The Windows version would have to be written from scratch, and Russ Warren didn't know where to start. So he began buying products that would allow his application to be as powerful and flexible as before, but offer portability as well.
Russ Warren, Executive Vice President of Advanced Micro Solutions, explains:
"We looked closely, and bought a number of products, just about everything on the
market. They either didn't give us the portability we needed, or didn't provide the
functionality that our users demanded.
"We happened upon zApp one day and immediately downloaded the demo. That looked good, so we got a copy, and it worked great. Just what we needed. A product that gave us the GUI look we wanted and was portable to platforms we wanted to support.
"But we had a problem, we spent so much time evaluating those other products that a key show at which we wanted to show our Windows version was just two weeks away. Two weeks, and we needed something in Windows to show."
But two weeks turned out to be long enough with zApp. In that short time, Advanced Micro Solutions was able to build a prototype that contained ten data screens that saved and processed data, and even included some basic functionality of the package. In short, a version that they could show people.
Needless to say, the show was a success, and the ACT for Windows was a big hit. Advanced Micro Solutions is now in the middle of developing the full-blown version of ACT with zApp.
Russ closes: "We like zApp because it gives us the ability to create a very professional portable application faster than any other package we've looked at. And it gives us the ability to deploy on multiple platforms. In short, we are in love with zApp."
"The zApp Developer's Suite is something we have always wanted to do," says Howard Love, president of Inmark. "The zApp Developer's Suite is a full solution for developing portable GUIs. The package lets people do everything from application design and testing to code generation, all in a fully visual environment. And since the zApp Developer's Suite generates zApp code, portability seems like icing on the cake."
Currently, the zApp Developer's Suite is available on Windows, Win32, OS/2, and UNIX X/Motif.
zApp Factory gives users drag and drop design, a design testing facility, a code generator that generates portable C++ code, and a project manager. zApp Factory used with the zApp Application Framework and the zApp Interface Pack is a complete solution for visually designing, testing, and creating the most complex user interfaces. With zApp Factory, users get the ease-of-use of visual development, and the power, performance, and flexibility of C++.
zApp Factory is a full solution for visually developing graphical user interfaces. It provides:
"I want to thank all of our users who helped us throughout the entire beta period. We think the result is something we can all be proud of. OS/2 support is now only a recompile away for zApp users," says Yu-Shen Ng, Project Manager for zApp for OS/2.
The zApp Interface Pack offers zApp programs a host of powerful objects such as a spreadsheet-like table object with a variety of cell types that allows you to easily display textual, numerical, and image data in a matrix format. You have complete control over individual cell attributes such as font, color, numerical formatting, width and height, and can create new cell types using inheritance mechanisms.
The Interface Pack also provides classes for the creation of visually appealing Toolbars and Status Lines with the new 3-D look. A host of 3-D custom controls are also provided including Frames, Panels, Static Text, Radio Buttons, and Check Boxes.
"The new demo really lets people get a feel for the kind of things they can do with zApp and the zApp Interface Pack. Not only is the demo about zApp, but it is written in zApp as well," says Byron Reese, marketing manager.
You may download the demo by clicking here.
"The demo is actually a full working version of zApp Factory without code generation capabilities. This lets potential users get a feel for what they can do with the product," says Byron Reese, marketing manager.
The Factory demo is available free of charge by calling Inmark at 800-346-6275, can be downloaded off the Inmark BBS (415-691-9990) or via World Wide Web.
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