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Of Interest


MAY94: OF INTEREST

The Hypersignal for Windows Advanced Transmission Library from Hyperception is a set of design and analysis blocks for designing, analyzing, and prototyping digital transmission systems--radio, wireline, fiber-optic, and the like. Designed by John Bellamy, author of the book Digital Telephony, the hypersignal transmission library for software simulation of baseband transmission models, modulation/demodulation (FSK, PSK, and QAM), arbitrary filter design, system-performance measures (BER, eye patterns, and jitter analysis), and the like. The transmission library, which is used in conjunction with the Hypersignal for Windows Block Diagram toolkit, sells for $1495.00. Reader service no. 20.

Hyperception

9550 Skillman, Suite 302

Dallas, TX 75243

214-343-8525

The Software Patent Institute has published its first issue of The SPI Reporter, a quarterly newsletter that keeps developers up to date on the latest with software patents. Published for and distributed to members of the Software Patents Institute, the premier issue of the 12-page newsletter provided an overview of SPI services and activities (the SPI online database, for instance), as well as recent patent-related developments (software-patent hearings, patent applications, and the like). Additionally, future issues will focus on the SPI patent-database project, educational and fund-raising activities, and so on. Contact the Software Patent Institute for information on The SPI Reporter and other services. Reader service no. 21.

Software Patent Institute

2901 Hubbard Road

Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2467

313-769-4606

[email protected]

Image Processing in C, by Dwayne Phillips, has been released by R&D Publications and will be distributed by Prentice Hall. The book, based on the author's long-running series in The C Users Journal, examines the basic concepts of analyzing and enhancing digital images. Central to the book is the C Image Processing System (CIPS), software that lets you read, write, display, and print TIFF images. ISBN #0-13-10454802. The 500-page book retails for $40.00. Reader service no. 22.

Prentice Hall

P.O. Box 11073

Des Moines, IA 50381-1073

515-284-6751

A pair of programming libraries for Texas Instrument's TMS320C40 digital-signal processor has been released by Sinectonalysis. DSP/Veclib includes optimized DSP routines for Fourier transforms, convolutions and correlations, spectral analysis, filtering, image processing, data compression, and the like. In all, the library includes about 300 low-level functions. DSP/Veclib supports environments that use the TI C compiler (SPOX, 3L, C, and Viruoso), as well as C++ and Ada.

STD/Mathlib is a run-time library of 33 math functions that includes hand-coded algorithms for trigonometric, transcendental, hyperbolic, lob, square roots, and so on. STD/Mathlib is compatible with any language (including C++ and Ada) that adheres to TI C conventions.

Both libraries are available for DOS and Sun OS platforms. DSP/Veclib sells for $3000.00 (both DOS and Sun), while STD/Mathlib is priced at $495.00 (for DOS) and $695.00 (for Sun). Reader service no. 23.

Sinectonalysis Inc.

24 Murray Road

West Newton, MA 02165

617-894-8296

Up until now, even if you wanted to use the Qualitas Memory Tester only to test RAM, you had to purchase Qualitas' 386MAX or BlueMAX packages. Now, however, Qualitas has released RAMexam, a stand-alone version of its Memory Tester. Unlike parity testing, which only catches a certain class of errors, RAMexam uses a fault model based on the multiple ways in which RAM is known to fail. This model employs a strategy of specific sequences of bit patterns designed to detect specific types of memory failures. The DOS-based utility sells for $29.95. Reader service no. 24.

Qualitas Inc.

7101 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1024

Bethesda, MD 20814

301-907-6700

If you've had trouble keeping track of software bugs during the development cycle, BugTraker from AFTek Software may enable you to keep better records. Among other things, the program logs the type of bugs found in beta releases, the number of unresolved bugs, and when the bugs were resolved. The Windows-hosted program retails for $119.00. Reader service no. 25.

AFTek Software

Box 383

Troy, NH 03456

603-242-3876

If you're considering becoming an Apple Newton developer, it goes without saying that you'll need a debugger. To that end, Creative Digital Systems has released ViewFrame, a Newton debugging and exploration tool. The system, written by Jason Harper, includes: ViewFrame, a utility that lets you examine and modify Newton objects; ViewFrame Editor, a NotePad-like editor for entering and executing NewtonScript; and the Programmer's Keyboard, a software Newton keyboard for quick entry of NewtonScript expressions. ViewFrame sells for $70.00. Reader service no. 26.

Creating Digital Systems

293 Corbett Ave.

San Francisco, CA 94114

415-621-4252

Designer Widgets are the latest Visual Basic custom controls from Sheridan Software. The Dockable Toolbar control, for instance, lets you create floating toolbars of buttons that the user can "dock" (attach) to the top, sides, or bottom of an MDI form. Index-Tab controls let you design dialogs using the index- tab metaphor to group collections of related options. The FormFX control lets you customize the look of forms by manipulating captions and borders. You can include multiline text and pictures, adjust fonts, or add a 3-D look. Designer Widgets sells for $129.00. Reader service no. 27.

Sheridan Software Systems

35 Pinelawn Road, Suite 206E

Melville, NY 11747

516-753-0985

Hummingbird Communications has announced that it is shipping eXceed/

OS/2, X-server software for OS/2. eXceed/OS/2 allows OS/2-based PCs to connect to and display applications from X Windows-based computers running under UNIX and VMS. The program also allows you to cut and paste data between the different environments.

eXceed/OS/2 is a 32-bit X display server that runs as a native OS/2 app, fully supporting X Window System Release 5. The software uses OS/2's 32-bit multitasking architecture to enable concurrent execution of apps. The software is compatible with IBM TCP/IP 1.2.1 and 2.0, FTP PC-TCP for OS/2 version 1.3, and Novell LAN Workplace for OS/2 version 3.0. eXceed/OS/2 sells for $545.00. Reader service no. 28.

Hummingbird Communications Ltd.

2900 John St., Unit 4

Markham, ON

Canada L3R 5G3

905-470-1203

Database developers who want to visually design their applications can turn to a new set of tools that supports Sequiter Software's CodeBase 5.1 C, C++, Basic, and Pascal DBMS development systems. CodeReporter 2.0, a Windows interface designer and developer's report writer, includes an Instant Report Wizard, drag-and-drop object-creation tools, a report API, and a code-generation capability. Generated reports can run under DOS, OS/2, Windows, NT, Macintosh System 7, and UNIX.

CodeControls 2.0 is a set of Windows custom controls for point-and-click creation of a DBMS interface using Borland C++ Resource Workshop, Microsoft Visual C++ App Studio, and Visual Basic. Among the tools is a Master Control that allows for the point-and-click of record positioning, searching, deleting, and undo. You can also access the API directly, giving complete control of interface objects. CodeBase 5.1 and CodeBase++ 5.1 retail for $495.00; CodeBase 5.1 and CodePascal 5.1 sell for $245.00. Reader service no. 30.

Sequiter Software Inc.

9644-54 Ave., Suite 209

Edmonton, AL

Canada T6E 5V1

403-437-2410

The SoftCop antipiracy software system has been released by SoftCopy International. Using the software, developers embed security codes onto disks or CD-ROMs during the development cycle. As the user installs the protected application onto his PC, the SoftCop system prompts the user to call an 800 number for an authorization code. That code will be provided in 30 to 90 seconds by Bell Sygma, a Bell Canada subsidiary and SoftCop partner. Contact SoftCop for licensing information. Reader service no. 29.

SoftCop International

920 Brant Street, Suite 5

Burlington, ON

Canada L7R 4J1

905-681-3213

Ligature Software has introduced the CharacterEyes SDK that enables developers to integrate neural-network-based optical character recognition (OCR) into software. The company claims that the CharacterEyes package allows users to capture text at up to 300 characters/second with up to 99.6 percent accuracy. The package supports a wide variety of fonts, including obscure typefaces such as Greek letters, Gothic type, and all Western (Latin) character sets.

CharacterEyes supports all major scanners and image file formats, as well as the TWAIN standard. CharacterEyes-based software requires less than 3 Mbytes of hard-disk space and 4 Mbytes of RAM. The CharacterEyes SDK lets you integrate Ligature's OCR engine into your applications. The SDK includes a group of 32-bit DLLs containing the API, a C-syntax header file containing definitions and data types, and external resource files including third-party DLLs. The SDK, currently available only for Windows (the Macintosh version will be ready by mid-1994) sells for $2995.00. Reader service. no. 31.

Ligature Software Inc.

26 Burlington Mall Road, Suite 300

Burlington, MA 01803

617-238-6734

The Open Software Foundation has announced that OSF/Motif has been formally approved by a unanimous vote of the balloting group of the IEEE Computer Society Standards Board as the GUI standard P1295--the Modular Toolkit Environment. The P1295 standard specification of more than 600 pages is derived from the OSF/Motif documentation set, and specifies both the API and appearance and behavior (look and feel) for Motif. Motif 1.2 is compliant with the standard.

Additionally, the Motif API specification has also been submitted to X/Open's Fast-Track review process. The Motif specification under X/Open review is a superset consistent with the core functionality in P1295, and is also derived from the OSF Motif documentation. The X/Open version of the Motif specification contains additional Motif features such as drag-and-drop, internationalization, and gadgets. Reader service no. 32.

Open Software Foundation

11 Cambridge Center

Cambridge, MA 02142

617-621-8700

Now that they've buried their respective GUI hatchets, Microsoft and Apple have announced an agreement involving the interoperability of their messaging and directory services.

As part of the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop a suite of Messaging Application Program Interface (MAPI) service providers, and Apple Open Collaboration Environment (AOCE) technology-based gateways to allow programmers to build cross-platform client-server solutions.

The new gateways and service providers will provide MAPI-compliant applications for Windows access to Apple's PowerShare Collaboration Servers; and will also give applications (based on the AOCE technology and PowerTalk APIs on Macs and PowerBooks) access to Microsoft information management software. Microsoft and Apple also agreed to provide a gateway between their server products and to support the basic send capability Common Mail Calls in their products. Reader service no. 33.

Apple Computer

20525 Mariani Ave.

Cupertino, CA 95014

408-996-1010

Microsoft Corp.

1 Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

206-882-8080

If your development work requires you to keep more than one operating system installed on your hard disk, V Communications' System Commander--a utility that lets you install up to 42 different operating systems on a single PC--may be just the tool you've been waiting for. System Commander manages up to 16 different versions of DOS as well as 26 other Intel-compatible operating systems without your having to repartition your hard disk. Among others, these OSs include MS-DOS 5.0/6.2, PC-DOS 6.1, Novell-DOS 7.0, Windows 3.1/4.0, Windows for Workgroups, NT, OS/2 2.x, UNIX, and NetWare.

When loaded, System Commander displays a menu on boot-up. You simply cursor to the OS you want, then run it. The utility handles CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files for each version of DOS. System Commander sells for $99.95. Reader service no. 34.

V Communications

4320 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 275

San Jose, CA 95129

408-296-4224


Copyright © 1994, Dr. Dobb's Journal


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