Nebula/nebula.bin/Newsletters/NeXTNuggetNewsDigest/vol.02.02.txt

Text File | 1993-01-27 | 20KB | 550 lines

NeXT Nugget News Digest (vol. 2, issue 2, March 11, 1992)

Hello,

This is the second issue of the 1992 NeXT NUGGET NEWS DIGEST - a
collection of items of interest for the NeXT User Group members.
There are more than 270 NeXT User Groups in 33 countries around the
world.

If you wish to start a new NeXT user group locally or if you have a
NeXT User Group but have not registered it, please send email to
[e-mail].

conrad

_____________________________________________________________________
NeXT NUGGET NEWS DIGEST, vol. 2, issue 2, March 11, 1992

     Table of Contents

   i.  1992 Winter AppWrapper magazine

   I. 3rd party developers committed to NeXTstep 486
  II. At the Beep Software for your Telephone
 III. Jiro's Review of Engage
  IV. NeXT position in NYC

Conrad Geiger
International NeXT User Groups
Email: [e-mail]

____________________________________________________________________
i.  1992 Winter AppWrapper magazine

The free 65 page issue of the Winter 1992 AppWrapper has already been mailed
out and you should be receiving your copy if you are a subscriber.

If you are currently not receiving the AppWrapper, a yellow pages
of shipping NeXT 3rd party applications, and wish to be placed on the
mailing list: send email to

        [e-mail]

with the following information and format:

   your first name, last name, organization or company, street, suite,
   city, state, zip, country, phone number

____________________________________________________________________________

I.  NeXT Third-Party Developers Who Have Committed to a NeXTstep 486 Product

The following developers have committed to a NeXTstep 486 product:

Adobe Systems Incorporated
Contact:  LaVon Collins or Russ McCann  [phone]

Altsys Corporation
Contact:  Meaghan Hogan  [phone]

Appsoft, Inc.
Contact:  Emily Brower  [phone]

Atherton Software
Contact:  Jayson Adams  [phone]

Conextions, Inc.
Contact:  Ed Kodinski  [phone]

Digital Instrumentation Technology, Inc.
Contact:  Liz Shrum  [phone]

HSD Microcomputer U.S., Incorporated
Contact:  David W. Peter  [phone]

Lighthouse Design Ltd.
Contact:  Jonathan Schwartz  [phone]

Lotus Development Corporation
Contact:  Jeanne Heston  [phone]

Marble Associates, Inc.
Contact:  Ray Bloom  [phone]

Metaresearch, Inc.
Contact:  Lee Buhler  [phone]

Modernsoft
Contact:  Chip Goodman  [phone]

OTI
Contact:  Eric Bergerson  [phone]

Pencom Software
Contact:  Pam O'Neal  [phone]

RightBrain Software
Contact:  Joyce Dickerson  [phone]

Sarrus Software, Inc.
Contact:  Andy Turk  [phone]

Software Ventures
Contact:  David Hindawi  [phone]

Stone Design Corporation
Contact:  Andrew Stone  [phone]

Visual Understanding Systems, Inc. (VISUS)
Contact:  Bob Thibadeau  [phone]

White Pine
Contact:  Scott Darling  [phone]

Wolfram Research, Inc.
Contact:  Jane Rich  [phone]

WordPerfect Corporation
Contact:  Royce Bybee  [phone]

____________________________________________________________________

II.  At the Beep Software for your Telephone



    At The Beep is a NeXT Computer-based telephone answering machine and
dialing system.  It contains all of the features of sophisticated stand-alone
answering machines and adds extended features only possible with an attached
computer.  At The Beep takes full advantage of the NeXT Step graphical user
interface and sound features.

Calling the Demonstration System:

    Feel free to call the demonstration At The Beep system at [phone] and
leave a message stating your name, company and preferred method of
communication: telephone, postal mail or electronic mail (NeXT Mail or
text-only).

Suggestions:

    SES Computing is geared toward providing full solutions for customers.  We
would be happy to discuss any needs you have.  It will be possible to add new
features to the existing system or to provide custom software for your
particular need.

SES Computing
13206 Jenner Lane
Austin, Texas 78729
Phone: [phone]

Electronic Mail:

    If you would like to contact us send either text or NeXT electronic mail
to: [e-mail]

    Note: We are not affiliated with The University Of Texas.  The math
department has been kind enough to provide this Internet address to us for
email purposes.

____________________________________________________________________

III. Jiro's Review of Engage


Atherton Software Works' Engage!
================================

    Along with the boom in the number of shipping NeXT
applications, there has suddenly been an explosion of interest
in application launch utilities. I don't think that this
is pure coincidence. As the number of applications increase,
the eleven spaces in the Workspace Manager dock seem to
suddenly not be enough. Even when you add the extended
capabilities of the File Viewer "shelf" there doesn't seem
to be enough room for all of your applications, not to
mention files and folders.

    To fill the gap, several application launch utilities
have been released. Their basic function is the same:
to extend the dock by allowing the user to place their
most used applications in the same place. Some have more
features that extend the basic concept of application
launching  into the realm of organizational tools
for both files and folders.

    There are currently three shipping, commercial
application launch utilities: Atherton Software Work's
Engage!,  RightBrain Software's LaunchPad and Aurora
Software's QuickStart.  Today I am reviewing what I believe
to be the best of the three, Engage!.  Reviews of the other
two will follow closely after this one.


INSTALLATION
============

    Engage comes on one 3.5" HD floppy disk. It
occupies 550 kb and is not compressed or packaged (just
drag and drop it into your /LocalApps directory). A
printed manual is not available, all help is through
the on-line help system. The registration process
requires you to type in a 17 digit authorization code,
your name, and your organization.


GENERAL IMPRESSION
==================

    Engage was written by Jayson Adams, formerly
of NeXT Computer.  Two years ago, Jayson created the
first application launcher, AltDock, which he released
for free (and which still works, although somewhat
crankily on System 2.x). He also wrote NewsGrazer,
the premier USENET news reading application, which
is also available for free.

    He has recently formed Atherton Software Works
in order to commercially market his applications. I
personally feel that it is high time that he started
to make money for his efforts and talents. And it is
also time he got the recognition from the business
community that only a commercial software company
could provide.

    The original AltDock extended the Workspace dock by
providing an "alternate dock" where applications could be
organized and launched. Unlike the traditional (original) dock,
AltDock let you place applications either in a haphazard
free-form style or in a careful gridded pattern. It didn't do
much beyond launching applications, however.

    Jayson rewrote AltDock to create Engage. In doing
so, he really thought about what features were necessary
in an application launcher. He also thought deeply about
how to cure the organizational problem plaguing many NeXT
users. To a great degree, I believe that he has come up
with a really innovative and intuitive solution to
both of these problems.

    Engage is a free form application launcher. You
can place applications anywhere on the screen. When you
move the Engage icon, the applications move with it. To get a
feel of how this works, imagine taking the Workspace
dock and being able to drag the entire dock around anywhere
on the screen, not just up and down. Also imagine the
ability to place applications *anywhere*, not just in
the horizontal strip.  Once you place an application in
Engage, you can launch it by double-clicking on it, or
set it to be  auto-launched when Engage launches, just like
the Workspace dock.

    You can also add both files or folders to
Engage, not just applications. What's more, you can drag
files onto Engage application to launch them
(drop-and-launch). For example, you can launch TIFF or
EPS  files by dropping them onto the Icon or Scene tiles
in Engage. Normally, double-clicking would launch your
preferred application for that file type, but by using
drag-and-drop, you can override that preference. This
may be handy for folks who use common files types among
different applications.

    What's even neater is that you can "preview"
the contents of TIFF and EPS files within Engage. The
contents show up thumbnail size within the file's little
"tile." The only other application that does that is
Portfolio, by RightBrain Software. Portfolio uses
slightly larger icons and organizes the files differently
(in vertical scrollable windows). Look for a review of
Portfolio soon.

    Engage has the notion of multiple dock "levels."
These are different sets of applications and files. You
can flip between the levels and also name them. When you
change levels, usually all of the tiles change, but
you can also make some permanent (if you find you an
application or document available all of the time,
for example).

    In my own case, I have one level devoted to drawing
tools (Diagram!, Create, IX-Scans, TypeView, and FontInstaller).
Another level has writing tools (FrameMaker, WriteNow,
Quotations). Other levels have developer's tools, communication
tools, misc. tools and auto-launched tools. It doesn't
take a power user or a hacker to quickly find how useful
these levels are.

    Graphic designers will find they can organize
all their TIFF and EPS files in different levels and
look at their contents without having to launch them.
This is a quick and easy way to store and preview
click-art, for example. You can easily drag-and-drop
files from Engage into your favorite drawing
application, as well.

    Business people would love this feature since
they can have all of their sales reports, form letters,
info sheets, etc. in different levels -- a much neater
way to organize them than using the File Viewer's "shelf."
You can also have folders in Engage if you like to have
things in folders.

    You can flip between levels by clicking on tiny
buttons in Engage's main icon. You can also type in level
names directly onto the icon (very intuitive). You can
search and sort among  levels easily (just in case you
have made a 100 level dock and forget where Acme-app is).
This ability to have multiple levels, along with the free
form placement of applications and icons makes Engage
really unique.

    There are still more features....
    There is a "flip" button next to the "level switch" buttons
on the Engage icons. Clicking on the "flip" button will rotate
all of the icons 180 degrees onto the other side of Engage.
I usually have Engage right up next to the side of my window
and it is a simple  way to hide and unhide everything.

    Unlike AltDock, LaunchPad, or the other
application launchers, Engage shows the running status
of applications just like the Workspace Manager. That means
that applications that aren't running have three dots in
the lower-left corner of their icons. These dots disappear
when the application is launched and reappear when it is quit.
I am surprised that none of the other launch utilities
provide this feature. Jayson tells me that it was a lot of
work to include this feature. I don't doubt him, but it sure
is worth the work. I hope the other developers of launch utilities
also include this feature in their programs. It is too easy to
forget if you are running an application.

    Also amazing, Engage is a first-class replacement
for the dock. Engage does not simply launch the applications
through the Workspace Manager and let them create their own
application icon on the desktop, like LaunchPad and QuickStart.
Rather, it actually acts like the Workspace dock by retaining
the application icon in the Engage dock. No more application
icons littering the bottom of your Workspace! This is just
fantastic! Somehow Engage manages to hide the icons because
if you quit Engage without logging out, all of the application
icons will appear again (at the bottom of the Workspace, sigh...).

    Engage provides BackSpace screen saver support. I'm not too
sure why Jayson put this in since if you have BackSpace modules, you
also most probably have BackSpace. However, his screen save does
have the neat feature that when the screen saver terminates (due
to you moving the mouse or pressing a key), it briefly flashes
the time in large letters. Otherwise, I'd advise you use an
independent screen saver since Engage does not provide for any
of the individual module customizations that some others do.
Jayson isn't sure whether he is going to keep this feature and improve
it, or if he should drop it altogether. Now would be a good time
to fax or e-mail him comments concerning this feature.

    The online manual is well-written and clear. It uses
screenshots to help illustrate techniques. Engage does not ship
with a printed manual, which is just fine with me.


PROBLEMS
========
    I encountered a number of user-interface problems.
None of them are serious nor did they hamper my use of the
application. They are listed below.

    I was annoyed that I couldn't select multiple
applications so that I could inspect them together. I had gone
to the trouble of making a whole "level" of applications that
I wanted auto-launched. Since Engage wouldn't let me
select all of them and set auto-launching in one
step, I had to select each, modify its auto-launch
attribute, go onto the next, etc.

    Another minor problem was that Atherton used
the Helvetica typeface to print the authorization code on the
back of the diskette. It was very hard to distinguish
between zeros (0) and capital O's; the digit one and the letter
l. This caused me to mistype the code in incorrectly. I
hope that future software designers reading this article
will choose fonts with more distinguishable characters,
or better yet, won't use the letters and numbers 0 and
O, 1 and l in  their authorization codes.

    Atherton Software Works is aware of the two problems
and the bug noted above (after reading the draft of my review)
and is working on them.

    Another problem that I experienced was that it was
difficult to tell what programs were running if they were in
another level of Engage, since Engage doesn't leave the
application icons floating on the bottom of your screen. Some
may not like this behaviour, in this case you are stuck to
one level in Engage. I would like a Preference (global and local)
to select whether Engage will retain the application icon or
if it will let it float on the bottom.

    Additionally, the folder behaviour is not great. You cannot
drag-and-drop files into Engaged folders. Double-clicking on the
folder opened up a new File Viewer on that folder, there should be
an option to direct the current File Viewer to simply go to that
folder instead. It does not try to calculate the size of folders,
either (this should be an option as well). Some additional work
needs to be done on the folder support.

    There is no index to the online help. The online-help is
located within the Engage application wrapper itself and isn't
easily placed in Digital Librarian (unless you know how to open
application wrappers).


UPGRADE POLICY
==============

    Atherton has not finalized its upgrade policy yet. It
will most probably be along the lines of the other major
NeXT software companies in that minor revisions (1.0->1.1, etc.)
will be the cost of shipping while the major revisions (1.x->2.0)
will be a nominal amount.


CONCLUSION
===========

    Engage is the organizer you need to make some sense out
of your messed up NeXT file system. I personally have applications
strewn everywhere (/LocalApps, ~/Apps, etc.) and have files strewn
everywhere in all sorts of places. Although I talk a lot about
the importance of organization, I speak as one who suffers from
chronic disorganization.  Engage is a real boon to me since it
relieves much of the pain of being disorganized. Even organized
people will love it since who wants to flip through multiple
folders just to find one file?

    Applications fit in well into Engage and launch perfectly.
TIFF and EPS files fit in smoothly and even preview. You
can have folders in it. You can have any other file
types. You could organize all of your form letters in
Engage and drag-and-drop them onto Engage applications,
for example.

    Engage is a simple concept that Jayson has taken
really far. It is extremely powerful, yet not over featured.
In fact, I would just rather not have my real dock and would
like to replace it permanently with Engage.  This is one
third party application that  NeXT should license and sell with
every system in place of the ordinary dock. Judging by the looks
that Jean-Marie Hullot (creator of Interface Builder) and
William Parkhurst (Director of Software at NeXT) had on
their faces when Jayson demoed it to them at NeXTworld, I
hope to see some Engage-like features in the System 4.0
Workspace Manager. (This is utter speculation, by the way.)

    In the meantime, you should all pull out your
plastic,  phone NeXTConnection and order Engage.
Very highly recommended.


(Actually NeXTConnection does not sell Engage at the time of
writing of this article (1/29/92). Atherton Software tells
me they are still in negotiations with NeXTConnection. Until then, you
should contact Atherton Software directly to purchase Engage.)


    Summary for Atherton Software Works' Engage!
    ============================================

    Application Type:     Application launcher and screen saver
    Version Tested:        1.0 v36 (review copy)
    JiroRating:        ***** (Excellent)

    Languages Supported:    English (only)
    File Formats Supported:    Any application
                Any document type or folder
                Can preview .tiff and .eps

    Contact for information:
            Atherton Software Works
            77 Marsh Road
            Atherton, CA 94025
        Tel:    [phone]
        Fax:    [phone]
        Email:    [e-mail]


    For Sales:    NeXTConnection
            9 Mill Street
            Marlow, NH 03456
        Tel:    [phone]-NeXT
        Fax:    [phone]


    - Jiro Nakamura
    [e-mail]
    Group Leader
    FuNK -- Finger Lakes NeXT Users Group


Version 1.0
Created: January 29, 1992
Last Modified: January 29, 1992

____________________________________________________________________

IV. NeXT Developers for New York City

Job Title & Location
NeXT Developers, NYC
NeXT Developers NYC

Interesting startup company, still small but with big growth plans, looking
for experienced NeXT developers. Will work on innovative financial
applications. Programming environment is Objective C. Permanent positions,
not contract.

Send a resume along with salary information to Nyla Irvin

Directions: Ascii text preferred via email. Any Mac or PC word processor
format on 3.5" diskette is OK to and so is clear and legible hard copy (large
font sans serif is best for OCR scanning) Fax is last choice but OK too
(doesn't scan)

Nyla Irvin Scientific Placement, Inc. Box 19949 Houston, TX 77224
713-496-6100   713-496-6802 fax BIXmail: Scientific Internet:
[e-mail] Compuserve: 71250,3001 GENIE: D.SMALL6 CONNECT: NPA5411

Ascii text via email preferred.

Immigration status: We are never able to assist individuals holding F-1 or
H-1 visas. Without exception, you must be a U.S. or Canadian Citizen or have
a Permanent Residence Visa.

New graduates: Employers utilize the college placement offices to hire new
graduates. They do not employ recruiting firms for this purpose. We are
unable to assist recent graduates.

David A. Small, President
Scientific Placement, Inc., Box 19949, Houston , TX 77224
713-496-6100    713-496-6802 (fax)
spi![e-mail]  -or- [e-mail]
Compuserve: 71250,3001, AppleLink: D1580, Genie: D.SMALL6, AOL: DaveSmall



____________________________________________________________________

end