NeXT Nugget News Digest (vol. 4, issue 16, September 15, 1992) TABLE OF CONTENTS I. STATISTICS APPS ON THE NeXT II. Wanted: NeXTSTEP Senior Programmer for business environment III. X11R5 (X windows) Public Domain for NeXTSTEP IV. VARBUSINESS Magazine excerpts - September 1992 V. App Engineers, Pre-Sales Support, BOSS Logic, Mtn. View, CA VI. Sales Engineer/Manager, West Coast, BOSS Logic, Mtn. View VII. Full-time NeXT development opportunity in SF Bay Area VIII. NeXTSTEP 3.0 Includes Novell Client Software IX. Senior Systems Analyst for NeXT in Los Angeles, CA X. Gestel Italia announces solidThinking for NeXTSTEP (3D) ____________________________________________________________________ This is vol. 4, issue 16 of the 1992 NeXT NUGGET NEWS DIGEST - a collection of items of interest for the NeXT User Group members. There are more than 379 NeXT User Groups in 38 countries on all continents around the world. To submit articles or announcements to appear in the Nugget Digest, please send your contributions to the following address: user_groups@next.com. Conrad Geiger Manager, International NeXT User Groups ____________________________________________________________________ I. STATISTICS APPS ON THE NeXT 1. S-PLUS from StatSci is now shipping. The current release (3.0) is based on the latest version of the S language (by AT&T) and has some enhancements added by StatSci. These include features to use Sas datasets from within S-PLUS, links to Mathematica. Dynamic loading of user-supplied C and FORTRAN routines is supported. (The FORTRAN-to-C translator f2c is included.) S-PLUS is being shipped on 5 extended density floppies and installs at ~27 MB. Although it runs fine in a terminal window and has a driver for creating EPS files, to use the full graphics capabilities, it needs to be run under X Windows. (co-Xist and Exodus are two examples of commercial NeXT X packages that work with S-PLUS.) A new update and a possible port to a full NeXTstep version are being considered for 1993. Call StatSci to express support for these developments if interested. Version 3.0 has many features that will make S-PLUS more attractive to non-statisticians, including a help menu system, and built in functions to perform many standard statistical procedures. One of S-PLUS's greatest strengths is the inclusion of a variety of functions for modern nonparametric techniques for regression, smoothing and density estimation. The authoritative reference on the S language is: The New S Language, by R. Becker, J. Chambers and A Wilks (1988), Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole, publisher. StatSci can be contacted at (206)283-8802. 2. SAS (UNIX version 6.07) is available on the NeXT. Although there are some bugs in the NeXTstep front end in the current release, it provides the full Sas system, and is very fast on a NeXTstation Turbo (as much as 100 times faster than PC Sas running on a 386 with coprocessor). NeXT Sas is distributed on tape (QC150, 4mm DAT, 8mm DAT among others) or on optical disk (for an extra $XXX charge). There are no plans to support floppy installation. This, combined with a high price and annual licensing fees put Sas out of the reach of many individuals. Sas tech support is quite good, and they seem committed to continuing NeXT support. They are currently offering fairly attractive pricing on academic site licenses. 3. Stata, a popular stat. package available for DOS and Unix workstations is probably going to be ported to the NeXT. Many people feel that Stata compares very favorably in features and power to S-PLUS and Sas. It also is much less expensive and easier to use. Researchers interested in this port should call the manufacturer (Computing Resource Center, 1640 Fifth St. , Santa Monica, CA 90401, 800-STATPAC or 310-393-9893) and express their support. 4. XLISP-STAT (version 2.1) is a statistical environment based on the Lisp language. It runs under X Windows and works on the NeXT, and is available from one of the NeXT-specific ftp sites (sonata.cc.purdue.edu, in the directory pub/next/2.0-release/source, the file xlisp-stat2.1.tar.Z). This package must be compiled and installed, and, of course, requires an X window server to run. It is similar to S in some ways and supports user-written functions, external subroutine calls and interactive graphics. Documentation is provided in the archive file. A text book describing the package and its use is: LISP-STAT, by L. Tierney, John Wiley & Sons, publisher. I have used (1), (2) and, to a lesser extent, (4) on the NeXT. Stephen Shiboski Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics University of California, San Francisco ____________________________________________________________________ II. Wanted: NeXTSTEP Senior Programmer for business environment. We are currently looking for a NeXTSTEP programmer with 1 to 2 years NeXTSTEP programming experience. Fast growth Indianapolis based telemarketing company has committed to a large installation of NeXT computers. Responsiblities include analysis, design, and programming of custom NeXTSTEP applications; network administration; SQL database programming and administration (Oracle on Sequent); and end-user support. Position requirements: NeXTSTEP Application Programming SQL Programming Unix administration Relocate to Indianapolis Send resumes by 09/10/92 to: Rick Bell Single Source Systems, Inc. 4911 E. 56th St. Indianpolis, IN 46220 ____________________________________________________________________ III. X11R5 (X windows) Public Domain for NeXTSTEP Paul Poh has an X11R5 port for the Turbo Color ftp'able from amethyst.tcs.tufts.edu. ____________________________________________________________________ IV. VARBUSINESS Magazine excerpts - September 1992 WORKSTATIONS PRODUCT REPORTS NO NEXT-BEST FOR NeXT A first-place finish for the workstation manufacturer amid close competition. The workstation market is one of the most rough-and-tumble segments of the computer industry. Since the late 1980s manufacturers have knocked each other about in a never-ending battle over price, performance and market share. One manufacturer will set a blazing benchmark one month only to see a competitor blow past it a few months later. In short, it's ruthlessly competitive. This months VARBUSINESS Product Report Card survey on entry-level workstations illustrates this point. VARs rated entry-level models from five workstation manufacturers. When the dust settled, a little more than half a point separated the five, and all five posted overall average scores of better than 8. But NeXT Computer Inc., Redwood City, Calif., came out on top. The Motorola 68040-powered NeXTstation and NeXT station Turbo workstations won three first-place finishes out of the eight individual categories en route to an 8.66 overall average. Silicon Graphics Inc., Mountain View, Calif., took second place with an overall average of 8.37. Hewlett-Packard Co. followed in third place with 8.25; Sun Microsystems Inc., fourth , with 8.19; and IBM, fifth, with 8.11. ____________________________________________________________________ V. App Engineers, Pre-Sales Support, BOSS Logic, Mtn. View, CA BOSS Logic is an innovator in the explosive growth area of client-server object oriented Workflow Management Software. We are a market-driven company providing software products to help customers face the problems of document and workflow management, resulting in increased effectiveness and reduced costs. Our products are built in a client-server architecture with object oriented design and implementation. Features include: easy graphical user interface; content search and revision control; mail enabled; and easily integrate with all other popular desktop business software packages on multiple platforms. We are currently looking for two Application Engineers, one to cover the west coast and one for the east coast. This position entails providing technical support to our sales engineers with pre-sales support and training to our VARs and end-users. No actual new customer generation activities involved. Requires: * BSCS/EE or equiv * Minimum 3 years related industry experience * A background in RDBMS, other software application products, or Imaging software especially desired. If the above requirements match your industry experience and you would like to get in on this ground floor opportunity with a very bright future send your resume or call. Specify which position you would like to be considered for. Judy Garrett E-Mail . . . jgarrett@bosslogic.com c/o BOSS Logic FAX . . . 415-903-7009 1901 Landings Dr. Phone . . . 415-903-7006 Mtn. View, CA 94043 ____________________________________________________________________ VI. Sales Engineer/Manager, West Coast, BOSS Logic, Mtn. View, CA BOSS Logic is an innovator in the explosive growth area of client-server object oriented Workflow Management Software. We are a market-driven company providing software products to help customers face the problems of document and workflow management, resulting in increased effectiveness and reduced costs. Our products are built in a client-server architecture with object oriented design and implementation. Features include: easy graphical user interface; content search and revision control; mail enabled; and easily integrate with all other popular desktop business software packages on multiple platforms. We are currently looking for a West Coast Sales Engnieer/Manager. This person will be a technical "hands-on" sales person to establish new and maintain exisiting relationships with VARs and end-users. Requires: * BSCS/EE or equiv * Minimum 3 years related industry experience * A background in RDBMS, other software application products, or Imaging software especially desired. If the above requirements match your industry experience and you would like to get in on this ground floor opportunity with a very bright future send your resume or call. Specify which position you would like to be considered for. Judy Garrett E-Mail . . . jgarrett@bosslogic.com c/o BOSS Logic FAX . . . 415-903-7009 1901 Landings Dr. Phone . . . 415-903-7006 Mtn. View, CA 94043 ____________________________________________________________________ VII. Full-time NeXT development opportunity in SF Bay Area Exciting NeXTSTEP Development Opportunity in California Marine Terminals Corporation, a major west coast stevedoring company with offices in SF and Oakland, is currently developing a NeXTSTEP-based graphical planning system. This highly-interactive, application will be used on a WAN connecting 3 sites around California. MTC is looking for a creative, self-motivated developer with demonstrable Objective-C and NeXTstep experience to lead the development effort for this innovative product. Please contact: Steve Longbotham (415) 267-113 Marine Terminals Corporation mtcoak!steve@netcom.com 600 Harrison Street, Suite 200 (NeXT mail accepted) San Francisco CA, 94107 ____________________________________________________________________ VIII. NeXTSTEP 3.0 Includes Novell Client Software News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Brower Roberta Alfred Allison Thomas Associates Novell, Inc. (415) 780-3786 (408) 321-1198 NeXTSTEP 3.0 Includes Novell Client Software Gives NeXTSTEP Users Automatic Novell NetWare Server Access REDWOOD CITY, Calif., September 8, 1992 1 NeXT Computer, Inc. and Novell, Inc. today announced that NeXTSTEP Release 3.0, the third generation of NeXT's object-oriented environment, began shipping today with Novell NetWare client software fully integrated with NeXTSTEP. This cooperative development effort between NeXT and Novell represents the first time Novell NetWare client software has been bundled on a UNIX-based platform. "By offering NetWare connectivity on the NeXT platform, Novell is providing its customers with freedom of choice through multivendor networking solutions," said John Edwards, executive vice president and general manager, Novell Desktop Systems Group. "NeXTSTEP and the NeXTSTEP NetWare client represent a unique combination: the power of UNIX as a network-oriented client operating system, plus seamless access to Novell networks and its services throughout the NeXTSTEP computing enterprise." NeXTSTEP Release 3.0 includes the IPX protocols for Novell NetWare client software, so that NeXTSTEP users can turn their workstations into clients for NetWare servers. In this way, NeXTSTEP workstations can automatically and transparently share files, printers and other network services that are available on any NetWare server, including NetWare 2.2 and NetWare 3.11. The NetWare client software has been completely integrated with NeXTSTEP's rich networking environment, which allows users to access and navigate all networks, including NFS, AppleShare and NetWare, through a single, consistent interface. And with NeXTSTEP, application developers now have full access to NetWare services through NetWare APIs (application programming interfaces) delivered as part of Release 3.0. "More personal computer users are on Novell networks than any other network," said Steven P. Jobs, chairman and CEO of NeXT. "Automatic NeXTSTEP access to Novell's servers means access to the wealth of information residing on heterogeneous networks, at no cost and with no extra software or hardware. Because NeXT systems are often sold into diverse, heterogeneous corporate environments, and because Novell's NetWare is so prevalent, this bundled Novell client feature is a tremendous benefit for NeXTSTEP users." ____________________________________________________________________ IX. Senior Systems Analyst for NeXT in Los Angeles, CA From: barba@TDS.COM (John Barba) Subject: Senior Systems Analyst for NeXT in Los Angeles, CA Organization: Trident Data Systems TRIDENT DATA SYSTEMS is a dynamic, fast growing firm within the management information system and technical security industries. We currently have the following outstanding opportunities in the Los Angeles, CA area. Senior Systems Analyst for NeXT: Requires a minimum 3 years experience programming in the NeXT environment. Will be a leading source for NeXT developer design questions and design/development knowledge. Candidate must be well-versed in Objective C, object-oriented analysis and design, Interface Builder, and NeXT AppKit programming. Experience with end-user application requirements analysis, relational databases, UNIX, Mach, and networking a plus. Trident Data Systems offers competitive salaries, company paid benefits, and the opportunity for professional growth. Interested and qualified applicants please send your resumes to: Trident Data Systems, 5933 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Attn: June Johnson, Corporate Recruiting. Electronic inquiries and resumes to John Barba . EOE A thorough background investigation and U. S. citizenship may be required. ____________________________________________________________________ X. Gestel Italia announces solidThinking for NeXTSTEP (3D) News For more informations contact: Alex Mazzardo, Sales Manager Gestel Italia srl C.trU P.te S. Michele, 2 36100 - VICENZA (Italy) Ph. : ++ 39 444 543540 Fax: ++ 39 444 322050 Email: gestel@fintelit.next.it For immediate release Gestel Italia announces solidThinking, the first advanced 3D modelling and animation environment for NeXTstep. VICENZA, ITALY, August 31, 1992 - Gestel Italia, an Italian software developer for NeXT, announces today solidThinking, the new advanced 3D modelling and animation environment for NeXTSTEP. The package is subdivided into modules for the creation of photorealistic digital pictures and animations. The solidThinking modules are: - Modeler, powerful interactive modeler supporting every feature of the RenderMan interfaced standard. - ShaderBuilder, advanced shader editor that lets you create and compile easily complex custom shaders. - RIBScript, PostScript to RIB and solidModeler file format converter. - Animator, professional full featured animation package. - Transporter, hardware/software package for single frame VCR animations and rotoscoping. - 3DScanner, 3D digital scanner (under development). Modeler specifications: - User friendly interface with multiple views. - Support of NeXTstep 3.0 environment and 3DKit. - Powerful primitive editor that lets you easily build basic shapes like planes, cubes, spheres, cylinder, etc. - Each primitive can be a RenderMan quadric, a bilinear or bicubic surface or a NURBS patch. - Specific commands let you morph a shape into a another and organize them in matrices for complex shape creation. - Hierarchical modelling environment lets you group objects and control them in local or global coordinate systems. - Support for Constructive Solid Geometry for build shapes using boolean operators (UNION, DIFFERENCE or INTERSECTION) according to the RenderMan standard. - Patch editor for modelling interactively surfaces using a mouse driven interface; support for bilinear, bicubic and patches. - Planar editor with multiple layering for build complex profiles. Import TIFF or EPS and profiles created with solidScript. - Extruded and turning objects (polygonal surfaces, patches and NURBS) from 2D profiles. - Extrude from different profiles to construct complex extruded objects (Lofting). - Simple transformaions like translation, scaling and rotation can be applied to single objects or groups. - Structure deforming transformations (on polygonal surfaces, patches and NURBS) like Taper, Shear, Twist and Bend. - Import of DXF, Wavefront, TDDD and RIB object file formats. - Export RIB and proprietary file formats. - Support for RenderMan shaders and textures. Bitmapped images can be converted into textures and applied to groups or single objects. - With solidModeler come some interesting shaders to be installed in your shader library including a RayTrace surface shader! - Unlimited output resolution for photorealistic images. - Rendering on multiple host. - Library on 3D fonts extendible using RIBScript. - Compatible with solid 3DScanner. Availability : Modeler 20 September 1992 ShaderBuilder 4th quarter 1992 RIBScript 4th quarter 1992 Animator 1st quarter 1993 Transporter 1st quarter 1993 3DScanner 2nd quarter 1993 For more informations contact: Alex Mazzardo, Sales Manager Gestel Italia srl C.trU P.te S. Michele, 2 36100 - VICENZA (Italy) Ph. : ++ 39 444 543540 Fax: ++ 39 444 322050 Email: gestel@fintelit.next.it Note: solidThinking, solidModeler, solidShader, solidScript, solidAnimator, solidTransporter and solid3DScanner are trademarks of Gestel Italia srl. NeXT and NeXTStep are trademarks of NeXT Computer Inc. Renderman is a trademark of Pixar. ____________________________________________________________________ end