Cupertino, Calif. - Succumbing to competitive pressures from other personal computer vendors, Apple plans to offer free one-year, on-site service starting this spring for desktop Macintoshes sold in the United States, sources said.
The new on-site warranty plan, which will be provided by third parties, applies to most Apple products purchased early this year, sources said. PowerBook users, however, still will be required to mail in their machines for repairs.
Sources said Apple is ironing out final details of the plan.
Apple declined to comment.
The company currently offers one-year warranties for all its products and already offers customers one year of free on-site service with its line of Performa consumer Macs.
Apple's extension of warranty coverage will come nearly a year after Compaq Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. began offering users a minimum one-
year, on-site warranty free with all their personal computers.
IBM upped the ante last fall by extending on-site coverage for PS/2s and selected notebooks to three years; in December, Compaq followed suit, extending the warranty on all its PCs to three years.
Meanwhile, AST Research Inc. and Dell Computer Corp. also have said they likely will revise their on-site warranty and support services.
Industry observers said Apple, which had mulled over a change in its warranty policy for several months, was finally forced to act to keep pace in the highly competitive desktop market.
"As prices among vendors converge, it is more important than ever to provide thorough service and support," said Pieter Hartsook, editor of The Hartsook Letter in Alameda, Calif. "It adds value to a product, and it builds customer good will."
Users such as Liz Kahler, an information-systems manager for Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif., welcomed the plan, calling it a "security blanket" for Apple customers.
Dealers, on the other hand, are angered by Apple's proposed warranty plan. Dwindling margins have forced many dealers to charge for customer service and support to recoup lost revenues. And Apple's extended warranty policy is likely to take a significant bite out of their business.
"This is the final nail Apple is putting in dealers' coffins," grumbled an East Coast Apple reseller. "[Apple] wants ownership of the service business."
In contrast, service providers such as ComputerLand Corp. of Pleasanton, Calif., said Apple's shift in strategy will have little effect on their business since they already are under contract to Apple to support Apple products.
ComputerLand CEO William Tauscher said as long as Apple awards a "fair and equitable" reimbursement to ComputerLand and other service providers, "it's a plus for us."
But, he added, third-party service companies that don't already have warranty agreements with major vendors could be hurt by Apple's plan.
Larry Mondry, a senior vice president at Dallas-based computer superstore chain Comp USA Inc., said improved customer support usually means increased sales for stores that offer such services. "[Improved support] makes day-in, day-out computing a less-taxing experience for users," he said.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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News: Free-form data manager to mimic PDAs
By Andrew Gore
Cupertino, Calif. - PowerBook users frustrated by how difficult it can be to access and organize all the data they deal with while on the road may soon see a ray of hope.
According to sources, Rae Technology Inc., based here, has created a proprietary technology for gathering and organizing the reams of information mobile users need to manage. The company plans to offer both prepackaged and custom applications based on this technology for PowerBooks and eventually personal digital assistants such as Newton.
> Software PDA. According to sources, Rae has chosen to create a personal organizer that includes a multidimensional date book, contact manager, to-do list and note taker, sources said.
While the application supports most of the functions users expect from a full-featured personal information manager (PIM), such as configurable calendar views and date and time stamps for to-do lists, what makes it powerful is what lies under its PIM skin.
Because the program is built on top of Rae's free-form architecture, it is possible to relate any data object to any other data object.
For example, when a user enters a name into the date book, if the name also resides in the contact manager, it can be used to call up the person's information by clicking on the name, sources said.
Rae's software also reportedly supports relational links, so if a user chooses to look at information in the contact manager from a company rather than an individual view, all the people who work for that company would be listed in that company's profile.
Data links can be forged by the user or can be generated by Rae's assistant technology, which can suggest links by comparing common data objects.
> Information architecture. The software PDA is simply a collection of forms running on top of Rae's information architecture, sources said.
Rae's technology consists of three layers, sources said. The first layer consists of a network of links between data objects, which users can "navigate" through by clicking on buttons or words. These links are context-sensitive and dynamic; they change according to the way the user is looking at the data and when new data is added to the "soup."
Helping to establish these links is the assistant layer, which can connect and disconnect links between data objects either automatically or based on a request from the user.
Below that is the free-form data object manager, which identifies each piece of data and its location.
Rae's software actually stores data in its native file format outside of the program architecture, so text, PICT or database files can be objects in a Rae application without needing to be converted.
While Rae officials were willing to confirm the existence of their company, they were unwilling to comment on their business plans.
However, sources said a big part of Rae's business will be developing custom solutions for large corporations using its technology.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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News: Mac midrange getting crowded
By Neil McManus, Kirsten L. Parkinson and Leonard Heymann
San Francisco - Before taking a gamble on one of Apple's new midrange Macs, users are considering how they will play the slots.
Until recently, buying a midrange Mac was a relatively simple choice between the now-defunct Mac IIsi and IIci. But with last month's introduction of the Centris line and LC III and October's introduction of the IIvx, Mac users now must choose among four midrange models that offer a dizzying array of prices, processor speeds and slot configurations.
Apple's midrange Macs pose questions for corporate users, such as: "Is a 68030 processor sufficient, or do I need the 68040 chips of the Centris line?" "Which machine can I afford?" and "Do I need the built-in Ethernet of some Centris Macs?"
For many users, however, the primary question is whether to spend hundreds of dollars for the expandability of NuBus slots. Among the '030 candidates, the LC III, which has no NuBus slots, is about $500 cheaper than a similarly configured IIvx, which has three. In the '040-based Centris line, the 610, which can accept either a processor direct card or a single 7-inch NuBus card with a $99 adapter, is almost $1,000 less than a comparable three-slot Centris 650.
Dave Noble, systems analyst at B.P. Exploration, an oil company in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, said his company prefers Macs with NuBus slots because many B.P. users require a second monitor, and the company is moving toward Ethernet.
"We've kind of made an assumption that the IIvx will be the low end of what we'll recommend," Noble said. "The Centris 650 will be the midrange, with the Quadras at the top."
Other users, however, said the lower price tag of the Centris 610 outweighs the expandability of the Centris 650. "We don't use any slots; all we need is Ethernet," said Rob Clark, Mac support engineer at GTE Spacenet Corp. of McLean, Va. GTE is switching an order for 30 Mac IIsi machines to Centris 610s.
Some users whose need for slots is limited said they are interested in the LC III's 25-MHz '030 processor and bargain price tag.
"A lot of our people will look at the LC III," said Trish Ventura, Mac support technician at Chevron Corp. of San Ramon, Calif. "Having a lot of slots in a Mac is not that important to us. We really only need one slot for [a Systems Network Architecture] connection."
Chris Sparno, support coordinator at Kinko's Service Corp. of Ventura, Calif., also is a fan of the LC III. "We've never used an LC of any type, but we evaluated the IIvx and decided we were getting more bang for the buck with the LC III," he said.
Apple cut the price of the Mac IIvx, which was introduced in October, by $1,000 when the new Macs made their debut. Some IIvx owners said they were miffed that their 4-month-old machines suddenly look dated compared with the Centris models.
Sean Ogarrio, a designer at Spectra Diode Labs of San Jose, Calif., distributed an open letter of protest on the subject. "I think the 'x' designation means your computer will be 'x-tinct' before you leave the store," Ogarrio said. "I don't see why the IIvx even needs to exist anymore. The speed is like the LC III.
"I'm upset that these machines came out so soon after the IIvx was introduced," Ogarrio said. "I wish somebody had told me, 'Don't buy this. In a few months Apple's going to come out with a Mac that's twice as fast for the same amount of money.' "
While most users said they were pleased by the low prices of the new models, some said Apple's rapid-fire turnover at the midrange makes it increasingly difficult to set purchasing recommendations.
"Apple's product announcements are coming faster and faster," said Seymour Joseph, principal analyst at Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Institute in Princeton, N.J. "It's getting harder and harder for our information services department to create a meaningful standard for people to purchase because a machine we recommend today will be discontinued tomorrow."
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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News: ClarisWorks 2.0 may rival stand-alone applications
Upgrade to include paint tools, outlining
By Lisa Picarille
Santa Clara, Calif. - Claris Corp. this month reportedly will ship a major upgrade to its ClarisWorks integrated package.
ClarisWorks 2.0 for the Mac packs enough bang for its 299 bucks to rival not only other Macintosh integrated packages but full-blown applications, including some of Claris' own products, sources said.
New features will include a new 32-bit painting module, which joins the existing word processing, drawing, communications, database and spreadsheet portions of the program, according to beta testers.
In addition, the update adds a built-in outliner, facilities for creating on-screen presentations and features to streamline existing functionality.
> Macro buttons. One of the first things ClarisWorks users will notice in Version 2.0 are the sets of macro buttons that automate common tasks. The buttons can change from module to module or even document to document, sources said.
For example, the spreadsheet will include buttons for instantly creating frames without row and column headings, as well as a button to perform AutoSum calculations. The database will have a variety of buttons for selecting field border types. The floating button palette also can contain buttons that perform a task within a specific database, such as move forward one record.
Users will be able to customize ClarisWorks' macro buttons using the program's macro language, sources said. They also will be able to modify button icons.
> Paint module. The only new module in ClarisWorks 2.0 is a basic 32-
bit-color paint program that offers an editable, 256-color palette and lets users create paint frames anywhere in the program except while working in the communications module. Users will be able to paint directly into those frames or import a PICT file.
> Slide show. Version 2.0 will add rudimentary tools for creating and managing on-screen presentations. The slide-show facility, which can be accessed from anywhere in ClarisWorks, will display individual pages of a ClarisWorks document as a full-screen slide. The upgrade will let users place QuickTime movies in documents and play them during on-screen presentations.
> Word processor. A built-in hierarchical outliner will let users format and assign styles to any level or heading. Users will be able to collapse or expand levels. "The implementation makes it better and easier to use than [Microsoft] Word's outliner," said one beta tester.
Users will be able to wrap text around regular- and irregular-shaped objects.
One source said the ClarisWorks 2.0 word processor contains some features, such as the outliner, which will not appear in MacWrite Pro, Claris' long-overdue upgrade to MacWrite. ClarisWorks may cripple sales of MacWrite Pro, which reportedly will ship later this month, the source said.
> Database. ClarisWorks 2.0's database module will support pop-up fields that contain a predefined list of choices for entering data.
The module's mail merge feature will include label formats for a wide variety of standard label sizes.
> Other enhancements. Other new features will include several new chart types within the spreadsheet's charting facilities, the ability to create custom chart formats and combination charts, "Bezigon" and polygon drawing tools in the draw module, and support for the Kermit file transfer protocol within the communications module.
ClarisWorks 2.0 for the Mac will be able to read files created in ClarisWorks for Windows, due out in late spring. However, ClarisWorks 2.0 files will not be readable by the Windows version.
ClarisWorks 1.0, released in November 1991, has garnered about 61 percent of the Mac integrated-software market, after overthrowing Microsoft Works, which now ranks second with about 29 percent of the market, according to Dataquest Inc., a San Jose, Calif., market research company.
Claris declined to comment.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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News: Scripting systems en route to Mac
By Robert Hess
San Francisco - Listen closely to the people engineering the future of Macintosh computing and you might think they are all following a script - or one of several new scripting standards designed to bring the power of programming to end users.
Although HyperCard popularized the concept of end-user programming on the Mac, many people felt intimidated by its similarity to real programming. And while macro programs convinced some users that control of their Macs was as easy as pointing and clicking, these programs were limited in their ability to respond to ever-changing Mac environments.
The next generation of scripting products aims to simplify the process by providing a way for users to control applications' actions without worrying about programming structures.
> AppleScript. When this heir apparent of scripting systems finally is released this spring, AppleScript will let users control applications with familiar English terms. Instead of asking a macro program to simulate a text copy and paste, users will be able to issue natural-
language statements such as "get the contents of the 'Name' field from FileMaker and insert it into Word."
Whereas command-line systems and even macro programs mimic the user's actions, AppleScript promises to let users manipulate data as objects that are independent from the specific application using them. Words, sounds and pictures become entities a user can move from place to place without regard for each application's proprietary environment.
According to Apple Event Registrar Jon Pugh, AppleScript will provide tools that let users control the transfer of information between applications without having to worry about how each application manages that data.
> Telescript. General Magic Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., recently announced this communications scripting system, which will give users control over "intelligent agents" residing on platforms as diverse as Macs, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and AT&T Co.'s EasyLink mail system. Their jobs will include filtering and routing mail, as well as retrieving data from a variety of information providers.
Users will be able to control Telescript agents with both graphical and text-based systems. Links between Telescript and AppleScript promise to make accessing and using information even easier.
The next wave of scripting systems will blur the line between scripting, programming and even operating systems. Apple clearly hopes to bring programming flexibility to its users in the guise of other systems, including:
> ScriptX. Kaleida Labs Inc., Apple and IBM Corp.'s multimedia joint venture, has been working with several partners to produce ScriptX, a cross-platform application programming interface (API) for controlling multimedia equipment. Unlike other APIs, ScriptX will act much like a scripting system, letting nonprogrammers coordinate and control multimedia presentations on a variety of platforms. ScriptX will run on Apple's Sweet Pea consumer multimedia devices, and it will comprise the interface between IBM's AIX-based video server and client IBM PCs and compatibles, according to sources.
In addition, Macromedia Inc., based here, has announced it is developing translators between ScriptX and its MacroMind Director and Authorware Pro packages.
> Dylan. Apple's object-oriented dynamic language has changed considerably both in form and substance since it was announced last year. Originally described as a new programming language based loosely on LISP, its extensive use of objects could make programming a less-
technical experience.
Dylan permits programs to load functional objects into memory and share their actions with other programs. Without considerable knowledge about how each object works, programmers or scriptors could use these objects to accomplish a task. These shared functions may make Dylan the development language of choice for the Newton, which runs under tight operating space constraints.
> SK8. Apple's Advanced Technology Group last month demonstrated a new multimedia authoring system at the MADAcon '93 conference in San Diego. SK8 offers hardware-independent scaling and pan/zoom, and it lets scriptors define functional objects without the use of external commands (XCMDs). Apple stressed that SK8, which is built on Object LISP and requires 16 Mbytes of memory, is a theoretical development, not a product. But some developers said SK8 might become a viable project if built on Dylan's less-demanding system.
> NewtonScript. Dylan once was considered the most likely development language for software for Apple's upcoming Newton line of PDAs. Now NewtonScript, a natural-language scripting system that lets forms communicate with information systems, is being touted as a superior development tool for Newton's form-based applications.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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Gateways: Asante to offer departmental hub
Seven-slot chassis to support 72 ports
By April Streeter
San Jose, Calif. - Asante Technologies Inc. is moving up the network-
device food chain.
This week the company will announce plans to move into the fast-growing departmental Ethernet market, unveiling a 72-port-capacity hub, a bridging module for its 12-port hub and an upgrade to its hub-management software.
Asante's new offerings include:
> Asante Hub 2072. Due to ship in May, the seven-slot 2072 chassis will cost $1,095. Twelve-port cards will run between $725 and $1,245, which Asante said can lower per-port costs to less than $90. A redundant power supply for the hub will be available in May.
> AsanteBridge 1012. Also due in May is a $1,999 bridge card that will fit into the expansion slot of the company's $1,299 12-port workgroup hub. The card will bridge between the 1012 hub and one other Ethernet connection using a Fujitsu Inc. SPARClite RISC processor. A variety of SPARClitebased bridge cards for the larger 2072 hub also are slated for the third quarter, according to Asante.
The company said the new bridges are based on an architecture that could be expanded in the future to include other services, such as routing and switching.
> AsanteView 2.2. A new release of the company's $1,499 hub-management software will add support for the 1012 bridge card as well as the 2072 hub. The software will provide a trio of new features: Find Talker will ferret out nodes that are sending copious numbers of packets; Find Node will locate users based on low-level Media Access Control addresses; Database Logging will keep a list of network performance statistics.
Upgrades from Version 2.1 will be free.
Asante Technologies Inc. is at 821 Fox Lane, San Jose, Calif. 95131. Phone (408) 435-8401; fax (408) 432-1117.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
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GA: Canto imports popular graphics apps
Scanner software, database unveiled
By Matthew Rothenberg
San Francisco - Berlin-based developer Canto Software GmbH this month will offer U.S. Macintosh users image-database and scan-enhancement programs that already are hot sellers in Europe.
Canto's U.S. subsidiary will offer English-language versions of:
> Cumulus 1.1, a client-server software package that catalogs and retrieves Mac graphics files across a network. The program saves a thumbnail preview and file information for each archived document and lets users customize search criteria. It can locate files even if they have been renamed, moved within a networked volume or stored on a removable device.
Cumulus can index an unlimited number of images. It supports PICT, PICT2, TIFF 6.0, PICS and QuickTime movie, Photoshop, Photo CD, Encapsulated PostScript, and Desktop Color Separation (DCS) formats. The program can open images in their native applications.
Cumulus will ship with software plug-ins that use custom Apple events to access the database and index graphics from within Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress and RagTime USA's RagTime. Canto said it also will provide a free plug-in for Aldus PageMaker when Version 5.0 of the page-layout program ships.
System administrators can use Cumulus' server application to create user-specific logs and back up or compress the database.
Claus Heitmann of Schmuck GmbH, an advertising agency in Hamburg, Germany, said he chose Cumulus over Aldus Fetch because of its speedy client-server performance and modest file sizes.
"I can have a Cumulus database on the server with several users accessing it simultaneously," he said. "It's so fast that we really don't run down our network performance."
According to Heitmann, Cumulus also creates more-compact image databases than Fetch; a Cumulus index of 1,000 to 1,500 scans occupies less than 1.5 Mbytes of disk space, he said.
Heitmann also said Cumulus' ability to list the PostScript fonts used in an EPS file is very useful when his company sends out EPS logos for printing.
Cumulus costs $295 for a single-user package and $895 for a five-user package; additional clients cost $149 each or $599 for a five-pack. Canto will sell Cumulus for an introductory price of $195 through May 31. Cumulus requires System 7.
> Cirrus 1.5, priced at $295, is color scan-optimization software that works with most flatbed scanners to capture RGB (red, green, blue) or gray-scale images. It includes brightness, contrast and gamma controls; a software densitometer; selection and painting tools; and filters such as sharpen, soften, mosaic and posterize.
Users can modify a color prescan of the final image, which the program can save as a PICT, EPS, PostScript, compressed or uncompressed TIFF, or Paint file. It will ship with a Photoshop plug-in.
Canto this month will unveil Version 2.0 of Cirrus at CeBIT '93 in Hannover, Germany. The English-language version of the upgrade will ship in May.
Cirrus 2.0 will handle CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) images and supports QuickTime, QuickTime-compressed PICT, DCS and TIFF 6.0. Canto said the upgrade will provide automatic color calibration via Apple's ColorSync system extension and color-matching algorithms, which will be bundled along with device profiles for about 60 flatbed scanners.
The upgrade will support AppleScript, and Canto said it will ship with scripts that provide automatic straightening, cropping and other features that parallel the capabilities of Light Source Inc.'s Ofoto. Users will be able to link Cirrus 2.0 to Cumulus and other programs via custom Apple events.
The company said Version 2.0 also will feature a smoother interface and enhanced controls, including a free-form gamma control that users can adjust by entering color values or selecting points on a curve.
Canto U.S.A. is at 800 Duboce Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94117. Phone (415) 431-6871 or (800) 332-2686; fax (415) 861-6827.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
GA Page 24
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BusinessWatch: Clinton rolls out info superhighway
By Mitch Ratcliffe
San Jose, Calif. - President Clinton last week laid out an ambitious technology policy that promises to bring information to the masses and profits to the computer industry.
The president proposed $17 billion in technology spending over the next four years - a relatively small amount when compared with other items in the federal budget but far more than previous spending on research and development, government-private sector partnerships and information infrastructure.
Two elements in the program - investments in a nationwide high-speed network backbone and regional technology extension centers - could incite computer users to buy into high-bandwidth networking and more-
powerful computers, industry observers said.
"For the past 12 years, technology policy was a dirty word in Washington, and before that it was a dirty word in Silicon Valley," said Paul Saffo, a research fellow at the Palo Alto, Calif.-based Institute for the Future. But now these two worlds are coming together because Clinton has promised to help computer companies create markets, Saffo said.
The president's proposed network expenditures will encourage the extension of low-cost Internet connectivity to middle schools, hospitals and, consequently, businesses located near these institutions that can tap into new commercial Internet exchanges. However, the specifics of the proposal call for private investment in the information highway.
The Clinton administration said it expects network connectivity will encourage the development of new applications and an emerging class of information workers.
Apple CEO John Sculley, who in recent weeks said his company will become an information provider with its own network as well as a systems manufacturer, last week said he supports Clinton's data highway initiative.
"The missing piece of the data highway is the guard rails in the form of privacy protections that will make it safe," said Marc Rotenberg, director of the Washington office of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.
Without a guarantee of privacy, he said, the Internet will not be a useful environment for doing business.
Rotenberg suggested the president create an independent oversight committee and encourage the development of innovative security and privacy technologies at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which will receive a huge funding boost under the Clinton program.
The technology extension program, which is modeled after the Agricultural Extension Service that brought more-efficient farming techniques to family farms during the 1940s and 1950s, will help make U.S. businesses more competitive, the administration said.
Extension centers would provide an environment for training but also for industry to evangelize and sell its latest products to U.S. business.
"We are creating an underclass of people who don't have the skill set to work in a high-technology environment," said James Kouzes, president of the Tom Peters Group, a management consultancy in Palo Alto.
"Anything the government can do, including the technology extension service, is an extraordinary step in the right direction," he said.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
BusinessWatch Page 28
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Review: UserLand charts new Frontier
Version 2.0 more accessible, powerful
By Linda Custer
UserLand Software Inc. has released a major upgrade to both the system-
level scripting and interapplication communications capabilities of its System 7 control center, Frontier.
When we reviewed the first version of Frontier (see MacWEEK, March 2, 1992), we described it as a system-level scripting language that could automate Finder tasks and manage messages between compliant applications. We concluded that it was most useful to network managers and other users who needed to track and manage files; to developers and users who wanted easy access to Apple events; and to those who wanted to replicate the functionality of batch languages available in other operating systems.
With the release of Frontier 2.0, the potential audience for this $249 script tool has widened. Many of the changes bring Frontier's power closer to users who are not programming experts. The product now ships with a runtime version so the full product is not required to take advantage of many scripts produced by others and available from various on-line sources. Frontier now can install menus in the Finder and can create "droplets," Finder icons that can perform actions on any file that is dragged on top of them. Both of these improvements make scripts that have been developed by more experienced users available to anyone who knows how to click and drag.
Frontier hasn't left its core audience behind, though. Many internal changes to the product make it more robust and more capable of interacting with its environment.
In another notable achievement, Frontier 2.0 is available free to all registered users of Version 1.0.
What's new. The basic user interface of Frontier has not changed. Several small bugs have been fixed, but the design of the product is intact. The outline, word processing, menu-editor and database tools still form the foundation of the product; scripting in UserTalk is still entered into outline windows; and agents are still available to run scripts unattended at specified intervals. Best of all, Version 2.0 is backward-compatible with Version 1.0. All previous scripts and information in Version 1.0 can be used directly. Anyone familiar with Version 1.0 can convert to Version 2.0 without missing a beat.
A runtime version of Frontier now is available for users who want to be able to run Frontier scripts but who do not want to program them. The runtime application is available as a shareware product. Frontier Runtime does not include the outliner, word processor and other user-
interface trimmings of the full version, but it can run almost all Frontier scripts that don't directly access the Frontier user interface. The runtime module will make Frontier especially useful for customizing medium-size networks where one or two people can create special Frontier scripts useful for their environment and then share the scripts across the network.
Two changes to Frontier are most notable. First, Frontier now ships with a system extension and an application that allow Frontier to post and control a menu in the Finder. A menu full of useful utilities can be installed in the Finder immediately, and the menu can be edited to launch any Frontier script. (Those familiar with Aladdin Systems Inc.'s Magic Menu for StuffIt Deluxe 3.0 already have seen an example of an added Finder menu, although the StuffIt Deluxe menu is not editable.)
Second, with droplets, Frontier developers now can create small applications whose sole purpose is to act on files that are dragged on top of them from the desktop. Droplets can, for instance, immediately create aliases or alter the creation or modification dates of any file. They can launch any Frontier script, but they also pass along the path name of the folder or file that is dragged over them so the script can act only on those objects.
Both of these changes make Frontier much more accessible to casual users. Their only drawback is that Frontier or Frontier Runtime must be present to execute the scripts, requiring about 512 Kbytes of RAM. This could greatly reduce the usefulness of these tools for older Macs and PowerBooks but will probably not be a problem for newer machines. A Frontier compiler that could produce stand-alone code from droplets would be a welcome addition to the product line.
Change in the inside. While the external changes to Frontier may be important, they pale when compared with the internal changes. The core of Frontier has been improved significantly. It executes scripts more quickly without taking up more memory than Version 1.0. Many new scripting verbs have been added to simplify and internationalize programming. As an example, a new File.getSpecialFolderPath command opens special folders like the Preferences and Control Panels folders regardless of which language is in use.
Many other verbs have been made more robust so planning for errors is less time-consuming and error-prone. The Fileloop command now can operate on more nested folder levels and can automatically operate only on files, while ignoring folders.
Frontier now can operate across networks to share information in several of its object databases residing on other computers. Frontier 1.0 could execute scripts that could operate on files on a network, but now a new suite of programs makes it easy to share Frontier scripts, menus, databases and other objects as well.
Get with the program. A new Try/else language construct allows scriptors to easily recover from errors or code around places where files may not be where they are expected. A new "with" language construct, similar to that available in Pascal, can make scripts much easier to understand once they have been written.
Frontier 2.0 now accepts externally compiled routines. CODE resources that are developed with popular C and Pascal compilers can be installed in and run from Frontier, so now Frontier can be extended limitlessly. The familiar external commands (XCMDs) used to extend HyperCard can be placed directly into Frontier as long as they are compatible with HyperCard 1.0. A new kind of CODE resource called a UCMD, designed by UserLand specifically to work with Frontier, has no such limitations. XCMDs have the advantage that many useful XCMDs already are available, while UCMDs are especially adept at handling Apple-event programming.
The Frontier Software Developers' Toolkit (SDK) has been upgraded to Version 2.0 as well. The original version showed users how to develop Frontier-aware applications and use Apple events effectively. The SDK upgrade adds example code and support for writing XCMDs, UCMDs and droplets and for sharing outlines between applications. It is most closely geared to developers using Symantec Corp.'s Think C but is instructive for those using other compiler brands and languages as well.
A new Extras subscription service at $149 a year provides quarterly disks that include sample Frontier scripts and C code and also contains install files to add Frontier capability to popular Apple-event-aware applications. The Extras will appeal to both programmers and end users, although programmers probably will benefit from the service most.
Conclusions. The Version 2.0 upgrade to Frontier is an ambitious one. Frontier is a complex program with many layers; this upgrade is a largely successful attempt to improve its usefulness while decreasing complexity. System-level scripting and interapplication communications are not easy to implement. Frontier goes far in allowing users to access many of the rich features that Apple buried deep inside System 7.
As before, Frontier's product support is excellent. The manual has not been upgraded with this release, but the on-line documentation is completely up-to-date and easier to navigate. UserLand maintains a presence by phone, fax, the Internet and many of the public electronic bulletin boards and services. People at the company have been both enthusiastic and helpful toward their users.
On the horizon, Apple is readying AppleScript, a systemwide scripting language that someday will perform many of the tasks of Frontier, most likely with a HyperCard front end. While it may offer Frontier substantial competition when it ships next fall, Frontier is here now. In addition, UserLand has improved Frontier significantly in its second release. For those willing to invest in learning its power, Frontier 2.0 delivers as promised and has an interface that likely will be preferred by many users to whatever Apple may have waiting in the wings.
UserLand Software Inc. is at 400 Seaport Court, Redwood City, Calif. 94063. Phone (415) 369-6600, fax (415) 369-6618.
Score Card: Frontier
UserLand Software Inc.
Version tested: 2.0
List price: $249*
Overall value ****
Frontier is a system-level scripting program that can automate almost all Finder tasks and send and receive Apple event messages from programs that support interapplication communications. In its second version, new tools make Frontier both more accessible to novices and more powerful for experts. Enhanced support for simultaneous Frontier applications running across networks, script launching from a resident Finder menu, externally compiled code resources and new droplet mini-applications are provided. A shareware runtime version can operate most scripts developed in the full version, but it does not allow script development or editing, which should significantly improve Frontier's utility and market share.
Performance *****
Features ****
Ease of use ****
Documentation/support *****
* Upgrade from Frontier 1.0 is free.
System 7 Compatibility: Frontier 2.0
Balloon help No
TrueType Yes
Publish and subscribe No
Apple events Yes
32-bit addressing* Yes
*According to vendor.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
Reviews Page 45
(c) Copyright 1993 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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Mac the Knife: The medium is the monitor
There are those hearty souls who insist that happiness is where you find it, and to them, happiness is everywhere. Not unlike Bill Clinton. Having a president who never met a travel plan he didn't like has its advantages. Take last week's visit to solidify his support in this industry's heartland.
Overall, most observers gave the expedition good marks, although according to the Knife's own call-in line, several observers in the media insisted on referring to the ground-zero of the U.S. computer revolution as Silicone Valley. Oh well, at least we know why education is a high priority this time out.
Those same call-in lines are continuing to be jammed with requests for advice on how to deal with the changes that Apple has promised for the near future. Some, after purchasing a IIvx or two or 500 a few scant months ago, are annoyed that it has now been devalued to the tune of about $1,000, while the IIvx-to-Centris upgrade itself is in the $1,000 range, also. These callers should indeed be grateful that Apple has offered an upgrade path, an option implied more often than delivered.
Other callers want help deciding between the self-evident advantages of a new Centris or Quadra 800 vs. the admittedly enticing Cyclone. Conventional wisdom says buy it now if you need it now. That's good advice even if you remember the specifications for the new display that Apple has in the works.
Sources tell the Knife that the new monitor is code-named Telecaster for a good reason. In addition to the Sony Trinitron monitor now playing in Apple's standard 14-inch color display, this future display will incorporate a super-sensitive condenser microphone (recessed in a depression one source tastefully described as a "belly button"). It also will include two integrated speakers to accommodate the out part of its sound capabilities. This package is topped off with an Apple Desktop Bus port and a tilt-and-swivel stand and should retail for a bit less than $800.
Say it ain't so. Believe it or not, rumors circulate in this industry like flies in the summer heat. Stranger yet, rumors sometimes accumulate with a questionable basis in reality.
That's certainly the case with the stories the Knife is hearing about the death of the project to build pen extensions to the Mac OS. A quick check of those many oh-so-reliable sources revealed that the work is chugging along just fine, thank you, and may still see the bright light of day by the end of the year.
And although these pen extensions are a natural candidate for use on one or more of the more-portable Macs, there's reason that the same technology could be put to use on the more-sedentary Macs, too.
The 80 percent marketing solution. As previously reported, Apple is actively pursuing the perceived market opportunity in keyed applications on CD-ROM. The Knife has recently learned a few of the details of this adventure.
According to sources, Apple is offering its most valued and respected third-party developers a whopping 20 percent of the derived revenue. All the developers have to do is support and continue to develop their products. So now we know exactly the value Apple places on marketing and distribution. Who says big isn't good?
And speaking of big, didn't that eight-page spread in the national edition of The New York Times last week show a little moxie? But let's hope that Apple isn't taking too much pleasure in the court ruling that the term "Windows" can't be trademarked. Sources claim that Tektronix has laid a claim to certain rights to technology used in QuickTime clips. Could be a good season for the lawyers.
Who needs a trademark or patent controversy when you've got a MacWEEK mug? For those in the know, the games begin at (415) 243-3544, fax (415) 243-3650, MCI (MactheKnife), Internet (mac_the_knife@macweek.ziff.com), AppleLink (MacWEEK) and CompuServe/ZiffNet/Mac.
MacWEEK 03.01.93
Mac the Knife Page 114
(c) Copyright 1993 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
