MacEdition ProNews, March 23, 2001
by MacEdition Staff (feedback)
Well, that’s a mouthful
It’s a banner time here at the ProNews segment of MacEdition, as we’ve been receiving a flury of press releases. As we get closer and closer to the release of MacOS X, we expect to get even more. One recent arrival should cheer FutureBASIC^3 users – you’ve now got database access!
DataShell for Valentina Delivers Object Relational DB for FutureBASIC^3 UsersMarch 19, 2001. MacBrowse is proud to announce the availability of DataShell 1.1, a driver solution that allows FutureBASIC^3 developers to use Valentina XCMD, an object-relational, SQL-powered database engine, in their applications.
FutureBASIC, from Staz Software (http://www.stazsoftware.com), is an award winning development environment for the Apple Macintosh, based on the popular BASIC language. Thanks to DataShell, the wait for a FutureBASIC-enabled database engine is over. DataShell is very easy to use, no complex project setup or hard to learn syntax. You will be creating database applications from scratch in a very short period of time.
“FutureBASIC is a favorite for creating small, extremely fast applications on the Macintosh platform. However no major database vendor has stepped up to the plate to provide a database solution that works with FutureBASIC. DataShell enables FutureBASIC developers to create extremely fast database-driven applications”, said Sylvain Guillemette, developer of DataShell.
DataShell 1.1 comes with a full reference manual, example projects and product demos, and is available direct from MacBrowse.com for $49.95.
About MacBrowse
MacBrowse is a provider of powerful applications and internet solutions, specializing in database development for the Macintosh. It was founded in 2000 by Sylvain Guillemette. For technical and purchasing information on DataShell or more about MacBrowse, please visit www.macbrowse.com.
About Paradigma Software
Paradigma Software developed the ultra-fast Valentina database kernel, the core of its line of database products for designers and developers. Founded in 1998 by Ruslan Zasukhin, Paradigma Software has teamed with US-based Proactive International, LLC (http://www.proactive-intl.com) for international business development. For additional information, visit the Paradigma Software website at http://www.paradigmasoft.com.
Think Different about the NASDAQ
When Steve Jobs attributed much of Apple’s first quarter loss to an overall slowing in demand in the computer sector, many market analysts chuckled, sagely shook their heads, and argued that Apple’s problems were unique. Although the plethora of lowered earnings, cutbacks, and layoffs in the tech sector that eventually followed proved that the Jobs’ account was largely correct, the market geniuses were right in one respect – Apple is indeed special, at least if one looks at its recent solid stock performance relative to the plummetting NASDAQ. As this chart (courtesy BigCharts) shows, while the overall NASDAQ has been melting down over the past three months, Apple’s stock has remained very strong, and consistently outperformed the composite. This phenomenon is surprising for a stock that is traditionally a tech-sector whipping-boy, as in the past when the NASDAQ sneezed AAPL would go into cardiac arrest. The cause(s) of this recent unprecedented durability of Apple’s stock are somewhat unclear. However, it is pleasant simply to note that although the experts have been gloomy about the tech sector overall, investors seem to be Thinking Different.
It’s the drivers, stupid! (pt. 1)
The folks at Keyspan saw fit to notify us that MacOS X is about to gain support for their popular serial-to-USB connectivity solutions. Sure, it’s Yet-Another-Press-Release, but it’s good to see that companies are actually following through, writing drivers, and moving the MacOS X support process forward.
Keyspan releases beta Serial to USB drivers for Mac OS XRichmond, Calif – March 22, 2001 – Keyspan, America’s top selling brand of USB connectivity products, announced the release of its beta USB drivers for Mac OS X. The drivers are available now for download from Keyspan’s website at: http://www.keyspan.com/support/macosx/.
Keyspan’s drivers enable its USB Twin Serial Adapter (USA-28X), USB PDA Adapter (USA-19), and USB High Speed Serial Adapter (USA-19W) to be used with Mac OS X. The drivers are an update of the Developer Seed that Keyspan released in September of 2000 and are feature complete – including support for PPP under Mac OS X using serial modems – and include an installer.
The ability to use Keyspan’s adapters with popular serial peripherals (i.e. printers, Palm Pilots) under Mac OS X will often depend upon the availability of Mac OS X drivers for the peripheral device. Users should check with the peripheral manufacturer for information on this topic.
As beta software, support is available via email only.
About Keyspan
Keyspan products provide “Connections for Your Computer”. The company’s first products provided serial ports for connecting to traditional computer peripherals such as modems, printers and graphics tablets. Over time, Keyspan has expanded its horizons, connecting the Macintosh and PC to the other items found in the home, school or office. Editors can reach Keyspan at 510-222-0131 or via e-mail at info@keyspan.com. The Keyspan website is located at http://www.keyspan.com.
Looking for old ProNews segments? Check out our index at http://old.macedition.com/news/. Do you have news releases or tidbits of interest to the Macintosh professional? Send them to pronewsnotes@macedition.com.