Eagles Nest BBS 7/Eagles_Nest_Mac_Collection_Disc_7.TOAST/MacWEEK/MacWEEK931213

Text File | 1994-07-23 | 84KB | 1,845 lines

December 13, 1993 MacWEEK News
==============================

  (c) Copyright 1993 Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. All rights reserved.
  This material may not be reproduced in any form without
  permission.

News: Apple readies '94 PowerBooks
----------------------------------
By Matthew Rothenberg

Cupertino, Calif. - Most of Apple's current all-in-one PowerBooks
will reportedly reach the end of the line by mid-1994 as the company
embarks on three new laptop tracks.

According to sources, Apple will take the PowerBook 165c off its
price list this year; the 180, 180c and 145B will be discontinued by
the middle of next year.

At the same time, Apple will reportedly discontinue the PowerBook Duo
250 and 270c; it will also cancel the Duo 230 by the end of 1994.

In place of the current models, Apple will introduce:

*  The Blackbird line. Sources said Apple's all-in-one modular Macs
have tentatively been named the PowerBook 520, 520c, 540 and 540c.
The 520 will come with a four-bit supertwist gray-scale screen, the
520c will include a 16-bit passive-matrix color screen, the 540 will
ship with a four-bit active-matrix gray-scale screen, and the 540c
will feature a 16-bit active-matrix color screen. Blackbird owners
will be able to upgrad to active-matrix gray-scale or color displays
from the passive-matrix screens, sources said. In addition,
PowerPC-based versions of the Blackbird models will reportedly be
available at the end of 1994.

The 520 and 540 series will use 25- and 33-MHz 68LC040 processors,
respectively, sources said. The models' two modular bays will let
users add a power pack, processor direct slot cards or expansion
modules. The laptops will be the first PowerBook models to support
PCMCIA cards, via an expansion module.

Blackbird accessories will include 8- and 32-Mbyte RAM expansion
kits, as well as a new version of the PowerBook Express Modem.

*  Low-cost laptop. Apple's replacement for the 145B will reportedly
have a street price of $1,200 in a 4/120 configuration. It will
include a 33-MHz 68030 chip, as well as a 9.5-inch gray-scale LCD
screen.

*  '040 Duos. Apple will reportedly ship two Duos based on the 33-MHz
68LC040 chip and featuring active-matrix four-bit gray-scale and
16-bit color screens. Duo 250 and 70c owners will be able to upgrade
via a new logic board.

Sources said that current Duo accessories will work with the new
models. Both will ship with a software utility that will let users
make common adjustments to their desktops via a "ribbon" at the
right-hand side of the menu bar.

Apple declined to comment on the reports.

News Page 1


News: Newton improves profile with database
-------------------------------------------
By Raines Cohen

Santa Clara, Calif. - The first general-purpose flat-file database
for Newtons, due out early next year, promises to help personal
digital assistants find new applications in mobile data collection
and management.

HealthCare Communications Inc. showed off the program, code-named
ProFiles, at the Newton Platform Development Conference here last
week.

ProFiles uses file cabinets to represent collections of records. It
supports as many cainets, fields and indexes as fit into memory. The
program also lets users beam individual records and file cabinets
between Newtons.

ProFiles' tool palette lets users create fields, set field attributes
and format entry forms. Tools also help users align fields, snap them
to a grid and adjust layering. The program supports standard
text-entry fields, radio buttons, check boxes and pop-up lists to
facilitate mobile data entry without forcing users to rely on
handwriting recognition.

Fields can trigger nonrelational look-ups into other ProFiles
databases in a manner similar to that of Claris Corp.'s FileMaker
Pro; look-ups can also be made to other Newton applications. Fields
can be linked to formulas that execute NewtonScript code and tap on
the program's 40 built-in navigation functions.

In data-browsing mode, double-tapping a phone field dials the phone
number, a date field brings up a calendar date picker and numeric
fields display the appropriate keyboards for data entry. A standard
Newton browse gives users an overview of data in a file cabinet,
letting them scroll between records, select the field to sort by and
jump to a particular letter.

ProFiles includes graphing commands that can create simple line,
scatter and combination plots based on field contents. It will also
be able to import bit-mapped images for illustrating forms.

A runtime version of ProFiles without form-editing functions requires
about 60 Kbytes of RAM so developers can create small stand-alone
databases that can run on a stock MessagePad without any memory
expansion cards. The full version uses about 250 Kbytes.

HealthCare said ProFiles will be bundled with Mac and Windows
applications that can directly exchange data with Newtons via serial
and AppleTalk connections, without Apple's Newton Connection Kit. The
company said the programs will be able to import and export
desktop-system databases; the Mac version will be scriptable and able
to update other databases via Apple events.

ProFiles is due to go into beta testng this month. The company said
it may also include templates, mail merge functions, a report writer
and a forms-design guide.

According to HealthCare, it developed the underlying database engine
as part of its Hippocrates Newton application for health-care
professionals and managers. The health-care vertical-market
specialist said it may turn to an outside partner with more
experience in publishing productivity applications to bring ProFiles
to market. Pricing has not been set.

HealthCare Communications Inc. is at 300 S. 68th St., Suite 100,
Lincoln, Neb. 68510. Phone [phone] or [phone]; fax
[phone].

News Page 1


News: Texas relents on Apple tax break
--------------------------------------
By Deborah Cole

Austin, Texas - In an apparent political about-face, the Williamson
County Commission voted 3-2 last week to grant Apple a controversial
tax break fo the company to build an $80 million customer-support
center.

The small county northeast of Austin faced a torrent of national
publicity after voting 3-2 last week to deny Apple a routine $750,000
tax break because the company offers health-care benefits to domestic
partners of gay and lesbian employees (see MacWEEK, Dec. 6, Page 24).
Commissioners claimed that the policy would attract more gays and
lesbians to the area, increase the spread of AIDS and diminish the
"family values" of the community.

The new tax-incentive agreement would refund Apple's property taxes
over a seven-year period, provided Apple improves a public road north
of the 130-acre site near Georgetown. Apple plans to build a
700-employee plant there. Construction is to begin next spring, with
an estimated date of completion in early 1996.

Computer companies are attracted to Texas because it has a
well-educated work force, a high standard of living and no corporate
or state income tax, according to Kathy Schwartz of the state commece
department.

"We were pleased that [the commissioners] reconsidered and gave us a
fair and equitable tax package," said Apple spokesman Bill Keegan.
"The residents and businesses in the area told us that the
commissioners' view did not reflect the values in the community."

Community and industry observers attributed the change of
Commissioner David Hays' swing vote to the fiercely negative public
response generated by media coverage and to arm-twisting by Texas
Gov. Ann Richards and County Commissioner Mike Heiligenstein.

Hays, however, denied his switch was a capitulation. "It is a
something-for-something proposition - a win-win economic deal for
Apple and Williamson County," Hays said in a statement. "This is a
negotiated business transaction and not a subsidy of
[county-resident] taxes."

The fact that Apple will receive its tax money back rather than have
the right to waive payment apparently meant the difference for Hays
between a county business deal and a "tacit endorsement" of Apple's
beefits policy. Business leaders in the area were simply happy to
have an estimated $300 million windfall for the community from
greater employment, construction and consumer spending.

"People in the community are concerned about family values and morals
but also about jobs." said Glenn E. West, president of the Greater
Austin Chamber of Commerce.

National civil-rights groups were relieved and elated by the
decision.

"We think this is a victory for Apple and for domestic-partnership
policies," said David Smith, a spokesman for the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C.

Tom Rielly, director of strategic relations at SuperMac Technology
Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., and a founder of Digital Queers, an
industry gay and lesbian rights group, explained that because Apple
is perceived as a "bellwether company, American as Apple pie" across
the country, the case became very high-profile, and groups on both
sides of the issue saw the battle as highly symbolic.

Rielly called the conflict th latest in a nationwide trend in which
right-wing groups pit gay rights against jobs.

"In other words, they're saying, 'These are corrupt rich people
coming to take your jobs away,' " Rielly said. "But this was a case
of underemployed and unemployed people saying we don't want to lose
jobs because of hatred."

What little support the commission received for its initial vote came
from the Texas Republican Executive Committee. "Taxpayers' money
should not be used to subsidize a practice that many of the people in
that county found both illegal and immoral," said Republican National
Committeeman Ernest Angelo, who referred to a Texas sodomy law that
prohibits sex between same-gender partners.

Angelo cited the requirement that Apple improve a public road as
evidence of "compromise" on the part of Apple, comparing the deal to
Dell Computer Corp.'s agreement, which does not require road
construction. Dell, which does not have a domestic-partners policy,
received its tax abatement the day of the first Applevote.

Several sources said that conflicts between the progressive benefits
policies of many computer companies, including Microsoft Corp., Sun
Microsystems Inc. and Adobe Systems Inc., and the traditional
morality of conservative communities may prompt more controversies in
the near future.

News Page 1


News: OS similarity only skin deep
----------------------------------
By Stephen Howard and Raines Cohen

A new version of the Mac OS designed to run on RISC processors is
fundamental in the Mac's transition to PowerPC. Although sources said
the OS for the initial PowerPC Macs will hew closely to the currently
available System 7.1, it will nonetheless represent a none-too-subtle
OS shift.

Apple has staked its sales on the promise that PowerPC Macs will run
the vast majority of current software. Some of the new OS will be
rewritten to run native on PowerPC, but the bulk ofthe system will
actually remain in 680x0 code and will run in emulation.

In subsequent revisions, the proportion of native code will increase,
but it's unlikely that there will ever be a purely RISC version of
System 7. While PowerPC versions of the Mac OS will look the same as
CISC (complex instruction set computing) ones, internally they will
be very different.

It is unclear if Apple will offer a "fat binary" version of the
system that can run on both CISC and RISC Macs. A fat binary includes
redundant code for both 68000 and PowerPC processors in one file. The
system automatically loads the right version for the CPU at launch.

Apple will reportedly deliver a new OS package and Installer that
will let users configure their Macs with CISC, choose or fat binary
versions. If managers do not to install a fat binary, hard disks so
configured will be able to boot a RISC or a CISC Mac, but not both.

How much of a problem is this? That all depends on your users' level
of expertise and your site-managemnt style. The few inevitable
incompatibilities will force support staff and power users to
confront the low-level differences between the RISC and CISC System
7s. Some of these are profound, such as the change in how programs
are loaded, the use of virtual and real memory, and access to
advanced math functions. Having a choice of binary types represents a
change in OS support, but it doesn't scare some managers.

"It certainly was like this in the old days, with different versions
of System 6 for different machines. As long as they could work
together and the base functions were the same, it didn't matter,"
said G. Morgan Watkins, manager of microcomputer technologies at the
15,000-Mac University of Texas at Austin. "There are always
surprises, though."

Currently, Apple sells three versions of System 7: System 7.1P for
the Performas, which includes At Ease; the standard 7.1; and System 7
Pro, which has PowerTalk built in.

Apple has talked so far only about the transition for the mainstream
OS; it appars likely that the features of Pro will run entirely in
emulation at first.

Apple's OS plans reportedly call for a major reference release, known
as System 7.5, not long after the company ships the first PowerPC
Macs. Likewise, sources said, a revision to the AOCE (Apple Open
Collaboration Environment) components of System 7 Pro is in the works
for release next month.

For corporate Mac sites, these changes represent a more complex field
of options to track.

At the System 7 Pro introduction, Apple said that at some point it
would install that version on selected Mac models at the factory.
This could make things more confusing as Mac orders start arriving
loaded with different versions of the OS.

Over the last year, the number of bug fixes, enabler releases and OS
upgrades have stretched the support duties of many Mac sites. With
the arrival of PowerPC, the complexity will be magnified. Even if
Apple's claims of near-perfect compatibility for applications and
network services holds true, Mac managrs are going to have to learn
to live with the OS changes and ongoing maintenance the transition
will require.

News Page 1


News: Metrowerks charges in with Code Warrior
---------------------------------------------
By Robert Hess

St. Laurent, Quebec - Metrowerks Inc. says it has the ideal solution
for programmers who want to leap from development for current Macs to
PowerPC. The company's Code Warrior development environment is
currently available in prerelease form; a final version will ship at
the same time as the PowerPC Macs.

With Code Warrior you can write code in Pascal, C or C++; program on
either 680x0- or PowerPC-based Macs; and compile for either processor
family. In addition, the company said compilation will be faster in
Code Warrior than in any other environment.

Based on our examination of an early version of Code Warrior and the
discussion within the developer commnity, Metrowerks has done an
outstanding job. It shows promise of becoming a major player in the
compiler community.

Code Warrior comprises three compilers - C, C++ and Pascal. Each
compiler will be available in release versions for both 680x0 and
PowerPC Macs, and each can generate code for both Mac processors.
Metrowerks has done an excellent job of wrapping all these components
into a single environment.

It appears Metrowerks has concentrated most of its efforts on the C
portion of the product. Programmers of C++ will notice a few minor
rough spots, which Metrowerks said will be worked out in an upcoming
version. A Pascal compiler is currently available only for 680x0
Macs; the PowerPC version will be available by the second quarter of
next year.

Like Symantec Corp.'s Think environments, Code Warrior combines the
development components into a single environment. A separate debugger
is available in both 680x0 and PowerPC form.

Code Warrior's editor includes a configurable tool bar with up to
24buttons. A nice touch is an area below the buttons where each
button's function is explained when it is pointed to. Standard
search-and-replace functions are provided, including across multiple
files.

Code Warrior supports the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop ToolServer,
but it cannot fully use the MPW SourceServer. Access to other
developer tools, such as external editors, reportedly will be added
soon.

Developers we spoke to were unanimous in their praise of Metrowerks'
philosophy toward project management. Code Warrior resembles a hybrid
of the Think and MPW environments. It closely resembles Think and has
similar functionality, and it provides function segmentation and
multiple-project management like MPW.

Code Warrior's greatest strength is its speed of compilation. On the
lowest-end PowerPC Mac, users should see throughput of about 100,000
lines compiled per minute. This simply buries Think and MPW; one
developer has reported compilation time for a massive application
dropping from 16 hours wit Apple's RISC Software Developer's Kit on a
Quadra 950 to 11.5 minutes in Code Warrior on either a 66-MHz PowerPC
Mac or a Quadra 840AV. Especially because programming for the PowerPC
requires the mastery of new concepts, the speed with which a
programmer can complete the program-compile-test cycle within Code
Warrior is beneficial.

It's still a bit early to judge the quality of the code generated by
Code Warrior. It appears to be solid overall with few crash-causing
bugs. Generated code is not quite as fast as that generated on IBM
Corp.'s RS6000, however. According to Metrowerks, the release version
will incorporate most but not all of the code optimizers available in
IBM's compiler, so developers needing to squeeze every last bit of
speed out of an application might still see benefits in the IBM
product.

Developers have been vocal in their displeasure with how Symantec has
handled Think bug reports and user complaints. Metrowerks has
indicated it is monitoring the community's concerns and is making
very effort to learn from the competition's mistakes. We hope it
succeeds; thus far, it has been highly responsive.

Metrowerks will sell three versions of Code Warrior. Each will
include the Pascal, C and C++ compilers and Metrowerks' PowerPlant
object library. The Bronze edition is intended for development on a
680x0-series Mac and will sell for $199. The $299 Silver edition will
be for PowerPC developers. A Gold edition will include both packages
for $399. Users who purchase Code Warrior now will receive an update
between now and the final release, as well as the final package.

Metrowerks Inc. is at 1500 du College, Suite 300, St. Laurent, Quebec
H4L 5G6, Canada. Phone [phone]; fax [phone].

News Page 1


Review: Aldus takes upper hand with FreeHand
--------------------------------------------
By Bruce Fraser

The release of Aldus FreeHand 4.0, coming as it does on te heels of
Adobe Illustrator 5.0 (see MacWEEK, Aug. 23, Page 43), represents the
latest salvo in a five-year-plus features war. This round has seen
both programs make bigger changes than in any previous upgrade.

The new version of FreeHand, which sells for $595, features a
revamped user interface that replaces most of the previous version's
modal dialog boxes with modeless palettes. FreeHand documents can
contain multiple pages; text handling is vastly more powerful than in
previous versions; and FreeHand can finally open its own Encapsulated
PostScript files, so desktop publishers no longer need to keep two
versions of their FreeHand files.

There are two new tools, Polygon and Bezigon. The Polygon tool
creates regular polygons or star bursts with up to 20 sides. The
Bezigon tool replaces the old Corner, Connector and Curve Point
tools. You use the Bezigon to create paths by simply clicking to
place anchor points. In addition, holding down the Option key and
clicking produces a curve point, and Controlclicking produces a
connector point. The Bezigon works best for those who like to place
their anchor points first, complete the path, then go back and edit
the direction handles. The Calligraphic Pen, a Freehand tool option,
works like a pressure-sensitive freehand tool with an angled nib.

A bigger change, though, is the replacement of most dialog boxes by
floating palettes. The Colors List, Layers and Styles palettes are
joined in Version 4 by a Color Mixer, a Tints palette, a Type
palette, and the Inspector - the most powerful palette of all.

The Align command also opens a modeless palette, and the
transformation tools share a Transformation palette, which lets you
use numerical values to apply multiple transformations. The plethora
of palettes makes some hefty demands on screen real estate, but you
can collapse any palette to a title bar by clicking its zoom box.

Enter the Inspector

The Inspector palette single-handedly replaces dozens of dialog
boxes. Five icons on the Inspector palette let yu choose the Object,
Fill, Stroke, Text or Document Inspector. The options change
depending on the current selection.

The Object Inspector replaces the previous version's Element Info
command. You can open or close paths, convert points from one type to
another, set the corner radius for rectangles, and so on.

The Document Inspector replaces the Document Setup command and lets
you add, delete and rearrange pages. The maximum number of pages in a
document depends on their size: All pages must fit without overlap on
the 54-inch-square pasteboard.

The Fill and Stroke Inspectors replace the Fill and Line dialog box.
With these options, you can choose fill type and color, stroke width,
caps, joins, line style, arrowheads (which are now editable), miter
limit, and overprinting of fills and strokes.

Text handling

FreeHand has traditionally lagged behind Illustrator in text
handling, but its new type capabilities go beyond those expected in
illustration programs: They're almost on  par with the major
age-layout applications. You can type text directly on the page or
into an existing path, link text blocks, and flow text from one path
to another.

The Type palette lets you choose font, size and style. The Inspector
palette handles most of the other type controls. The icon-driven
interface takes a little time to learn because of the wealth of
options it offers, but once mastered, it's very efficient.

A full complement of paragraph-level formatting is available,
including indents and tabs, space before and after paragraphs,
alignment, word and letter spacing, and hyphenation control.
Character-level format options include horizontal scaling, baseline
shift, and pair and range kerning, in addition to font, size and
style.

A few of FreeHand's type-handling features go beyond those of
page-layout programs. FreeHand lets you designate not only the number
of columns in a text block but the number of rows and the direction
in which the text flows. You can ask FreeHand to balance the rows and
columns, eithr by adding leading or by adjusting leading and type
size.

You can designate the limits within which you'll allow the type size
to change, and ignore columns less than a certain length. This is a
great implementation of an insanely useful feature.

In addition to left, right, center and decimal tabs, FreeHand has
wrapping tabs, which let you wrap text in the columns of a table.
Both Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress could use this feature.

The Hang Punctuation option is a bit less successful - it hangs the
punctuation completely outside the margin, and it doesn't give you
any control over which characters get hung. It may look good on the
features chart, but typographers won't find it useful. In fairness,
we acknowledge that none of the other desktop applications do it any
better. For an illustration program, FreeHand's type controls are
industrial-strength.

Drag-and-drop color

FreeHand's drag-and-drop color features are innovative and downright
cool. Once you've created a color in the Color Mixe palette, you can
drag it to the Colors List palette for future use, or you can simply
drag and drop to apply it to an object in the illustration - you
don't need to select the object first. Dropping the color inside the
object applies it as a fill, while dropping it on the object's
boundary applies it to the stroke. You can create radial fills by
Option-dragging and graduated fills by Control-dragging.

To redefine a color that's already in the Colors List, you can mix a
new color and drag and drop on the appropriate swatch in the Colors
List. Any objects already using that color will change to the new
color. If you applied a color directly from the Color Mixer and
didn't add it to the Colors List, you can grab it from the Fill or
Stroke Inspector and drag it to the Colors List, or drag it to the
Color Mixer for editing.

You can also drag and drop colors to and from the Tints palette,
which lets you create percentage tints very quickly.

You can apply a color to the stroke or fill of multiple objectsby
selecting them and dragging the color to the appropriate swatch in
the Fill or Stroke Inspector. In all, the drag-and-drop options
provide a very fluid and intuitive way of working with color.

Path operations

FreeHand lacks the range of plug-in filters found in Illustrator 5,
but the new Path operations provide some of the same functionality.
Simplify, for example, is particularly useful for freehand or
auto-traced paths.

The Remove Overlap, Union, Intersect and Punch commands provide
various useful ways of combining paths. Intersect also has a nifty
undocumented feature that lets you simulate transparent paths. If you
hold down the Option key when choosing Intersect, you get a dialog
box with a Transparency slider. The result is a path that's the shape
of the intersection of the two selected paths, but its fill color is
calculated to make it look as if the two paths are overlapping and
transparent.

One of the major hassles with previous versions of FreeHand was that
it couldn't read its own ES files. Now when you export an EPS file,
you can include the native FreeHand document in the EPS file. Altsys
Corp.'s EPS Exchange add-on has also been rolled into the program, so
FreeHand can import and export files in Adobe Illustrator 1.1,
Illustrator 88 and Illustrator 3 formats as well as EPS, PICT and
Microsoft Corp.'s RTF.

The documentation is up to Aldus' usual high standards, but Mac users
may find it slightly annoying that all the screen shots in the
manuals represent the as-yet-unannounced Windows version.

Conclusions

The combination of multiple-page capability and beefed-up text
handling might make FreeHand 4 look like a substitute for a
page-layout program, but it has no paragraph styles, no search and
replace, no easy way to import formatted text except for RTF - which
works only up to a point - and no master pages.

As an illustration program, it's first-rate. The drag-and-drop color
features are a delight to use, and the new text-handling features do
everything one could reasonabl expect from a drawing program.
FreeHand users should find the upgrade addresses most of their
wish-list items, and it might win some converts among users of its
competition, too.

Aldus Corp. is at 411 First Ave. S., Seattle, Wash. 98104-2871. Phone
[phone].

Illustrator-FreeHand match no longer a draw

Any comparison of Aldus FreeHand 4.0 and Adobe Illustrator 5.0 is
likely to say as much about the biases of those making the comparison
as it is about the two programs. In general, the programs are at
parity in terms of features, as they have been throughout their
history, but the differences in the way these capabilities are
presented are more pronounced in this iteration than ever before.

Each has some obvious strengths that the other lacks. Illustrator 5
has the Gradients palette, which lets you create complex color
gradations that go far beyond the blending of two colors. However,
this feature has been widely reported to cause printing problems that
are only now being solved. A more intersting property of Illustrator
5 is the new plug-in filter architecture. The Selection filters, in
particular, offer capabilities that FreeHand 4 still lacks - such as
selecting objects with the same stroke or fill color.

FreeHand, on the other hand, goes far beyond Illustrator in text
handling, and adds multiple-page capability that makes it a viable
choice for short brochures and booklets as well as the more
traditional single-page illustrations. The drag-and-drop color
interface is a real innovation, providing an intuitive working method
that both encourages experimentation and aids production.

While Illustrator 5 is not without its share of innovation, it seems
that most of the new features were aimed at addressing areas where it
lagged behind FreeHand 3.x, such as layers and graduated fills. We
find it shocking that Illustrator 5 has no meaningful support for
PostScript Level 2 - Adobe of all companies should at least have
implemented pattern caching in Illustrator 5.

FreeHand 4 has headed into ntirely new territory both in user
interface and in some of its more advanced text-handling features,
such as automatic copy fitting. At the moment, it looks like the more
capable application of the two, and the one to which more thought was
devoted in the development cycle. While each program will undoubtedly
have its partisans, we'd have to say that Aldus wins this round on
points, even if it stops short of a knockout. - By Bruce Fraser

Reviews Page 1


News: HyperCard, AppleScript get upgrades
-----------------------------------------
By Robert Hess

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple this week will introduce new versions of
HyperCard and AppleScript that integrate the two tools' functionality
and take initial steps toward the OpenDoc compound-document
environment.

* AppleScript. Apple's $189 AppleScript Scripter's Kit, due this
month, is designed for solutions providers, in-house develoers,
value-added resellers and system integrators, as well as users.

The kit includes an enhanced script editor and the Frontmost
Interface Processor from Software Designs Unlimited Inc., which lets
script writers incorporate dialog boxes and other interactive
interface elements.

The kit also includes Version 1.1 of the AppleScript extension, which
supports multiple dialects through drop-in extensions, and comes with
French and Japanese extensions.

The kit comes with a license permitting unrestricted redistribution
of scripts and the necessary AppleScript software to run a script.

The AppleScript Developer's Kit also will be updated this month with
AppleScript 1.1. The update will include a prerelease version of the
scriptable Finder; sources said this Finder will debut for end users
in Apple's upcoming system software reference release, expected April
4.

* HyperCard. Version 2.2, also due this month, supports AppleScript
and other Open Scripting Architecture-compatible scripting systems.

Anew feature called ColorTools lets designers add color to stacks.
Color PICT graphics can be used within cards, and each element of a
card - such as fields and buttons - can be colorized.

HyperCard 2.2 will support QuickTime and until spring will be bundled
with Motion Works International's ADDmotion II.

The designer's toolbox has several new objects, including default
buttons, oval buttons, true radio buttons, pop-up menus and list
fields. Buttons can now have color beveling.

The new version supports WorldScript, so designers can create
multilingual stacks. Stacks can now be saved as stand-alone
applications and may be redistributed without paying royalties to
Apple.

HyperCard 2.2 will sell for $139 for a limited time, after which it
will be $249. Upgrades are $89.

Apple is positioning HyperCard and AppleScript as the first steps in
the OpenDoc architecture. The company said AppleScript will play a
vital role in the communication between OpenDoc components, and
HyperCard will be able to act a both a container of parts and a part
itself.

News Page 3


News: To our readers
--------------------
MacWEEK will not publish Dec. 20 and 27. Look for our expanded
Macworld Expo issue on Jan. 3, featuring our annual report on the
State of Mac Management. Also included will be a special section on
the first decade of Macintosh computing, as well as a look forward to
new directions and technologies.

News Page 3


News: IBM looms as PPC competitor
---------------------------------
By Henry Norr and Mark Hall

Somers, N.Y. - A year from now the Mac will compete not only with
x86-based systems, but also with a variety of RISC-based personal
computers, including PowerPC models from Apple's own alliance
partner, IBM Corp.

IBM's systems wll give buyers an unprecedented degree of choice among
operating systems. But analysts said the wide range of choices could
confuse the market and discourage application developers from making
a commitment to the new platform.

Until recently, IBM has been vague about its plans for PowerPC
outside the workstation market. But at last month's Comdex/Fall '93
in Las Vegas, the company's new Power Personal Systems Division
unveiled a trio of RISC models it plans to deliver in the second half
of 1994. At the same time, PPS released technical specifications for
its designs, called the PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP), and
launched an aggressive effort to encourage other vendors to license
and build PowerPC products.

PPS' plans include a standard desktop model incorporating a PowerPC
601; a notebook using the low-power 603 chip; and what the company
called its ergonomic design, a sleek 603-based desktop system with a
pedestal-mounted, flat-panel display. Features include built-in
CD-ROM drives, new PCI buses nd Fast SCSI connectors.

Like Apple, Big Blue emphasized that the potential of RISC is not
only to speed existing applications but also to support natural,
"human-centered" interface technologies. Comdex demonstrations
included handwriting recognition; voice-control and dictation
systems; and an on-screen "conversational surrogate," an intelligent
software agent represented by the image of a human face. Like the
hardware, these technologies will be available for licensing, the
company said.

Three operating systems were running on the hardware:

* The newly announced PowerPC version of Windows NT, which will run
current DOS and Windows software in emulation and 32-bit Windows
applications in native mode.

* A Unix implementation tentatively called Personal AIX, which will
run about 6,500 existing AIX/6000 applications, as well as Windows
applications via the Wabi emulator.

* Workplace OS, a new IBM system based on the Mach 3.0 microkernel
capable of running DOS-Windows, OS/2, Unix and, eventually Taligent
"personalities."

In addition, Sun Microsystems Inc. will port its Solaris Unix OS,
which will also incorporate NeXT Computer Inc.'s NeXTstep
object-oriented technology, and Taligent Inc. will eventually offer a
full OS for the PReP platform. Novell Inc.'s NetWare and Unix Systems
Labs' System V, Release 4 are also expected.

IBM officials said they expect this flexibility to have strong appeal
to its customers because it will allow users to run almost any
application and give managers freedom to redeploy their hardware for
any purpose.

But Martin Reynolds, director of technology assessment at InfoCorp in
Santa Clara, Calif., questioned that assumption. "I don't see IBM as
a serious competitor for Apple with its PowerPC products," he said.
"It has more rumored operating systems than applications available."

A key challenge for IBM, as for Apple, is to persuade application
developers to produce native-mode applications that take full
advantage of the PowerPC. But Clare Garry, senior analys at New
Science Associates in San Mateo, Calif., said she thinks IBM will
have a hard time luring developers to write directly for its
platform. "People who want to write for Macs or Windows will not be
motivated to write for the IBM PowerPC platform today."

Reynolds said he thinks the market fragmentation resulting from IBM's
strategy will discourage porting to the new platform. "Developers
know they're not going to make money selling $500 apps any more," he
said. "They'll make money selling lots of $100 apps. With IBM's
strategy, if you pick the wrong OS, you're in trouble."

Dave Harding, product manager for WordPerfect for the Mac at
WordPerfect Corp. in Orem, Utah, said: "We think [Apple's models]
will be the hottest and soonest for PowerPC. As far as the PowerPC
goes, it's the best place for us to be."

News Page 4


News: Global to offerDuo modem alternative
------------------------------------------
PowerPort/Mercury supports V.32terbo

By Nathalie Welch

Mountain View, Calif. - The search for a more reliable, more
functional and faster alternative to Apple's Duo Express Modem may
end next month when Global Village Communication Inc. ships its Duo
modem card.

The $399 PowerPort/Mercury Fax/Modem for PowerBook Duo offers data
transmission rates up to 19.2 Kbps using V.32terbo, and send and
receive fax speeds up to 14.4 Kbps.

The Duo modem card is the first to come to market since Apple's $319
Express Modem, a 14.4-Kbps data and 9,600-bps fax device, shipped
early this year. From the start, the Express Modem was assailed by
bugs, and although software upgrades have since addressed many
problems, the Express Modem still has a reputation for being
unreliable.

The Global Village card uses the basic design of the Express Modem,
relying on a digital signal processor (DSP) to perform certain
lower-level communications functions. The Global device uses an AT&T
16A DSP instea of the Rockwell RC144DPL chip Apple uses.

The Global modem supports AppleTalk Remote Access and includes V.32,
V.32bis, V.42, V.42bis protocols, and MNP levels 2 through 5. The
device comes bundled with Global Village's GlobalFax and GlobalFax
OCR packages, in addition to the shareware terminal emulator, ZTerm.

The V.32terbo modulation scheme is an extension of the 14.4-Kbps
V.32bis standard. V.32terbo is supported by more than 20 modem
vendors but has not been adopted by any standards organization.

Until Global Village's announcement, development of any competition
for the Apple Duo Express Modem was difficult because the Duo modem
slot specifications were virtually impossible to obtain, according to
developers.

Global Village Communication Inc. is at 685 E. Middlefield Road,
Building B, Mountain View, Calif. 94043. Phone [phone] or
[phone]; fax [phone].

News Page 18


News: E-mail managers deliver cross-platform
--------------------------------------------
Running a mail system gets more difficult as other hardware platforms
are added to Mac networks.

By Charles Rubin

Electronic mail can rescue your company from the paper chase, but
implementing and running an E-mail system has its challenges.

Ideally, electronic mail should be a no-brainer: You compose a
message, send it, and it gets there. But while developers have made
E-mail easier to create and send for desktop clients, E-mail
administrators often have a tough time on the delivery end. What
seemed like the ideal E-mail program in a Mac-only environment can
become a patchwork of gateways as other hardware platforms are added
to the network. Reluctant users can defeat even the slickest
implementation. And as E-mail use grows, server administration chores
increase as well.

Cross-platform connections

Every Macintosh E-mail package can link Macs reliably, but most
companies have multiple hardwre platforms that have to be connected,
or they must interface with existing E-mail systems both inside and
outside the corporate network.

CE Software Inc.'s QuickMail, Lotus Development Corp.'s cc:Mail for
Macintosh, WordPerfect Corp.'s Office, Microsoft Mail for AppleTalk
Networks and Apple's PowerTalk client each boasts a selection of
gateways to other mail systems, but the bottom line is the
availability and performance of those gateways.

At Epsilon Inc., a direct-mail marketing subsidiary of American
Express in Burlington, Mass., director of office systems Janice
McDermott originally chose QuickMail to connect about 350
Macintoshes. As the Ethernet network expanded to include 550 Macs,
200 PCs and 50 Unix workstations, however, Windows users were left
behind.

"We beta tested QuickMail for Windows for months," McDermott said,
"but we were under pressure from the Windows community to get
something up and running." McDermott chose cc:Mail for the Windows
users, leaving the Mac users on QuickMail ad the Unix users on Unix
mail. She linked the three mail systems with gateways, including
cc:Mail's SMTP Link to connect the cc:Mail users to the Unix users,
and a cc:Mail-to-QuickMail gateway from StarNine Technologies Inc. of
Berkeley, Calif.

Sometimes, users will change from one mail system to another because
of gateway problems. For example, some QuickMail users at Epsilon
have switched to cc:Mail for the Macintosh because its gateways have
proven to be more reliable. "If you need to talk to outside systems,
such as MCI Mail or Internet, it's easier to do it from cc:Mail,"
McDermott said.

Making it mandatory

Once the E-mail system is up and running, the next challenge is
getting people to use it. "It's crucial to have an implementation
plan that guarantees that people will use E-mail," said Steve
Alburty, MIS director at the Chiat/Day advertising agency. "There's a
certain percentage of the population that will resist using E-mail,
and you're going to have that battle of how to get them involved"

When it originally installed QuickMail on its 500 Macs three years
ago, Chiat/Day had no voice-mail system, Alburty said. "We decided
that every time somebody got a phone message through the
receptionist, it would be delivered through E-mail. We banned the use
of 'While You Were Out' pads, so if people wanted to get their phone
messages, they had to use E-mail. We went from zero to 100 percent
usage of E-mail in an office within a week."

Of course, voice-mail systems eliminate this strategy, but using mail
for other important messages also does the job. San Francisco-based
independent information systems consultant Kathleen Palmer said, "One
idea is to have the CEO or top people in the company use it to
broadcast information everybody needs to know so that when people are
reluctant to use E-mail they're out of the loop."

Playing post office

As E-mail use spreads, managing disk space and updating user
directories on mail servers becomes increasingly important. At U.S.
Computer Services, an MIS rovider for cable television companies
based in Sacramento, Calif., information services director Scott
Langdoc has been using QuickMail for almost four years to connect
some 650 DOS-based PCs and 250 Macs located in offices around the
country. The system uses nine separate mail servers, and with
hundreds of messages being posted, hard disk servers can rapidly fill
up without regular maintenance.

"We take a very active approach to maintaining server space," Langdoc
said. "If you've got 100 people running on an SE/30 mail server with
a 120-Mbyte hard drive, you have to actively watch that people aren't
storing five or 10 messages with 1-Mbyte enclosures in their mailbox,
because that can quickly fill up a server's disk drive. We suggest
users file messages away on their own disks or delete messages where
appropriate."

Naturally, servers with gigabyte disk drives don't have to be
monitored so closely, and E-mail packages can be set to automatically
delete messages after a certain interval. But along withmonitoring
storage space, mail administrators must also protect messages with
backups and database integrity checks.

Palmer said she recommends that her clients back up their servers
daily and, depending on the size of the mail directory, run database
integrity checks weekly or monthly. Every leading E-mail program
offers utilities to check database integrity.

"You can get hardware or transmission problems that can corrupt the
address database," she said. "Administrators can always wait for
users to tell them they're having trouble, but it's better to detect
problems before it gets to a point where you can't access the
database to deliver a message."

In large installations where user directories change frequently,
directory administration is another ongoing task. "Our cc:Mail side
is easier to administer because of directory structures that are set
up," said McDermott. "We've created a single, empty post office that
has every user's address in it, and we can enter a person's name
there, specify whic post office they're in, and it gets sent out
automatically to all the users. With QuickMail, we have to physically
build new address books, send them out and then have the users
install them."

No pain, no gain

E-mail users agree that the hassle is worth it. Langdoc said, "The
comments I hear the most often, especially among our senior managers,
are, 'It's changed the way I work.' "

News Page 22


Gateways: Foresight's FastPace networks contacts
------------------------------------------------
By Nathalie Welch

Fort Worth, Texas - Foresight Technology Inc. is developing a
workgroup program that will make it easy to synchronize multiple
contact databases across the network.

Due to ship in the first quarter of 1994, the software, currently
code-named FastPace, is expected to cost less than $100 per user.

Based on a peer-to-peer database structure, FastPace will let users
set up pesonal or companywide contact-information databases. Each
database can be accessed locally and by other networked FastPace
users. Each database has a password that gives users access to it
from the LAN.

Users can have their personal contact files merged or synchronized
with other databases constantly in the background or each time they
launch the program. In heavy-use situations, a Mac can be set up as a
dedicated contact-database server for use by multiple users.

FastPace can search across several databases at once. Users can also
have multiple databases open to view lists of records and can
double-click on entries to receive detailed views of records.

The program offers customizable fields and space for multiple phone
numbers and electronic-mail addresses. FastPace is able to have the
Mac dial a phone by double-clicking an icon and offers location-aware
phone dialing for the mobile user. FastPace also lets users print
labels, envelopes, reports and fax cover sheets.

Remote users can access databse information via Apple Remote Access
(ARA). FastPace also includes its own dial-in capabilities: "In
addition to ARA support, FastPace can be used to connect directly to
a database via modem attached to a Mac running the program," said
Rich Gay, Foresight president.

Initially, FastPace will be based on Foresight's own distributed
database engine, but subsequent versions will support client-server
databases, including those from EveryWare Development Corp., Oracle
Corp. or Sybase Inc.

Foresight Technology Inc. is at 4100 International Plaza, Suite 538,
Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4818. Phone [phone] or [phone];
fax [phone].

Gateways Page 26


Gateways: MicroPhone gains Internet tools
-----------------------------------------
Software Ventures updates telecom apps

By Nathalie Welch

Berkeley, Calif. - Software Ventures Corp. this week will upgrade its
popularMicroPhone line to support multiple sessions and to include
tools for Internet access.

Version 2.0 of the top-of-the-line MicroPhone Pro will be $195 until
March 31, when the price increases to $295. The midlevel MicroPhone
II 5.0 will be $149 until March 31, and $195 thereafter. The low-end
$49.95 MicroPhone LT, due later this month, was previously offered
only as a bundle to modem vendors; it will now be sold retail,
replacing the discontinued Personal MicroPhone.

New features include:

* Multiple sessions. All three packages now support as many terminal
sessions as memory allows. These can be any combination of modem and
TCP/IP Telnet connections.

* Internet tools. New MicroPhone scripts to automate reading news
groups and electronic mail are included with the high-end Pro
package. Also bundled are the free Fetch and TurboLIP from Hyde Park
Software, Apple's MacTCP and Software Ventures' own Telnet tool.

* Dialog box control. Software Ventures' scripting language now lets
MicroPhone Pro and I users create custom dialog boxes that are
executed from within the program instead of via HyperCard external
commands (XCMDs). The change increases speed and efficiency, the
company said. MicroPhone LT runs scripts created with both MicroPhone
Pro and II packages but cannot create new ones.

* Emulation enhancements. Software Ventures has added a keyboard
remapping feature and keypad palettes for PowerBook users. Wyse 50
emulation was added to the list of terminal types, and the Quick B
file transfer protocol was replaced by CompuServe B+.

The company also improved several other features. The Long Range
Navigator (Loran) script-based front end in the two high-end
offerings works with MCI Mail and GEnie, as well as CompuServe.
Software Ventures has also included its PowerDriver modem driver,
enabling users to set error-correction, compression and sound
settings more easily.

The company had promised last year to integrate send-and-receive fax
into Pro, but the new version's fax capabilities still com from
bundling STF Technologies Inc.'s FAXstf.

Upgrades to MicroPhone II are $34.95 until Jan. 31, after which the
price will be $49.95. An upgrade to MicroPhone Pro without fax is
$49.95, and it's $59.95 with fax until Jan. 31, when the price will
increase to $59.95 and $69.95, respectively.

Software Ventures Corp. is at 2907 Claremont Ave., Berkeley, Calif.
94705. Phone [phone]; fax [phone].

Gateways Page 26


GA: Apple's PhotoFlash snaps up images
--------------------------------------
By Neil McManus

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple this month released PhotoFlash, a new
program that lets users quickly acquire, browse and touch up photos.

Available for $279, PhotoFlash was co-developed by Storm Technology
Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The program's features include:

* Import and export. PhotoFlash supports import and export Adobe
Photoshop plug-ins, allowing t to acquire images with third-party
scanners and cameras. It can save to a variety of formats, including
PICT, TIFF, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), Photo CD,
Photoshop, Encapsulated PostScript and Desktop Color Separation. It
works with RGB (red, green, blue), CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow,
black) and gray-scale images.

* Browser. Users can view thumbnail previews in a browser and drag
and drop images into other applications.

* Photo-enhancement tools. The program lets users adjust brightness
and contrast; remove scratches and dust from images; and straighten,
sharpen, blur, resize, rotate and crop images.

* AppleScript support. PhotoFlash is AppleScript-savvy and includes a
recorder for tracking and playing back repetitive tasks. One-button
scripts included with the program let users automatically place
images into Aldus PageMaker and QuarkXPress documents.

* Acceleration. The program can be accelerated by third-party digital
signal processor boards from companies such as Storm, SuperMa
Technology Inc. and DayStar Digital Inc.

Apple recommends PhotoFlash users work with at least a 68020-based
Mac, 8 Mbytes of RAM and System 7.

GA Page 36


GA: Claris makes Impact on graphics
-----------------------------------
Program combines drawing, charting

By David Morgenstern

Santa Clara, Calif. - Claris Corp. this month will ship ClarisImpact,
its cross-platform business-graphics program.

ClarisImpact is an integrated application that combines charting,
drawing, presentation and word processing functions. The program
comes with template "models" of graphics commonly used in reports and
presentations, including calendars, diagrams, floor plans,
flowcharts, organizational charts, outlines, tables and time lines.
The program prompts users for required data and automatically creates
a custom graphic.

Style functions allow users to control the overall look of a
resentation. The program comes with seven predefined styles, and
users can create custom groups.

"It lets you do what you want and doesn't handcuff you," said John
Grabrick, an advanced systems engineer with 3M Co.'s Engineering
Information Systems Division in St. Paul, Minn. He now produces
project-management reports with ClarisImpact instead of with a
complicated multiprogram publish-and-subscribe setup. "I've gone from
one folder of documents down to a single file," he said.

The program's built-in word processor includes footnotes, page
numbering, spell checking and text wrapping. The program supports
XTND technology, allowing importing and exporting of many data file
formats.

ClarisImpact is built on the Claris Graphics Engine, the company's
cross-platform code base (see MacWEEK, July 26, Page 1). The program
supports PICT, PICT2, CGM (Computer Graphics Metafile), Encapsulated
PostScript, MacDraw II, MacDraw Pro, MacPaint and QuickTime formats.
It comes with a library of 3,000 PICT images.

ClrisImpact will have a list price of $399. Owners of the company's
MacDraw Pro can upgrade for $99. Claris is also offering a $149
upgrade for owners of other graphics applications, including MacDraw
II and ClarisWorks. The Windows version of ClarisImpact is slated to
be available next summer.

Claris Corp. is at 5201 Patrick Henry Drive, Box 58168, Santa Clara,
Calif. 95052. Phone [phone]; fax [phone].

GA Page 36


BusinessWatch: Industry says Apple can survive
----------------------------------------------
By Jon Swartz

Burlingame, Calif. - It didn't exactly hark back to Lincoln vs.
Douglas or Kennedy vs. Nixon, but last week's debate over Apple's
financial health had its moments.

Apple scored a 4-3 victory in an Oxford-style debate on the topic
"Can Apple survive?"

The winning West Coast team of venture capitalists Roger McNamee and
John Doerr rattled off a stringof statistics to make its case to a
group of industry executives at the Technologic Partners conference
here. Among the statistics:

* Apple has built the Macintosh into a $15 billion industry - bigger
than the video game, casino and cable TV markets.

* About 11 million Macs have been sold worldwide, and the installed
base is growing at a rate of 3.5 million units a year.

* Sixty-six percent of users in the booming K-12 market have Macs.

* More than 1 million PowerBooks were sold in the past two years.

* Apple has $800 million in cash and no long-term debt.

* Two-thirds of multimedia vendors have developed Macintosh
applications.

The opposing East Coast team of consultants Andrew Rappaport and
Charles Ferguson, however, managed to toss off a few zingers. To wit:

* "Any company at the mercy of [Microsoft Corp. CEO] Bill Gates will
need the help of the Department of Justice for its own good,"
Ferguson said.

* "Sure, Apple has brand [name recognition], but so did Pan Am, and
it recentl sold its name for $1.2 million," Rappaport said.

Both teams prepared arguments for each side of the question, and a
coin flip shortly before the 40-minute debate decided which side the
teams would take. The West Coast team won the flip and opted to
defend Apple.

An ebullient McNamee was generous in victory: He awarded Rappaport a
slab of "dead" meat.

BusinessWatch Page 48


BusinessWatch: Digital highway hits fork in road
------------------------------------------------
Legislation to rework Communications Act

By Jeff Ubois

Washington - Pending legislation that could rewrite the antiquated
Federal Communications Act of 1934 is generating intense interest
here.  Whether Apple benefits from the bills is uncertain.

Unlike the personal computer industry, which is divided among
hundreds of companies and is intensely competitive, the
telecommunications market is dominated by a handfu of players, and it
is legislation and lawsuits - rather than open competition - that
typically decide the winners and losers.

That's good and bad news for Apple, according to industry analysts.

"The recent moves to allow cable companies to carry phone service and
the [telephone companies] to carry video will be good for not only
Apple but for everyone [trying to bring] data of various types into
the home," said Pieter Hartsook, editor of The Hartsook Letter, an
industry newsletter based in Alameda, Calif. "Clearly, Apple has been
interested for some time and has shown prototypes, such as ezTV, that
have a nice user interface for surfing through 500 channels."

In addition, Hartsook said the wireless-data offerings planned by the
cable companies could be particularly useful for Newton and PowerBook
users.

But Apple will probably not gain any unique advantages from Capitol
Hill politicians, said Michael Yourshaw, a partner with Wiley, Rein
and Fielding, a communications law firm based here. "There ill be a
bigger pie, and [Apple] will be fighting for their slice the way they
always have," he said.

So far, three bills have emerged as leading contenders to rework the
Communications Act, and it is likely the Clinton administration will
introduce its own measure early next year.

The key pending proposals are:

* The National Communications Competition and Information
Infrastructure Act of 1993 would open the local telephone service
markets to competition from cable TV providers and other independent
phone companies. The bill, introduced by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass.,
would also let Bell companies into the cable TV business, repeal
cross-ownership prohibitions in the Cable Act of 1984 and establish a
special board to develop plans for universal service.

* The Antitrust and Communications Reform Act of 1993 would lift
restrictions on Bell companies that prohibit them from manufacturing
equipment and providing long-distance service. The bill was
introduced by Reps. Jack Brooks, D-Texas, and John Dingll, D-Mich.

* The Telecommunications Infrastructure Act of 1993 would open local
phone and cable TV markets to competition, as well as provide for
some level of universal service. Sens. John Danforth, D-Mo., and
Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, wrote the bill.

What the Clinton administration will offer is uncertain, but it is
expected to be similar to measures already introduced.

The Markey bill has gained strong support from several Washington,
D.C.-based public-interest groups, including the Electronic Frontier
Foundation.

"Markey's bill is the only bill that really takes steps to ensure
that people around the country have access to affordable digital
service that would connect them to this information infrastructure,"
said Daniel Weitzner, EFF senior staff counsel. "These
interconnection and access rules need to really be looked at to make
sure people with content and people who want to get into the
equipment market are able to do so."

BusinessWatch Page 48


Review: DeskWriter 310 mixes portability, color
-----------------------------------------------
HP inkjet printer affordable, versatile

By Steve Hannaford

The Hewlett-Packard Co. DeskWriter 310, a 300-dpi inkjet printer
designed to work with portable computers, extends the long-proven
usefulness of the HP inkjet family.

Capable of printing in both CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) color or
black and white, this relatively lightweight printer maintains the
quality and operational ease of other HP inkjets while managing to be
at least luggable. The $379 uni is not only suitable for sales
representatives, presenters and others who need a portable printer,
but it also functions adequately as a desktop printer.

Features and performance

A handsome, compact, black machine, the 310 is a little less than 13
inches by 6 inches, with a thickness of 2.5 inches. The unit weighs
4.3 pounds. The cables for the power supply adapter and the serial
interface are lightweight and flexible, for extra portability.

Like other HP inkjet printers, the 310 uses standard HP ink
cartridges and prints on a wide variety of standard, moderate-weight
paper stocks, as well as on labels and special HP transparency films.
Letter, legal and A4 page sizes are supported. As many as 60 pages
can be loaded into the optional, but highly advisable, sheet-feeding
mechanism.

The water-soluble ink has high definition and renders acceptable
office-quality results. The printer works equally well with its own
set of Agfa Intellifonts (the standard 35 fonts in 13 families are
supplied in the sotware), or with TrueType or PostScript fonts using
Adobe Type Manager. This is not a PostScript printer, so output of
complex PostScript diagrams or PostScript-manipulated type is not
possible unless you use a software PostScript RIP (raster image
processor) such as CAI Inc.'s Freedom of the Press.

The 310 gives off little heat and prints quietly and quickly. We
clocked the speed per page for standard black-and-white text at
between 2 and 3 pages per minute, which is comparable with the speed
of a standard HP DeskWriter.

Installation

The DeskWriter 310 is a little more complex to configure than other
HP printers we have installed. Unlike other models, you may need, as
we did, to consult the manual a few times. If you use the tray
feeder, it takes a little study of the diagrams to determine which
end is up. Still, this is no major problem - we had the unit running
within 15 minutes. Macintosh users have a choice of serial (RS-422)
and AppleTalk interfaces.

Portability

HP offers an optional $99 arrying case that lets you heft your
PowerBook and the 310, along with accessories, and fit them all under
your airplane seat. While this is convenient, if you consider it a
torment to lug a PowerBook alone for extended periods of time, adding
the 310 will drive you crazy. The combination is better-suited for
the back of the car or a suitcase than for running through airports
or exhibition halls.

With that limitation in mind, the 310 is a very good printer to set
up while on the road. It is also sufficient for light office work and
great for preparing last-minute transparencies or making quick edits.

For remote power, HP offers a $49 rechargeable nickel-cadmium
battery, using a standard battery. While we did not review the
battery, the manual states that it can print 100 black-and-white text
pages before it needs recharging. The battery is recharged via the
printer's included AC adapter, much like the PowerBook battery.

Color

The performance, price and portability of the new printer would be
enouh to recommend it for standard text output. For an extra $49, HP
offers a color package that includes a brief manual, a paper and
transparency sampler pack, and a special case for storing the unused
cartridge, although a plastic zip-lock bag would suffice. All you
really need to buy, however, is the $34.95 HP color cartridge.

Switching from black-and-white printing to color printing is as easy
as changing the cartridges. Moreover, the driver is smart enough to
warn you when you are trying to print a color page with the black
cartridge installed, or vice versa.

Color quality is similar to that on other HP CMY inkjets, such as the
500C. Text, as on all CMY printers, looks a little gray on color
pages, but you have to look very closely to notice the difference
from black ink pages. Spot colors look pretty good in general.
Continuous-tone output looks fair, but don't think of replacing your
Tektronix Inc. Phaser II or 3M Rainbow just yet. The vivid color on
transparencies makes the 310 ideally suited for pesentation charts.

Printing color pages is considerably slower than printing black and
white, depending on ink coverage. We found that a 25 percent-covered
color page took more than 3 minutes to print, an acceptable speed for
almost any color printer.

The printer driver gives some control over color issues. You can
adjust blends either for a scatter effect to reduce artifacts or to
use patterns. You can also adjust color intensity. Color matching
controls let you make use of Apple's ColorSync or HP's own
color-matching methods (we found the latter preferable).

Documentation and support

It is not often that printer manuals are remarkable enough to get
more than passing comment, but Hewlett-Packard has outdone itself
with the 310's documentation. It includes a Quick Start Manual, User
Manual and Printer Software Manual, all for the Mac version only. The
User Manual, almost completely oriented to troubleshooting, shows
that the company put in considerable predelivery testing.

Conclusions

Hewlet-Packard's desktop-printer division has achieved a reputation
for affordable, efficient and increasingly stylish machines. Best of
all, it seems to be constantly building on its solid core technology.

If you need a portable printer, the DeskWriter 310 is a big leap
beyond current thermal and dot-matrix printers designed to accompany
PowerBooks. Even with its simple design, this machine has all the
capabilities of the larger DeskWriter C. We think the 310 is a very
good value.

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Direct Marketing Organization is at P.0. Box
58059, MS511L-SJ, Santa Clara, Calif. 95051. Phone [phone];
fax [phone].

Reviews Page 59


Review: DeltaGraph Pro 3.0 tops the charts
------------------------------------------
Enhanced graphing favorite gets handle on color, presentations

By Mel Male

DeltaGraph Pro, one of the best-selling stand-alone charting and
graphingapplications for the Macintosh, continues its bid for the top
of the charts with Version 3.0.

Roughly two years in the making, this major upgrade to DeltaPoint
Inc.'s flagship product includes an array of interface improvements,
offers sophisticated color handling and adds features that help it
complement other applications. DeltaPoint has also added some
powerful presentation tools - an apparent attempt to counter the move
by presentation applications toward more built-in graphing
capabilities.

Interface improvements

As in previous versions, the $79.95 DeltaGraph Pro offers a range of
statistical, financial and other chart types - including many 3-D
offerings - and a powerful range of customization tools. For easier
access to these features, Version 3 includes a command bar below the
menu bar. Navigation buttons let you move between DeltaGraph's four
views - data page, chart window, outliner and page sorter/slide show
- within a single window. This helps avoid the desktop clutter that
results from pening individual windows for each view. A status bar at
the bottom of the DeltaGraph window offers information on selected
items.

You can now open multiple DeltaGraph Pro documents concurrently and
drag and drop objects, such as charts, from one DeltaGraph document
to another. We greatly appreciate this feature, as we've struggled
with the successive one-at-a-time opening and closing of multiple
documents while preparing large presentations.

New additions to DeltaGraph's tool palette include the Eyedropper,
which lets you quickly transfer selected attributes from one object
to another, and the Shadow and Blend tools, which let you apply the
most recently created of these effects to selected objects.

Pressing the Control key and clicking on a draw, text or chart object
gives you the main dialog box for defining the object's attributes.
If you press the Control key and click-hold an object, a menu for
accessing any of the attribute dialogs that apply to the object pops
up. If you make changes in a dilog, you can view them before exiting.
A roll-up feature temporarily hides everything but the dialog's title
bar. We found this feature especially useful with the 13-inch monitor
used in our evaluation.

Chart templates are not new to DeltaGraph Pro 3, but they are now
much simpler to use. Libraries of templates are displayed in floating
palettes as color thumbnails. A great implementation of drag-and-drop
lets you apply a particular template by simply dragging the thumbnail
and dropping it on your chart. To add a custom chart design to a
library you just reverse this process: Select your chart and drag it
to the library palette.

Impressive presentations

One of DeltaGraph's best new features is its page-layout templates,
which let you achieve a consistent style throughout your
presentation. These templates define the placement and formatting of
titles, bullets, graphics and backgrounds and include place holders
for charts. You can create new layouts from scratch or choose from
the wide selection avaiable in DeltaGraph's library.

The new page sorter displays pages as either a thumbnail or a list of
titles. You can sequence charts by clicking and dragging in the
sorter. Built-in presentation embellishments include 32 visual
transitions, transition sound effects, QuickTime movie support, and
support for handout and speaker notes. DeltaGraph also includes a
good outliner.

Sophisticated color

DeltaGraph Pro is now compatible with Pantone Inc.'s ColorUP, which
helps you select harmonious colors for graphs and presentations.
DeltaGraph includes 25 16-color ColorUP palettes, which significantly
enhanced the appearance of our charts. You can also create your own
custom colors and save them as palette files. RGB (red, green, blue),
CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow), CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and
HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) color models and the Mac Toolbox's
color picker dialog are supported.

New charts

Pictographs, new to Version 3, are easy to produce: Simply drag a
picture from DeltaGrap's library, drop it onto a chart that accepts
fills, and the pictograph dialog automatically appears, providing
options for tiling, stacking and scaling.

For statisticians, Histograms, Ogive Histograms and Pareto charts are
now available. New financial charts include Whisker,
Open/High/Low/Close and Candlestick charts. Other additions are Box
Plot, Line Fill, Area Percent, Percent Ternary and three new vector
charts.

A new Chart Advisor helps you choose the chart appropriate for your
audience, the level of detail and the type of data to be presented.

Apple events and scripting

Version 3 supports Apple events and scripting, which lets you
automate tasks such as batch printing of repetitive reports.
DeltaGraph Pro 3 can also function as a charting engine for other
applications that support scripting, such as Microsoft Excel or
Claris Corp.'s FileMaker Pro.

DeltaGraph includes a few sample scripts, but to run any of them (or
any of your own), you need either AppleScript Run-time Kit,
AppleScript oftware Development Toolkit, or a third-party scripting
application such as UserLand Frontier. None of these nor the
necessary documentation is packaged with DeltaGraph Pro. However,
writing custom scripts is no more difficult than writing Excel macros
or Claris Corp.'s HyperCard scripts.

Output flexibility

DeltaGraph provides intuitive menus and dialogs for importing and
exporting graphics. Encapsulated PostScript and PICT format importing
is supported. Graphics, including entire charts, may be exported in
EPS, PICT and Adobe Illustrator 3.2 formats. If necessary, you can
use the Illustrator format as a gateway between DeltaGraph and 3-D
rendering software such as Alias Research Inc.'s Sketch! or Strata
Inc.'s StudioPro.

DeltaGraph also supports high-resolution color printer output to both
PostScript and QuickDraw devices. Special page-setup options are
provided for slide output, and AutoGraphix and MagiCorp film recorder
and service bureau outputs are built-in.

Documentation and support

DeltGraph's user guide is comprehensive and well-organized. Technical
support, which is available 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time weekdays,
was prompt and helpful.

Conclusions

DeltaGraph Pro's enhanced interface makes it much easier for users to
exploit the program's powerful, technically solid features. For
example, additions such as the drag-and-drop chart and layout
templates are easy-to-use and improve the consistency and appearance
of charts. We think most users will find that these features, coupled
with DeltaGraph's new color palette tools, chart sorter and built-in
presentation embellishments, eliminate the need to transfer material
to a separate presentation application.

DeltaPoint Inc. is at 2 Harris Court, Suite B-1, Monterey, Calif.
93940. Phone [phone] or [phone]; fax [phone].

Reviews Page 59


ProductWatch: MacVirus protection is simple
-------------------------------------------
Choosing between protective or detective programs depends on how
intrusive you want the software to be.

By Bruce Schneier

"Protecting yourself from Mac virus infection is easy; it's a wonder
there are people who don't do it," said Ben Liberman, independent
Macintosh consultant in Chicago. There are several good anti-viral
software packages, both commercial and free, designed to protect your
Mac from attack.

There are two types of anti-viral software: protective and detective.
The commercial virus-prevention software packages - Central Point
Software Inc.'s Central Point Anti-Virus for Macintosh 2.0, Symantec
Corp.'s Symantec Anti-Virus for Macintosh 3.5 and Datawatch Corp.'s
Virex 4.1 - support both protective and detective protection. There
are two freeware virus-protection programs: Disinfectant, which takes
a detective approach, and GateKeeper, which takes a protective
approach. Both programs are available on most bulletin board systems
and on-line services.

The prticular means of virus detection you use depends on how
intrusive you want the anti-viral software to be.

Watching the detectives

Detective software scans files looking for specific code fragments
that indicate a virus. These fragments, called signatures, are
different for every virus. Detective anti-viral software can scan
hard disks on command and automatically scan floppy disks,
applications and data files when they are opened.

This method is a good way to detect known viruses; the downside is
you have to update the program every time a new virus is discovered,
and you can never protect against new and unknown viruses. But this
is not much of  a problem, since only four new viruses were
discovered in 1993 (see MacWEEK, Nov. 8, Page 3) and vendors are
quick to provide users with upgrades to fight the latest strains.

"Disinfectant has the big advantage of being user-transparent, so you
don't have to teach people how to use it," said Eric Aubourg,
professor at the Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires in Sclay, France.

An ounce of prevention

Preventive anti-viral software continuously monitors the Macintosh
system, looking for suspicious activity that may indicate a virus
attack. Suspicious activities include an application trying to modify
another or an application trying to modify the System file. When this
occurs the anti-viral software puts up an alert, indicating a
possible virus infection.

Preventive software can detect unknown viruses, but it can also cause
false alarms. "Prevention can really get in the way when you are
developing software," said Brian Hall, president of Mark/Space
Softworks in Santa Clara, Calif.

How serious is the virus threat?

Viruses are real. Dale Hall, end-user computing analyst at Lord Corp.
in Erie, Pa., is responsible for his company's 500 Macs. In 1989,
after receiving about 75 calls a week relating to virus infection, he
convinced his company to purchase a site license for Virex. "I
installed it on every machine, and the problem went away," he said.

These ays, viruses are less of a problem. "I think the virus fad has
run its course in the Mac world," said David Senor, research engineer
at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Still,
without anti-viral software, old viruses can return.

Users who maintain large Mac labs are much more likely to see viruses
than individual users. "I have never seen a virus, but the computer
labs at Case Western are another story," said James Nauer, facilities
manager for Library Information Technologies at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland. Nauer said he uses Disinfectant to keep the
lab machines clean.

"Any place where lots of people have free access to lots of Macs will
have a virus problem unless specific anti-virus measures are taken,"
said Jonathan Brecher, Macintosh archivist for the Internet site
mac.archive.umich.edu at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who
uses Disinfectant and GateKeeper.

Professor Edgar Knapp of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.,
agreed. "In seven yars I have not had a single infection on any of my
machines, but I have seen many infected public Macs," Knapp said.

Viruses of the future

Bill Leininger, a programmer at Crenelle Inc. in Chicago, said he
expects a new wave of viruses to emerge that take advantage of new
technology developments, such as interapplication communications and
telecommunications. "Viruses might use Apple events to tell other
programs what to do and potentially give viruses a whole other means
for infecting programs," Leininger said.

Future viruses might also spread via networks. Leininger said that as
more machines get connected, there could appear Macintosh worms
similar to Robert Morris' Internet worm that clogged the network in
1988.

On the other hand, it is harder to write a successful virus today
than it used to be. For a virus to have any chance of spreading, it
has to circumvent all of the existing anti-viral software. "The level
of knowledge required to write a good virus has gone up
considerably," Leininger sid.

Case Western's Nauer said: "Thanks to the efforts of John Norstad
[author of Disinfectant] and Chris Johnson [author of GateKeeper] and
the various commercial anti-virus vendors, new viruses are usually
caught quickly and anti-virus program updates are issued within a
matter of days."

ProductWatch Page 71


News: Apple to launch e.World
-----------------------------
By Nathalie Welch

Cupertino, Calif. - Apple will officially announce e.World, its new
on-line service, at next month's Macworld Expo in San Francisco,
sources said.

The service, which was code-named Aladdin (see MacWEEK, Oct. 25, Page
1), is expected to become available April 1. Its pricing will be
similar to that of Apple's NewtonMail, according to sources.

Apple charges NewtonMail users $8.95 a month for two hours of
nonprime-time access. Prime-time access comes with a $2.95-per-hour
surcharge, nd each hour beyond the two-hour minimum is $4.95.

The e.World pricing should stand in sharp contrast to AppleLink
rates, which are $37 per daytime hour for 9,600-bps access, plus
additional per-character fees for downloads.

Initially, e.World will offer content similar to what is currently
available on AppleLink, with a few additional features. The service
will offer news, customer support, and hardware and software vendor
forums, according to sources.

Apple will reportedly offer proprietary gateway software for easy
access to the Internet, but this feature will come sometime after the
launch, according to sources.

The e.World interface will slightly resemble the look and feel of
America Online but will use a "place" metaphor instead of a desktop
metaphor and will have new icons designed to simplify navigating the
service. For example, if users wanted to browse the service's on-line
news area, icons would lead them to a newsstand to choose their
selection.

Users will be able to access e.Worldat 9,600 bps, but maximum data
rates are expected to climb to 14.4 Kbps by the end of next year.
Apple will reportedly run both e.World and NewtonMail on a Stratus
Computer Inc. host located at its data center in Napa, Calif.

Apple declined to comment.

News Page 131


Mac the Knife: Another card trick done cheap
--------------------------------------------
As both the calendar year and the Mac's first decade rapidly draw to
a close, most of us find ourselves caught up in the frantic pursuit
of getting everything wrapped up, including, inevitably, the few
remaining loose ends. The specific nature of your own loose ends, of
course, can be highly individualistic. For the Knife, loose ends are
often just solutions thus far not revealed.

For example, you may have already started planning for the task of
physically upgrading your stash of 680x0 Macs in light of the
imminent arrival of the horoughly modern PowerPC Mac. Apple's
official line on upgrading existing Macs has generated more confusion
than confidence. And besides, no matter what upgrade policy Apple
implements, some quarters will whine.

But after learning the details of Apple's new PowerPC Mac on a PDS
card for 68040-based Macs, the Knife was so impressed that he could
barely summon enough cheap sarcasm to maintain his own reputation.
Well, not quite that impressed, but the card itself, which is
expected to be had for $700 or so, should be a welcome solution for
many. So even if you've tentatively reserved your PDS for Apple's
decidedly less exciting 486 card, you might want to hold off on
finalizing that decision until next month's Macworld Expo, at which
Apple is planning to admit publicly what you've just learned here.

Magic right here

Computer-on-a-card tricks won't be the only games being played at the
expo. General Magic, for example, is planning finally to make its
Magic Cap development system available in San Francico that week.
That alone is sufficient to keep a certain class of developers at
attention, but the Knife has learned that there will be an even more
alluring display that same week at the Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas when Sony struts its first Magic Cap device.

Sony's new gadget is  roughly the same size and shape as the
MessagePad and includes a PCMCIA slot and 1 Mbyte of RAM. Sony will
be positioning this as a personal communications device, and as such
it will include point-to-point infrared communications, a built-in
modem and optional wireless modem connections. It will store and
forward electronic mail and will include front ends for the major
electronic services.

PIM management

Holding these neat little things in your hand can be a lot of fun,
and in the very near future more and more of us will indulge.
Meanwhile, most of us get some pretty useful things done, including
managing reams of personal information, on good old-fashioned Macs.
And because we have yet to witness the best o all possible personal
information managers, the quest continues. Down in Southern
California a small outfit called Trio Development is putting the
finishing touches on its interpretation of the ideal. This PIM
includes a calendar, to-do list and contact manager that are
dynamically linked. At the risk of being fined for bending an
interface guideline, it will let you link items manually by dragging
them from one module's window to another.

Final irony

Maybe the recovery has finally begun. During one of those many rounds
of layoffs, Apple saw fit to sever Frank Casanova, then PowerPC
evangelist and high-performance CPU manager with such projects as the
IIfx on his permanent record. Now Apple has re-established the
professional relationship, giving him responsibility for finding OEMs
to license killer technologies developed by ATG. At the new Apple,
even what was once the most closely guarded asset is now for sale.

If you've been waiting for the year-end clearance on MacWEEK mugs,
your exercise in paience has only just begun. But if you've got what
the Knife needs, give it to him at [phone], fax (415)
243-3650, MCI (MactheKnife), Internet
([e-mail]), AppleLink (MacWEEK) or
CompuServe/ZiffNet/Mac.

Mac the Knife Page 134