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Apple Developer News


May 2, 1997, No. 55


MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES


MacCentral Will Post Your Press Releases

MacCentral has added a new section where Mac OS developers can post their press releases free of charge. This new service can put your product information in front of MacCentral's 50,000 daily Mac visitors. To have your press release posted to MacCentral's "Coming Attractions" page, send an e-mail message that includes your new product's title, anticipated release date, and description (50 words or less) to dev@maccentral.com. You can check out MacCentral's web site: http://www.maccentral.com/ Return to Developer World main page


Inexpensive Booth Space at PC Expo/Mac OS Expo

How do you reach 25,000 Mac OS enthusiasts and more than 85,000 other PC professionals for only U.S.$ 3,500 and a bit of elbow grease? Reserve space in the Apple Developer Pavilion at PC Expo by May 5. This year's PC Expo is really "many shows within a show" and includes Mac OS Expo, PC Expo, Web.X, and Networks Expo all under one roof at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, June 17-19.

Apple has reserved a number of stations for ISVs in the Apple Developer Pavilion. For only U.S.$ 3,500 per station (based on an Apple subsidized rate of only U.S.$ 36 per square foot, compared to U.S.$ 45 for PC Expo and U.S.$ 42 for Macworld), Apple will supply you with a booth and all the extras that come with it, such as signs, a phone line, lighting, and so on. All you have to do is show up and install your demos. The only costs not included in this package are your travel, meals, and entertainment expenses.

To reserve space in the Apple Developer Pavilion, send an e-mail message to Robin Wagganer at robinw@apple.com or send a fax to Robin's attention at 408-974-1211. Include your company name and the number of stations you are requesting. Deadline for reserving space is May 5. Stations are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information on the conference, visit the PC Expo web site:

http://www.pcexpo.com

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PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGIES


Mac OS Runtime for Java 2.0 Is Brewing

According to Will Iverson, product manager for Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ), a public developer release of MRJ version 2.0 will be available in the next few weeks. In the meantime, MRJ 1.0.2 and the MRJ Software Development Kit (SDK) are available for downloading.

MRJ allows you to run Java applets and applications on Mac OS-based computers that use PowerPC, 68030, or 68040 processors. With the SDK, developers can create stand-alone, double-clickable Mac OS applications from Java applications. The SDK also contains sample code for integrating Java into Mac OS programs, documentation for the developer API (application programming interface), and a utility for running Java applications. You can download MRJ software from this web site:

http://applejava.apple.com/ Return to Developer World main page


ColorSync White Paper and Discussion Group

A new version of the Apple ColorSync white paper has just been posted to the Apple web site. This technical document offers you an overview of the color-management services provided by Apple's ColorSync system software. To download this white paper or ColorSync 2.1.2, visit the ColorSync site:

http://www.colorsync.apple.com/

Apple also plans to set up a ColorSync Internet discussion group in the near future, and you'll hear about it first at the ColorSync site. This discussion group will be a forum where end users, Apple ColorSync engineers, and ColorSync developers can talk about color-management issues.

If you sell color-management solutions, you might want to take a look at the ColorSync Starter Kit CD as a future vehicle for promoting related products or services. This CD provides customers with an easy way to adopt Apple's ColorSync color-management solutions. It includes press profiles, tips on how to use ColorSync, and demo software from more than 30 ColorSync developers. You can order the ColorSync Starter Kit CD from Apple's Starting Line catalog by calling 1-800-825-2145 and asking for product number L02329A. There is no charge for the kit, but shipping and a U.S.$ 5 handling fee apply. For more about this CD, see these web sites:

http://www.masters.media.apple.com/color
http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970423.pr.rel.colorsync.html

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Cyberdog 2.0 Is Unleashed

Cyberdog 2.0, an updated version of Apple's suite of Internet technologies for the Mac OS, is now available for downloading from the Cyberdog web site:

http://cyberdog.apple.com/

This software, which offers Mac OS users e-mail and web browsing capabilities, is expected to be included with the Mac OS 8 release later this year. Cyberdog's component architecture gives independent software developers the opportunity to create components that can replace or augment the Apple-developed components. Users can easily select alternate components that provide the capabilities they want. Several components are available from developers today and can be purchased or downloaded from the Internet.

Version 2.0 includes new features that offer a more functional user experience. It provides significantly faster performance, particularly in displaying web pages and e-mail and in switching between its different components. Cyberdog 2.0 also works with the SoftLinc LEXI spelling checker, so you can spell-check e-mail and newsgroup messages or DocBuilder documents. User interface improvements and more consistent preference settings also enhance the user experience. More information on new Cyberdog features is available in the full press release:

http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970428.pr.rel.cyberdog.html

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Apple eMate Gets an 'A' From BusinessWeek

This week BusinessWeek magazine gave Apple a favorable review for its Newton-based eMate for schools. To read what BusinessWeek says about this "kid-friendly and kid-proof" handheld computer, see this web site:

http://www.businessweek.com:80/1997/18/b352534.htm

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OTHER DEVELOPER NEWS


WWDC Attendees Get Free OPENSTEP and WebObjects Development Tools

To help build momentum for its next-generation operating system, code-named ÒRhapsody,Ó Apple announced that it will provide all Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) attendees who register for the full conference--free of charge--a "Prelude to Rhapsody" software bundle, which includes the latest versions of OPENSTEP and WebObjects development tools. These tools will allow developers to begin learning the OPENSTEP programming environment, which is the basis for Rhapsody. This bundle also includes WebObjects, Apple's industry-leading tool for easily creating powerful and full-featured dynamic web sites.

Apple remains on schedule to deliver a Rhapsody developer release later this year, in preparation for the introduction of customer releases in 1998. Apple's WWDC is May 13 through 16 at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California. Details on the conference and registration procedures can be found at Apple's Developer World web site:

http://devworld.apple.com/

To find out more about this free offer, see the complete Apple press release:

http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970429.pr.rel.wwdc.html

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Mac OS 7.6 Sales Help Claris Earn Record Profits

Claris Corporation, the wholly owned software subsidiary of Apple, announced record revenue for its second fiscal quarter, which ended March 28, 1997. For the second quarter in a row, Claris posted its highest-ever revenue.

Quarterly revenue was U.S.$ 69.7 million, the highest quarterly total in the company's history, and an increase of 8.2 percent over revenue of U.S.$ 64.4 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue exceeded the previous quarter's total of U.S.$ 67.0 million by 4 percent.

Revenue growth was driven in large part by sales of upgrades for Mac OS 7.6, which Claris distributes and sells worldwide. FileMaker Pro 3.0 database software also continued to be a major source of revenue for Claris, and revenue from the Windows version continues to grow. FileMaker Pro for Windows now ranks as the second most popular stand-alone Windows database, according to a survey last month by International Data Corporation.

The complete press release on Claris earnings is posted at this web site:

http://www.claris.com

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SPA's Reporting of Mac OS Software Sales Questioned

In its April 28 issue, MacWEEK magazine published the article "Mac Critics Crying Foul Over SPA Research Methodology," which casts some doubt on the way the Software Publishers Association (SPA) computes Mac OS software sales.

In this article, MacWEEK reports, "Throughout 1996 and the latter half of 1995, the Washington, D.C., [SPA] trade association reported that the Mac software market was in decay. Recently, the SPA released new [revised] numbers that indicate the market actually grew during those periods."

Critics of the SPA's market research say their complaints center around three issues:

To read MacWEEK's complete article, see its web site:

http://www.macweek.com:80/mw_1117/nw_spa.html

For another intelligent discussion of this issue, see the articles "More on the SPA from MDJ, Part II" and "Trade Organization Tries but Misses the Mark Again," published in MDJ--The Daily Journal for Serious Macintosh Users http://www.gcsf.com/. In these articles, editor Matt Deatherage says, "Because SPA tracks only sales from a set of reporting software companies, their estimates of software sales are notoriously variant upon what companies report and how accurately they have results. Throughout 1995, SPA's results were consistently off by about 50 percent from the initial release of figures to the release of 'revised' figures a year later ... at the end of 1995, SPA claimed the Mac OS software market that year was about a U.S.$ 1 billion business. At the end of 1996, SPA claimed the same market was really U.S.$ 1.5 billion, an error of 50 percent and enough to turn an alleged decline into healthy growth."

To read the complete articles, see this web site:

http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-375.html#Ink3

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Crabb Says Macs Are Still Cheaper to Own

MacWEEK columnist Don Crabb thinks that Mac OS computers are still lower in total cost of ownership than their Windows counterparts. He reports that in a cost study he just performed for a company with about 1,000 computers--split 50-50 between Mac OS and Windows systems--"The Macs will cost them at least 20 percent less per seat."

To read the details of his study, visit the MacWEEK site:

http://www.macweek.com:80/mw_1117/op_manager.html

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Apple and Xplain Team Up to Deliver 'develop' Magazine

Apple has joined forces with Xplain Corporation to publish the technical content of 'develop,' Apple's award-winning technical journal, as a special section of MacTech magazine.

Beginning with its May issue, MacTech magazine will deliver a special section of develop, written by Apple engineers and reviewed by Apple technical support, that will enable develop's high-quality technical articles and code to reach more developers than ever before. Develop articles will also be available in MacTech Japan, a fully localized version of MacTech.

In addition to the new develop section, MacTech includes several regular columns, industry news, conference reports, product reviews, MacTech Online, a broad range of languages and environments, the latest in shortcuts and insider secrets, advertisements specifically for Macintosh developers, and full source-code listings. Existing develop subscribers will receive three issues of MacTech Magazine for each issue of develop that they have remaining on their subscription. Those who are already subscribers to MacTech will have their subscriptions extended. All subscription changeovers will happen automatically, but you can contact at custservice@devdepot.com for more information. To look over an online issue of MacTech magazine, see the MacTech web site:

http://www.mactech.com

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Award-Winning Designers Use Macintosh Computers

The results of Publish magazine's Ninth Annual Publish Design Contest show that top-notch graphic designers still prefer the Mac OS platform over all others. Among the 25 winners chosen out of a field of more than 800 entries from around the world, 96 percent used Macintosh computers. Here are the types of computers used by the winners:

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Apple to Bundle StreamLogic RAID Solution With Servers

StreamLogic, developers of the award-winning SledgeHammer Pro family of high-performance, fault-tolerant Redundant-Array-of-Independent-Disks (RAID) solutions, just announced that Apple will be shipping StreamLogic's PCI Ultra SCSI JackHammer solution with all new Apple 9650 Workgroup Servers. StreamLogic also announced that its Hammer, SledgeHammer, and SledgeHammer Pro product families are fully compatible with all the new Apple Workgroup Servers.

The JackHammer's bus mastering design allows the CPU to offload drive-management tasks to the JackHammer, freeing the Workgroup Server to perform other tasks. Advanced features include SCSI disconnect/reconnect, tagged command queuing, and complete support for either synchronous or asynchronous I/O to maximize performance. The JackHammer is run by StreamLogic's customized Apple SCSI Interface Module driver, optimized for maximum performance.

For more details on these solutions, see this press release:

http://www.StreamLogic.com/prs/pr-ultraship.html

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First Rhapsody-Compatible Publishing Application Announced

Design Intelligence just announced plants to bring I Publish, it's "write once, publish anywhere" software to the Rhapsody operating system platform. This is the first developer to publicly state that it's developing a publishing product for Rhapsody. For more information, see the related MacWEEK article at this web site:

http://www8.zdnet.com/macweek/mw_1117/nw_ipublish.html

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Apple Issues Statement in Response to Ellison Release

Apple today released the following statement in response to a press release from Oracle Chairman and Chief Executive, Lawrence J. Ellison:

"Apple has no specific comment related to Mr. Ellison's press release. Apple has a clearly articulated strategy and a detailed plan to return the company to profitability. We have a seasoned management team and have undertaken a series of initiatives over the last year to streamline the business, improve quality, and sharply focus on our core markets (education, publishing, media authoring, consumer). Our recent product introductions have been met with enthusiasm and we are on the right track towards achieving our goal of profitability in the fourth quarter."

For more information about this statement, see the complete press release:

http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970429.pr.rel.ellison.html

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EVENTS


Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, May 13 to 16

With only a few days left before Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference begins, we'd be negligent if we didn't tell you that there is still time to sign up. As an added bonus, attendees who register for the full conference get free OPENSTEP software (see item [6], above)! For more information, visit the WWDC registration web site:

http://devworld.apple.com/

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WebBytes--POINTERS TO MORE NEWS AND SOFTWARE


New Rhapsody FAQ Posted

A new version of the Rhapsody frequently-asked-questions document has just been posted to Apple's web site. This document will be updated on a regular basis until Rhapsody ships, so be sure to check it periodically to keep up to date on this new operating system. The web address for this document is:

http://devworld.apple.com/rhaptechfaq.html

MacUser's Kaleidoscope Color Scheme Contest

For developers with an artistic flair and an uncontrollable urge to modify the Mac OS user interface, MacUser magazine is sponsoring a Kaleidoscope Color Scheme contest with a top prize of U.S.$ 500. Kaleidoscope is a control panel that allows users to choose different interface schemes for their Mac OS computers. Color schemes will be evaluated for appearance, thoroughness, usefulness, and how well the scheme blends together as a whole. Judges include the authors of Kaleidoscope, as well as many MacUser and MacWEEK editors. All entries must be new, previously undistributed schemes. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 23, 3:00 p.m. PST. For contest rules, see this web site:

http://web1.zdnet.com/macuser/software/kaleidoscope.html

Send all questions and submissions to macdownload@macuser.com.

For more about Kaleidoscope, visit this web site:

http://www.seagull.net/kaleidoscope/kAbout.html

(NOTE: As of Nov. 24, 1997, the web page originally referred to is no longer available. --ADN staff)

French Magazine Defends the Macintosh

The French Macintosh magazine SVM Mac recently launched a campaign, "Defendez le Mac," that spreads good news about the Mac OS computing platform. If you read French, check it out at this web site:

http://www.excelsior.fr/svmmac

BANG Offers an OPENSTEP Reading List

BANG, the Bay Area NeXT Group, has posted a recommended reading list of books that can help Mac OS developers get up to speed on OPENSTEP programming. It's posted at this web site:

http://www.bang.org

Metrowerks Introduces CodeWarrior for PalmPilot

If you use the Mac OS platform to develop for handheld computers, you may want to check out Metrowerks' new development environment for creating applications for U.S. Robotics' PalmPilot organizer. You can get more information at this site:

http://www.metrowerks.com

Mac OS 7.6.1 Update

A software update for Mac OS 7.6.1, called 54xx/64xx Level 2 Cache Reset, fixes a bug that occurs after installing Mac OS 7.6.1 on Power Macintosh computers or compatibles that are based on Alchemy logic boards with L2 caches. These models include the Performa 6360 and Power Macintosh 5400 and 6400 series, as well as Power Computing's PowerBase series and UMAX Computer's SuperMac C600 and C500 lines. The free update reenables the cache and improves performance on affected computers. It's available for downloading at this web site:

http://support.info.apple.com/ftp/7.6.1/7.6.1flash.html

MRJ 1.0.2 and the MRJ SDK

You can now download Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ), version 1.0.2, and the MRJ Software Development Kit from this web site:

http://applejava.apple.com/

Mac OS 8 Feature List and Screen Shots Posted

To look over screen shots and a feature overview of the beta version of Mac OS 8, visit this web site:

http://www.macos.apple.com/macos8/screenshot.html

Cyberdog Version 2.0

Cyberdog 2.0, an updated version of Apple's suite of Internet technologies for the Mac OS, is now available for downloading from the Cyberdog web site:

http://cyberdog.apple.com/

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If you have any suggestions or comments regarding Apple Developer News, we'd like to hear from you. You can send an e-mail to

To provide feedback on the technologies discussed in this issue, send e- mail to the appropriate contact:


Copyright (c) 1997 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.

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