TweetFollow Us on Twitter

September 93 - WAMADA Notes

WAMADA Notes

John MacVeigh

The June and July WAMADA meetings both took place in WAMADA's new home: the Advanced Laser Graphics office in Georgetown. Their training room includes almost a dozen Centris 650s with large monitors, allowing everyone to view presentations via Timbuktu over EtherNet. The primary problems encountered so far are parking (in Georgetown even "free" costs $6.50) and our unintentional stress testing of Timbuktu, which hasn't always been up to the job. There has been some interest in using the ALG training room for actual training or tutorial classes on other evenings of the month. That will probably become more likely after the end of summer. Thanks to the efforts of Leslie Jeffries and Mark Gerl we continue to have excellent success in getting speakers for our meetings. The past two speakers covered both ends of the range of object products that are now on the market: NeoLogic's persistent object components, and Visix's Galaxy application environment.

NeoLogic

Over 25 people gathered in June to hear Bob Krause of NeoLogic discuss his company's products: NeoPersist, NeoAccess, and NeoShare. NeoAccess is a collection of components which provide the developer with an object oriented database. It provides multiple keys per class along with an abstract selection class. NeoAccess also returns actual C++ objects, which simplifies coding and reduces redundant storage requirements. Objects are moved into memory on demand and can be purged when space is tight. NeoPersist is a "light" version of NeoAccess. It lacks the secondary keys, source code, and runtime fees of NeoAccess. It also limits the size and number of classes and objects you can use. (See the July/August 1993 copy of FrameWorks for a review of NeoPersist). NeoShare is billed as a "collaborative computing component". It includes NeoAccess, and adds support for sharing, locking, and multi-user access control. NeoShare also adds support for Apple Events, and the OSL. Either we didn't discuss this feature (unlikely, Bob handled lots of questions) or I was so entranced with the presentation that I didn't take any notes on this, so that's all I can say about Apple Event support. (Sounds like a great article opportunity for someone, though!)

NeoAccess and NeoShare are cross platform components. While the Mac and Windows are the currently supported platforms, Bob says that all he needs to port to another system are a file system, a memory manager, and a C++ compiler. The components have been designed to make them easy to use within application frameworks. Bob cited MacApp, TCL and Borland's ObjectWindows frameworks as the best candidates to work with. By the way, Bob's presentation was part of a MADA "road show", put together by MADA, which scheduled a number of visits to MADA and other Mac developer groups across the country. I encourage other component developers to consider MADA as part of their promotional plans. Just be prepared to answer a lot of questions.

Visix Galaxy

The July meeting suffered a bit from standard summer absenteeism, but that didn't make the product discussed any less interesting. Visix is a Reston, Virginia based software developer. Their primary market is the same sort of in-house development market that XVT, Neuron Data, NextStep, and, one day, Taligent are trying to target. They are also interested in selling to independent software developers (ISVs). Over the past five years they have worked towards the development of Galaxy.

Galaxy is a multi-platform application development environment. The supported operating systems are currently Unix (represented by Sun, HP9000, RS/6000, SGI, and DEC Ultrix), the Mac, Windows 3.1, OS/2, NT, and DEC OpenVMS. Galaxy is not "integrated" as, say, Component Workshop is, but it does come with a full set of tools, themselves written with Galaxy. What the developer buys is a class library, a "resource" builder (similar to Mac resources, many of the Galaxy engineers have a Mac background), an image editor, and a Help authoring tool. A programmable editor (based on an update of Preditor) and a browser are in the works. These tools are part of a "software backplane" that allows other third party tools to be added to the basic tool kit. The developer supplies a Galaxy-supported compiler and linker (currently MPW on the Mac).

Their library is intended to provide a "highest common denominator" for each supported OS. By this it is meant that if an OS does not have a certain feature, Galaxy will provide its own. Thus on the Mac the standard windows and controls are used, but the text editing class is Galaxy's own, since it is a superset of the toolbox's TextEdit code. Galaxy's imaging model is Display PostScript. They support the RTF document format and Unicode character encoding. Full international support is dependent on the platform you're on. The class library appears smaller than MacApp, but they have a number of abstractions for networking and cross platform communication that you won't find in MacApp. Their "Distributed Application Services" allows you to build distributed applications, with peer-to-peer exchange of data between applications on different machines.

Galaxy's equivalent of ViewEdit was demonstrated at the meeting. The most impressive part of the program was its

interface for what Visix calls "springs and struts". This is their model for positioning subviews in relation to one another. A strut keeps a fixed distance between two edges. A spring allows a view to resize or reposition itself in relation to the size or position of another view. Most combinations of relative and absolute positioning and justification has been provided, including resizing based on text strings (nice for internationalization). Galaxy also allows you to see what an application would look like under another platform's GUI–an application can be started up in Motif or Windows mode on your Mac. (Due to a "request" by Apple's legal department, you can not see the Mac interface running under other operating systems).

There are no runtime fees associated with Galaxy. Their product pricing is fairly simple. For Unix: $9600 per developer per platform, for Windows and Mac: $7800 per developer per platform. So if you have 5 Suns for development, and plan to sell a Mac and Windows version as well as a Unix version, you would make 7 purchases. While this is rather steep for some people, Galaxy is shipping and is in use. One of Visix's success stories is Morgan Guaranty Trust, which decided on Unix servers and Mac desktop clients. They have chosen Galaxy as their development environment for both platforms. It will be interesting to see how Taligent, which intends to target exactly

this sort of customer, can talk a company into replacing everything but the hardware with a new OS. A product like Galaxy, which works with, rather than replaces, existing OS standards makes a lot of corporate buyers more comfortable with their decision to switch environments.

If you're in the D.C. area and interested in object oriented programming, give WAMADA a visit. We meet the third Wednesday of every month, beginning around 7:15 p.m. For information on the next meeting, and directions, send a message to JEFFRIES.L@applelink.apple.com, or call Leslie at (301) 340-5126 during business hours (EDT). If you leave her an e-mail address, she can place you on her mail list for WAMADA meeting announcements.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Six fantastic ways to spend National Vid...
As if anyone needed an excuse to play games today, I am about to give you one: it is National Video Games Day. A day for us to play games, like we no doubt do every day. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, feast your eyes on this... | Read more »
Old School RuneScape players turn out in...
The sheer leap in technological advancements in our lifetime has been mind-blowing. We went from Commodore 64s to VR glasses in what feels like a heartbeat, but more importantly, the internet. It can be a dark mess, but it also brought hundreds of... | Read more »
Today's Best Mobile Game Discounts...
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below... | Read more »
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's...
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Nintendo has been locked in an epic battle with Pocketpair, creator of the obvious Pokémon rip-off Palworld. Nintendo often resorts to legal retaliation at the drop of a hat, but it seems this... | Read more »
Apple exclusive mobile games don’t make...
If you are a gamer on phones, no doubt you have been as distressed as I am on one huge sticking point: exclusivity. For years, Xbox and PlayStation have done battle, and before this was the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo NES. On console, it makes... | Read more »
Regionally exclusive events make no sens...
Last week, over on our sister site AppSpy, I babbled excitedly about the Pokémon GO Safari Days event. You can get nine Eevees with an explorer hat per day. Or, can you? Specifically, you, reader. Do you have the time or funds to possibly fly for... | Read more »
As Jon Bellamy defends his choice to can...
Back in March, Jagex announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jon Bellamy. Mr Bellamy then decided to almost immediately paint a huge target on his back by cancelling the Runescapes Pride event. This led to widespread condemnation about his perceived... | Read more »
Marvel Contest of Champions adds two mor...
When I saw the latest two Marvel Contest of Champions characters, I scoffed. Mr Knight and Silver Samurai, thought I, they are running out of good choices. Then I realised no, I was being far too cynical. This is one of the things that games do best... | Read more »
Grass is green, and water is wet: Pokémo...
It must be a day that ends in Y, because Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has kicked off its Zoroark Drop Event. Here you can get a promo version of another card, and look forward to the next Wonder Pick Event and the next Mass Outbreak that will be... | Read more »
Enter the Gungeon review
It took me a minute to get around to reviewing this game for a couple of very good reasons. The first is that Enter the Gungeon's style of roguelike bullet-hell action is teetering on the edge of being straight-up malicious, which made getting... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Take $150 off every Apple 11-inch M3 iPad Air
Amazon is offering a $150 discount on 11-inch M3 WiFi iPad Airs right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 128GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $449, $150 off – 11″ 256GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $549, $150 off – 11″ 512GB M3... Read more
Apple iPad minis back on sale for $100 off MS...
Amazon is offering $100 discounts (up to 20% off) on Apple’s newest 2024 WiFi iPad minis, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis among the Apple retailers we... Read more
Apple’s 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros are on sa...
Amazon has 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $410 off Apple’s MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party... Read more
Red Pocket Mobile is offering a $150 rebate o...
Red Pocket Mobile has new Apple iPhone 17’s on sale for $150 off MSRP when you switch and open up a new line of service. Red Pocket Mobile is a nationwide MVNO using all the major wireless carrier... Read more
Switch to Verizon, and get any iPhone 16 for...
With yesterday’s introduction of the new iPhone 17 models, Verizon responded by running “on us” promos across much of the iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show as $0/mo for 36 months with bill... Read more
Here is a summary of the new features in Appl...
Apple’s September 2025 event introduced major updates across its most popular product lines, focusing on health, performance, and design breakthroughs. The AirPods Pro 3 now feature best-in-class... Read more
Apple’s Smartphone Lineup Could Use A Touch o...
COMMENTARY – Whatever happened to the old adage, “less is more”? Apple’s smartphone lineup. — which is due for its annual refresh either this month or next (possibly at an Apple Event on September 9... Read more
Take $50 off every 11th-generation A16 WiFi i...
Amazon has Apple’s 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $50 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $299 $50 off MSRP – 11″ 11th-generation 256GB... Read more
Sunday Sale: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros for up t...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $220 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather... Read more
Mac mini with M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $12...
B&H Photo has Apple’s Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $1259, $140 off MSRP. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: – Mac mini M4 Pro CPU (24GB/512GB): $1259, $... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.