactive button states to WinHelp, with different graphics or text for each state. Buttons can be linked to an action (jump, pop-up, macro, and the like). The Help Buttons also let you create buttons in secondary windows. The toolset includes a menu-driven button editor which operates with the ForeHelp 2 author system. ForeFront Help Buttons sells for $69.00.

5171 Eldorado Springs Drive

Boulder, CO 80303

TokenKeeper is a network-based license manager from Tower Concepts. The software consists of four modules: a license manager, license generator, API, and graphical/statistical viewer.

The license manager lets you incorporate management of software licensing into end-user applications. End users can monitor the number of users and various uses of the application. Communications is established with the clients on a TCP/IP network. The license generator supports several licensing schemes: time-expiration licenses, demo licenses, and option-specific licenses. The API includes object libraries that allow interaction between the application and the license manager. Finally, the viewer presents statistical information on end-user license usage in a graphical format.

TokenKeeper, which is available for Sun, HP, SGI, and RS/6000 systems, sells for $2995.00.

New Hartford, NY 13413

http://www.tower.com

DXE, an API for reading, writing, and displaying AutoCad DWG and DXF files, has been released by Tailor Made Software. The DXE API is divided into five sections: DWG read, DWG write, DXF read, DXF write, and drawing display. The software, which is available for an annual $5000.00 developer-support fee, supports DOS, Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT, and UNIX AutoCad applications.

Tailor Made Software

28006 122nd Place SE

75017.1764@compuserve.com

Addison-Wesley recently published Btrieve Complete, by noted computer author Jim Kyle. After an overview of how Btrieve organizes and manages data, the book goes on to provide details on Btrieve's file structures and internal operations. The accompanying diskette includes Btrieve tools and utilities. The 528-page Btrieve Complete sells for $39.95. ISBN 0-201-48326-2.

Addison-Wesley Publishing

Reading, MA 01867

http://www.aw.com

PERTS (short for "Prototyping Environment for Real-Time Systems"), a modeling tool for real-time systems, has been announced by Tri-Pacific. PERTS is based on the Software Engineering Institute's Rate Monotonic Analysis methodology, which allows you to "guarantee" performance and schedulability for real-time system architectures. PERTS provides worst-case scheduling models so that you can determine where bottlenecks are and whether or not the application will meet performance criteria. PERTS currently runs on Windows NT, Sun, HP, and RS/6000 systems. Licensing fees for the software start at $3500.00 for single NT users and $5000.00 for single UNIX users.

1070 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 202

Alameda, CA 94501

76434.117@compuserve.com

Intel has announced Version 2 of its 3DR high-performance 3-D graphics library for real-time animation and the display of photo-realistic images on 486/Pentium-based PCs running Windows. 3DR Version 2 adds a Geometry Pipeline (3DR/GP) to the original technology's Rasterization Engine (3DR/RE) core to support enhancements such as a fully general lighting model, texture processing and UI toolkits, and a comprehensive geometric-math library. Version 2 offers a general-purpose programming model, plus optimized capabilities designed for games.

3DR/RE software provides Windows-compatible 3-D rasterization functions. With its high-performance, software-only rendering providing base-line capabilities, the 3DR Rasterization Engine provides scalable performance through the Intel/Microsoft Display Control Interface (DCI) standard, 3D-DDI, and custom 3DR drivers. With the addition of a Geometry Pipeline, 3DR Version 2 provides a geometry-level solution for games, multimedia, CAD, visualization, and scientific applications. Both the RE and GP interfaces are exposed, and application developers can write to either separately or to both layers at the same time in the software stack. Version 2 includes the following features: a complete set of 3-D primitives for rendering triangles, polygons, polylines, lines, and points; raster images and bitmaps for fonts and sprites; multiple texture-mapping algorithms with true perspective correction, filtering, and mipmapping; true-color programming model at all pixel depths; optional Z buffering with a complete set of logical Z operations; antialiasing; transparency and alpha blending; and message-passing architecture.

The 3DR Version 2 SDK, available free of charge from Intel's Architecture Labs, includes 3DR development libraries, a run-time system, documentation, and example programs. The run time can be distributed royalty free.

Intel Architectural Labs

3Dgraphics@intel.com

http://www.intel.com

Copyright © 1995, Dr. Dobb's Journal