From the Editor
Written by Larry Salomon Jr.
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From the EditorWritten by Larry Salomon Jr. |
AdministriviaThe last month has zoomed by and it's time for another issue of the magazine. This issue seems to be a bit on the slim side but that is because of finals, no doubt about it. You will finally see the end of the VIOWIN series, as well as another fantastic installment about RMX-OS/2. On the NetOne of the advantages of working in the "network systems development" group
of a large company is that one undoubtedly gets a connection to the
Internet. I still have no answer for why that is; maybe it's because the
two names have the word "net" in them. Anyway, I now have a T1 link to the Internet, via an ethernet connection,
from my machine at work. I will try, from time-to-time, to place some
interesting demos of things- to-come in EDM/2 there, retrievable via
anonymous FTP. The machine name is os2man.sysdev.telerate.com and there is
currently a demo of a Stock Graphing program. The demo utilizes a set of
graphing classes that I wrote in C++ using Watcom's compiler. The set of
classes has some work to be done, as you will see if you get the demo, but
they are already quite usable. I plan to finish the classes and will
rewrite them on my home machine ("clean room") so that I can present a
series in EDM/2 on their design and implementation.
It needs to be stated again that the magazine will not be charging for
subscriptions. Enough said.
We are behind schedule in our preparation for this change, however;
originally, it was intended that the first issue should be in July (volume
3, issue 7). This deadline can still be made, but we are far from
completion of the steps necessary to enact the change. Just thought you'd
like to know.
We have been getting scarce feedback, although better than nothing, about
the new Letters and Announcements sections. We are glad that you enjoy
them. I will reiterate the need for new columnists, however. Please send
mail to me - os2man@panix.com - if you're interested. Also, authors are
always welcome; please get the latest Article Submission Guidelines if you
plan to write an article for the magazine.
A new book from John Wiley & Sons addresses the Graphics Programming
Interface (GPI) for OS/2 Warp, providing step-by- step instructions and
accompanying coding examples. The book, written by Stephen Knight and
Jeffrey Ryan, covers the full range of OS/2 GPI functions, including the
latest additions to OS/2 Warp Version 3.
Programming the OS/2 Warp Version 3 GPI includes:
Accompanying disk includes:
The book (416 pages, $39.95 U.S.) can be ordered as ISBN 0- 471-10718-2 or
through IBM as SR28-5681. Publisher's order line: (800) CALL-WILEY
(800-225-5945). Fax: (908) 203- 3200. For more information, e-mail:
CompBks@JWiley.Com.
John Wiley & Sons, a leading supplier of books about OS/2 and related
products, is a member of IBM's Independent Vendor League (IVL). The IVL
supports individuals and companies who develop and market books,
newsletters, magazines, training videos, courseware and consulting services
for OS/2 and other IBM personal software products.
This news release is from the IBM IVL News Service and may be freely copied
and distributed. For information about the IVL, call (203) 452-7704, fax
(203) 268-1075 or e-mail gailo@vnet.ibm.com. Send news and distribution
changes to ivlinfo@vnet.ibm.com. (OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM
Corporation.)
EMS Professional Shareware is now shipping the 15th (Apr'95) edition of its
OS/2 Utilities CD-ROM, with 774 carefully selected PD/Shareware ZIP files
and a database and search program so you can quickly find/view/copy/etc.
$25 special "Net" price includes 3 CD-ROMs with a free copy of the 211,000
record PC products database.
EMS Professional Shareware Voice: 301-924-3594 Located at hobbes.nmsu.edu /os2/unix/sockperl.zip
Perl for OS/2 with sockets. (This build also has use of crypt(), fork()
and -D debug options.) Built using EMX 09a with fix03 applied. This build
passes all the regression tests as the distribution version of perl.exe.
Of course this version won't run under dos at all, presumably the sock_ini
call is protect-mode only.
While perl5 with sockets is available also, some sites / systems may not be
able to support this larger .EXE, .DLL.
No changes were made to Kai's sources for Perl / OS/2.
I've run the entire test battery (using a csh script, as I don't have
MAKE). Aside from pure Unix-isms and problems in comparing strings with
' I have taken reasonable care in testing the resultant binary, but of course
there is NO WARRANTY. I have tested only a small subset of the Perl or EMX
support for Berkeley sockets.
Thanks as always to Larry for Perl, Kai for the OS/2 version, and Eberhard
Mattes for the excellent EMX environment.
People who are proficient in OS2 programming have a unique opportunity to
work independently as a contract consultant. While not for everyone, for
most, doing contract work will result in a significant increase in income.
Others, especially those with children or other responsibilities, prefer
the more flexible work schedule. There are also those who seek to work out
of their home. However, it is not get-rich-quick by any stretch of the
imagination.
Starting an independent consulting business is not the easiest thing in the
world but it's absolutely doable by most technically skilled people.
Finding clients and knowing how to conduct oneself in face-to-face sales
situations are the two most difficult tasks for most people. Those who
want to work through brokers or agents can do so, but they have to know how
to negotiate so the agent doesn't end up with all the money.
Technical people have the most difficulty with sales and marketing.
Marketing is not sales. Marketing is finding someone to sell to. Sales is
the face-to-face meeting. With respect to face-to-face sales, it is not
like a job interview. You must be in control and direct each "scene" of
the play. You're equal, not subservient to the client. There is no one
strategy but there are many different ways the technical sale can be (or
should be) closed.
There are a multitude of agents who act as third party matchmakers. This
can be a good way to start out, however you will give up a good part of
your billing income. With agents, there are many contract pitfalls, such
as the "you're not paid until we're paid" clause you must be aware of and
be able to negotiate around.
And of course, you have to be qualified. Yet, it's not technical knowledge
that is the most necessary ingredient to success. You must have a
take-a-risk personality. You have to want an "adventure." You have to be
motivated by money because no one is going to stroke your ego while on the
job.
Our publishing company has a 320 page title on the subject of technical
consulting.
With respect to the non-commercial nature of this group, we do not mention
title, price or availability. This announcement is neither an offer to
sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy. The offer is made only by the
prospectus.
If you have an interest and would like information, contact us by e-mail.
Jennifer Church IS International's four-day course on designing user interfaces has been
updated to include designing interfaces for OS/2 Warp. The course
incorporates presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and a sample
application scenario to teach the complete object-oriented interface design
process.
Topics include:
The course is offered in both public and on-site venues. It is also
available through IBM's Object Technology University and IBM Education and
Training as the Designing Object- Oriented Interfaces Workshop, course
N5010. Sessions are taught by Ian Stopps and Harris Kravatz, both
experienced in the design, teaching and documentation of user interfaces,
including IBM's Common User Access (CUA) standard.
For more information, contact IS International at (800) 276- 1075, fax
(407) 994-4373, e-mail info@isii.com, or http://www.isii.com.
IS International, an advanced education and consulting company specializing
in object-oriented design and development, is a member of IBM's Independent
Vendor League (IVL). The IVL supports individuals and companies who
develop and market books, newsletters, magazines, training videos,
courseware and consulting services for OS/2 and other IBM personal software
products.
This news release is from the IBM IVL News Service and may be freely copied
and distributed. For information about the IVL, call (203) 452-7704, fax
(203) 268-1075 or e-mail gailo@vnet.ibm.com. Send news and distribution
changes to ivlinfo@vnet.ibm.com. (OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM
Corporation.)
It's available for anonymous ftp on ftp.uni-stuttgart.de. Look for
g77bin.zip (binaries) and g77src.zip (source) in directory
/pub/systems/os2/emx0.9a/contrib.
It's also available for anonymous ftp on ftp.leo.org. Look for g77bin.zip
(binaries) and g77src.zip (source) in directory
/pub/comp/os/os2/gnu/emx+gcc/contrib.
Please note that this is a quite early release of g77 and has several bugs.
Please send bug reports for g77 to the address given in
/emx/gnu/gcc-2.6/f/INSTALL, except for bugs introduced by the port, which
should be reported to me.
The ZGRAF C++ Graph Toolkit is a library of routines for making
tech/business graphs in several environments, including OS/2 Presentation
Manager and Windows/Windows NT.
Graph styles include X/Y, Bar, Pie, Area, Ribbon, Scatter, Polar, Log, 2-D
Function, 3-D Surface Graphs, Smith Chart, and more! The toolkit sells for
$30 (Personal Version) or $45 ( Commercial Developer Version) and includes
full C++ library source code. There are no royalties.
You can download a free demo from our BBS (see phone number below). For a
demo disk, just send e-mail with your name/address/company information
(Serious inquiries only, please. Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery).
Thanks for your interest in our products.
ZGRAF Software Products Phone: (812) 949-9524 The REXX Cookbook by Merrill Callaway is now available from WHITESTONE. The
319-page book is a tutorial written for both beginners and more experienced
programmers. Extensive use of REXX programming examples helps illustrate
topics in a real-life context. In addition to basic concepts, The REXX
Cookbook shows how to write programs that work with everyday OS/2
applications and files, including PostScript, Structured Query Language
(SQL), DB2/2, AmiPro, and others.
The REXX Cookbook, ISBN # 0-9632773-4-0, sells in the U.S. for $27.95. A
companion disk, THE REXX FILES, ISBN # 0- 9632773-5-9, is priced at $14.95
U.S.
For more information, contact WHITESTONE at e-mail 5979987@MCIMAIL.COM or
Voice (505) 268-0678.
WHITESTONE, a publisher of books about OS/2 and related products, is a
member of IBM's Independent Vendor League (IVL). The IVL supports
individuals and companies who develop and market books, newsletters,
magazines, training videos, courseware and consulting services for OS/2 and
other IBM personal software products.
This news release is from the IBM IVL News Service and may be freely copied
and distributed. For information about the IVL, call (203) 452-7704, fax
(203) 268-1075 or e-mail gailo@vnet.ibm.com. Send news and distribution
changes to ivlinfo@vnet.ibm.com.
DB-EXPO, San Francisco, CA - May 2, 1995 - Today, JYACC, Inc., announced
the OS/2 version of JAM (JYACC Application Manager), the leading
cross-platform tool for building client/server and distributed
applications. JYACC will show the new release for the first time at DB-Expo
Booth 1162 in San Francisco's Moscone Center.
JAM for OS/2 allows developers to build 32 bit GUI applications that fully
exploit the stability and preemptive multi-tasking features of the OS/2
platform, said Darryl Zack, JYACC Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
The ability to build OS/2 applications with JAM and re-deploy them on over
100 platforms and operating environments is an essential component in our
customers enterprise computing strategy.
With the release of JAM for OS/2 Warp, customers will be able to build and
deploy business-critical applications that are portable enough to span the
enterprise, said Jim Grant, Vice President, IBM Solution Developer
Operations. This new product from JYACC continues their tradition of
support for IBM client/server solutions, including AIX on the RS/6000, and
DB2/2 and represents another important vendor who has committed support for
OS/2, the industry's leading 32-bit operating system.
Applications developed with JAM for OS/2 can be deployed on OS/2 versions
2.x and Warp, as well as 100 other platforms and operating environments,
including MS-Windows, DOS, Motif, VAX/VMS, Macintosh, and virtually every
implementation of UNIX. JAM also integrates seamlessly with more than
twenty of the most popular RDBMS products, and provides transparent access
to legacy systems via DRDA and Microsofts ODBC.
The $2,000 JAM for OS/2 package includes:
Contact: Eric Block (212) 267-7722 or royalties for JAM-built
applications.
About JAM and JYACC
JAM combines four significant advanced technologies -- visual programming,
repository-driven development, object- orientation, and high performance
transaction management. In addition to offering a fully graphical
development environment, JAM is the industry's most advanced application
development tool in delivering codeless programming and productivity. JAM
is the centerpiece of a fully integrated family of application development
products that includes a report writing tool, and interfaces to more than
20 database engines, the leading transaction monitors (including Novell's
TUXEDO and Transarc's Encina), and CASE tools (including Cadre's Teamwork
and Innovator SERM from MID, GmbH of Germany).
JYACC offers products and services that enable developers to build high
performance client/server applications quickly and cost-effectively,
integrate them into their business environment, and maximize each
application's value. Founded in 1978 as a software consulting firm, JYACC
first shipped JAM in 1985. With ten years as an industry leader and tens
of thousands of JAM development licenses sold worldwide, JYACC has
impeccable credentials in the open systems marketplace. Thanks to its
power and field-proven performance, JAM has been selected by IS
organizations throughout the Fortune 1000 to build the most demanding,
mission critical applications. JYACC is based in New York City with
offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Parsippany, New Jersey; San Francisco,
California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; and Orlando, Florida.
JYACC also has offices in London (UK) and Paris, France. JYACC
Headquarters is located at 116 John Street, New York, New York 10038.
JAM and Jterm are registered trademarks of JYACC, Inc. JAM/TPi, JAM/CASE
interface, and JAM/ReportWriter are trademarks of JYACC. OS/2 and Warp are
registered trademarks of IBM, Corporation. Other brands and product names
appearing in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
Prominare Designer, an OS/2 PM programmer's Rapid Application Development
tool for creating fully featured GUIs for OS/2, has been launched by
Prominare Inc., of Canada.
Prominare Designer allows the developer to create visual interfaces for an
application in a matter of minutes without having to write any source code.
This productivity gain remains high throughout the development of the
application, even as new visual interface elements are added.
Prominare Designer generates code for multiple class libraries and multiple
compilers, and offers the capability to generate code across platforms,
e.g. OS/2, Windows 3.1, and Windows NT, all from one tool. This feature
makes the process of developing for multiple platforms easy.
Acting as an extended resource editor, Prominare supports all versions of
OS/2, including Warp. Its inherent flexibility enables the power of C and
C++ to be fully exploited, with the added benefits of intelligent code
generation. Programmers can construct compact, efficient code without
unnecessary overheads or proprietary modules.
Programmers can use one interface to create both the resources and source
code for PM applications. The resource editing capabilities of Prominare
are backwardly compatible with all versions of OS/2. This offers unique
facilities in the areas of custom controls and PM Control Extensions
(PMCX), facilities which are lacking in other tools.
Prominare supports all OS/2 PM controls including multimedia (MMPM/2) and
Pen for OS/2.
Another impressive ability is that of Prominare-created applications to
easily conform to individual companies' programming standards, coding
conventions and selected level of CUA compliance. This ability to allow
programmers to modify Prominare's source code generation rules ensures that
the source code generated conforms with company naming conventions and
coding standards.
This capability is essential for speeding up programming in major companies
which are developing large applications, as the code is in a form that
their programmers already understand.
Matt Smith, Prominare Designer architect, said, "Prominare speeds the
process by removing unnecessary generation phases. When the visual design
for the application is modified, Prominare adds source code for only the
parts that have been modified since the last generation operation was
carried out."
"Prominare's inherent intelligence enables the application developer to
change the look and feel of the interface without having to reprogram the
actions of individual controls. The application developer can add his or
her own source code to that generated and Prominare ensures that the
application developer's source code remains untouched the next time a
change is made to the visual design, even when new source code based on the
changes is added."
Prominare Designer has a suggested retail price of $699 (US) and can be
ordered through Indelible Blue, Programmer's Paradise, Egghead Software,
OS/2 Express, ImageSoft in the US. In the UK, it can be order through
Microtransfer and OneStop OS/2. A complete list of qualified resellers can
found through Prominare's WWW server at http://www.prominare.com/prominare.
Further detail on Prominare Designer can be found through Prominare's WWW
server or by sending email to designer@prominare.com.
Prominare is the Latin word which means "to drive forward," and Prominare
Designer allows developers to do just that.
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