Apple Developer News

June 27, 1997, No. 63

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

Mailing to Apple's Installed Base

Did you know that you can send direct mail materials to the Macintosh installed base through the Apple Developer Relations (ADR) Comarketing Program? The Apple customer database, which is compiled from Macintosh registration card information, is accessible to you through an independent mail fulfillment house for just U.S.$ 500 per mailing. Developers are allowed to access the database once a year. To schedule a mailing, send an e-mail request to devmail@apple.com any time after July 7, 1997.

Please note that participants in this program must be Mac OS logo licensees. To license this logo, you simply have to verify that your application runs on Mac OS version 7.5 or later, and that the code is 32-bit clean. There is no cost involved. To start the licensing process, contact Apple's Software Licensing Group at 408-974-4667 or visit their web site:

http://www.devworld.apple.com/mkt/registering/swl/swl.shtml

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A PR Opportunity for ASPN Consultant Members

The Apple Solution Professionals Network (ASPN) is running a web-based publicity campaign called "A Day in the Life" that illustrates how consultants are changing the world with Macintosh technology. Featured stories are posted in a highly visible format on the ASPN web site. To see how entertaining these stories can be, check out the first article in the series, which describes a day in the life of Tim Meehan, a graphics consultant based in Antarctica. Meehan used a PowerBook 540c and QuickTake 150 digital camera to capture the images and connect live with classrooms across the United States. You can find this feature, as well as information on how to join this program, on the ASPN web site:

http://www.aspn.apple.com/

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A Searchable Archive of Internet Research

Here's a good resource to "bookmark" if you sell Internet-related products. Nua Internet Surveys publishes market research surveys on a daily basis. Surveys from the last two years have been compiled into one searchable database, making Nua Internet Surveys one of the most comprehensive resources for Internet statistics. In addition, Nua publishes a weekly newsletter that compiles and summarizes the week's surveys into one document. At the end of every month, an analysis report is published and mailed to subscribers. If you want to avail yourself of the Nua Internet Surveys newsletter, send e-mail to surveys-request@nua.ie with the word "Subscribe" in the message. Here's the address for this web site:

http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi

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PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

A Synopsis of Mac OS 8 Reviews

With very few exceptions, early industry press responses to the beta version of Mac OS 8 have been positive. Here's a summary of recent reviews from five of the most popular Macintosh end-user publications:

MacWorld magazine
"Mac OS 8 Preview" by Franklin N. Tessler
"Mac OS 8 is the most comprehensive update to the Mac OS in years, sporting a bold new look, a speedier Finder, more shortcuts, and integrated Internet functions."
http://www.macworld.com/features/macos8.preview.html

MacUser magazine
"Apple Picks Up the Tempo" by Henry Bortman
"The unthinkable is about to occur: Apple is about to deliver two major Mac OS releases--on schedule--within six months. As promised, Apple shipped Mac OS 7.6 in January 1997, and--also as promised--in July 1997, it will ship Mac OS 8, previously code-named "Tempo" ... This new release is chock-full of goodies, including many features originally planned for the now defunct Copland. And it's stable: The beta version of Mac OS 8 we tested crashed less frequently than the release version of Mac OS 7.6."
http://www4.zdnet.com/macuser/mu_0897/firstlook/apple.html

PC Week
"Apple Gilds the Mac OS Lily" by Herb Bethoney
"After evaluating the Beta 5 version of Mac OS 8, PC Week Labs recommends that administrators upgrade their sites."
http://www8.zdnet.com/pcweek/reviews/0616/16macos.html

Mac Home Review
"Beta Report: 8 IS GREAT" by Alan Stafford
"The main change in OS 8? Looks. That's better than it sounds, however, as the way the Finder (the Mac's basic desktop) works is predicated on its graphical appearance. Apple has revamped the Finder substantially, giving it a slick new appearance and a number of new features that could prove to be very convenient in your everyday work."
http://www.machome.com/Features/MacOS8.html

Don Crabb, MacWEEK columnist, on Mac OS 8
"A Friend to Mac Managers"
"Mac OS 8 promises to be the most reliable Mac OS since version 2.0 that shipped about a million years ago (in computer years). I've been using the pre-released version since the first alpha version was distributed to a few developers back in January. And frankly, it's been more reliable--even in alpha form--than any Mac OS I've used in years."
http://www.doncrabb.com/

For more information on Mac OS 8, which is scheduled for shipment in the United States in late July, check out Apple's Mac OS web site: http://www.macos.apple.com/macos8/

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AppleScript and Apple Events to be Included in Yellow Box

Loyal AppleScript and Apple Events fans will happy to hear that Apple will incorporate these technologies into the Rhapsody operating system. Both will be built into Rhapsody's Yellow Box, the object-oriented environment for developing cross-platform applications. AppleScript Product Manager Sal Soghoian adds, "AppleScript and Apple Events are here to stay. They are being integrated fully into the Yellow Box. Right now we're working on the core Apple Event structure and related issues. Our plans for the AppleScript scripting language are to keep the Yellow Box implementation as close to the current version as possible, in both syntax and functionality. Naturally, given the difference in operating system structures, some changes and adaptations may occur--but we'll work to make the transition as smooth as possible." For more details, see this MacWEEK article:

http://www8.zdnet.com/macweek/mw_1124/nw_script.html

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OTHER DEVELOPER NEWS

Apple Launches a Library of Java Applets for Educators

Whether educators and researchers need Chinese flash cards, steps to a Scottish country dance, physics simulations, or any of a number of educational tools, they can find them through Apple's Educational Object Economy (EOE) project.

EOE is an online community organized around the creation, sharing, and use of teaching resources that incorporate Java applets for web-based learning. Java applets are small, easy-to-use programs written in Sun's Java programming language. (The upcoming Rhapsody OS will be tightly integrated with Java.) Using virtually any computer equipped with a standard web browser, educators can access hundreds of teaching and curriculum development tools for use in education. The EOE project also seeks to make building educational software easier and faster.

The Apple-led EOE is a project of Apple's Advanced Technology Group and several universities, including Stanford University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Carnegie-Mellon University. Publishers Houghton Mifflin and PWS, a Thompson Communication company, are also sponsoring the project. The project is funded by a National Science Foundation grant and the Defense Advanced Project Research Agency.

Additional information on the Educational Object Economy project is available at this web site:

http://trp.research.apple.com

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Apple Agrees to Java-Centered Mobile Computer Specification

This week the IDG News Service reported that "nearly a dozen vendors have agreed on a set of standards for mobile network computers, a definition that will encompass devices ranging from smart cell phones to handheld computers."

Apple, Fujitsu, Hitachi, IBM, Mitsubishi, Netscape Communications, Nokia Mobile Phones, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Toshiba, Digital Equipment Corporation, Matsushita, Psion, and NEC are among the companies endorsing the specification. This "Mobile NC Specification," which relies on the Java programming language, includes standards for Smartcards, the Open Card Framework, teleconferencing, network attachments, and various peripheral attachments. The entire list of specifications can be found at this web site:

http://www.internet.ibm.com/computers/networkstation/os/open.html

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Ellen Hancock's PC Expo Keynote

The text of Ellen Hancock's PC Expo keynote address is now posted to the Apple web site. Hancock, Apple's vice president of advanced technology, demonstrated Rhapsody and discussed issues of interest to enterprise developers, including Rhapsody/Java integration. In this talk, Hancock said, "Rhapsody has tremendous support built in for 100-percent pure Java, as well as for native code in Java applications. The integration between Rhapsody's run time and Java's run time is very, very tight. And, if you combine Java with Apple's evolving QuickTime Media Layer technologies, [you can get] some pretty nice effects."

To read the complete transcript of Hancock's address, see this web site:

http://www2.apple.com/home/focus/hancock.html

(NOTE: As of Nov. 20, 1997, the web page originally referred to is no longer available. --ADN staff)

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Macintosh Computers Big in Hollywood

Macintosh computers are being used more and more in Hollywood as tools of the movie trade, both as props and production tools. Used in all aspects of the production process, from storyboarding to special effects, Apple computer products have been used in the making of Dragonheart, the Star Trek series, Breakdown, and Buddy, and in the upcoming films Jackal, The Honest Courtesan, Face/Off, and The Truman Show. During the production of the newly released film Batman and Robin, Apple computers were used extensively both in production and on the movie set. Information on the Macintosh computers used in Batman and Robin is given in this Apple press release:

http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970623.pr.rel.batman.html

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NEW SOFTWARE RELEASES

Mac OS 8, Final Candidate 5

The Final Candidate (f5) release of Mac OS 8 is now available for downloading. The golden master release of this operating system is due to ship in July. Developer program members can download this version through the Developer World web site:

http://devworld.apple.com/

Mac OS Runtime for Java, Version 1.5, Beta 1

The first beta release of Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 1.5 is now available on the "bleeding edge" page of Apple's Java web site:

http://applejava.apple.com/text/prerelease.html

QuickTime 3.0 Release Scheduled for September

The unofficial word from Apple is that the final release of QuickTime 3.0 will be available in September 1997. (It was originally scheduled to ship at the end of June.) An official release date will be made public in about two weeks through Apple Developer News and the QuickTime web site: http://www.quicktime.apple.com/ Return to Developer World main page

EVENTS

Tensor Information Systems to Offer WebObjects Training

Tensor Information Systems and Apple have announced an agreement for delivering training programs on Apple's WebObjects web development platform. As a certified training partner for WebObjects, Tensor has exclusive training rights in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the opportunity to conduct private classes in North America.

Corporate programmers and analysts can sign up for Tensor's next WebObjects course--"Introduction to WebObjects"--to be held July 14 to 18. The class helps corporate programmers and analysts build web applications. The cost is U.S.$ 1,875 for the five-day session at Tensor's training facilities in Fort Worth, Texas. Companies interested in the training classes can get more information by calling 817-335-7770 or by visiting Tensor's web site:

http://www.tensor.com

To read the Apple press release on this agreement, see this web site:

http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1997/q3/970624.pr.rel.tensor.html

Rhapsody Sessions at MACWORLD Expo Boston, August 5 to 8

Apple Developer Relations, in conjunction with Mitch Hall Associates (the sponsors of MACWORLD Expo), will be offering nine hours of Mac OS development sessions during MACWORLD Expo Boston. One of these sessions will recap the technical highlights of the May 1997 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. To participate, developers must register for the conference track of MACWORLD Expo Boston. By registering for the conference track, developers also gain access to the trade show, which includes access to Developer Central, the developer tools area. Apple will also be hosting special Rhapsody development labs during MACWORLD Expo. The current line-up of sessions includes:

Apple's Hardware Roadmap for Developers	Session 39	Wed.	August 6	1:00-2:15 pm
Apple's AV Technologies for Developers	Session 59	Wed.	August 6	2:30-3:45 pm
WebObjects: A Technical Introduction	Session xx	Wed.	August 6	4:00-5:15 pm
Apple's Internet and Web Technologies for Developers	Session 69	Thurs.	August 7	11:30 am -12:45 pm
Mac OS Runtime For Java	Session 79	Thurs.	August 7	1:00-2:15 pm
Rhapsody Technical Overview for Developers	Session 99	Thurs.	August 7	2:30-3:45 pm
Java in Rhapsody	Session 89	Thurs.	August 7	4:00-5:15 pm
Rhapsody's Core Operating System	Session 109	Fri.	August 8	11:30 am-12:45 pm
Yellow Box Development	Session 119	Fri.	August 8	1:00-2:15 pm