vanleeuw@udcps3.cps.udayton.edu (James Van Leeuwen) (06/04/90)
I found this press release on GEnie and I thought that I would pass it on
to the rest of the world. If any more information comes out, I'll do the
same...
**** PRESS RELEASE ****
June 1, 1990 -- For immediate release.
JMG Software International, located in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada) and
Niagara Falls, NY (US), announces development and pending release of a
significant new product for the Atari ST market.
This product is called >HyperLINK<, and represents a major new
application combining hypertext features with graphics, sound and
data manipulation. HyperLINK actually has many different facets,
depending upon the user's requirements. It can function as a
hypertext controller, or a database system combining relational
features with graphics and object support, or a front-end for
special hardware devices. But much more importantly, it can generate
"HyperLINK Applications", self-contained programs that can be any
combination of the above.
HyperLINK is scheduled for full release by Fall COMDEX, in November;
shipments of a subset of the full Hyperlink system may start as early
as the German Atari fair in Duesseldorf in August, with free upgrades
to the full system by November.
JMG Software encourages interested people to contact us if interested
in being entered onto our HyperLINK mailing list; in addition, any
questions, comments and especially suggestions are encouraged.
Please forward any comments/suggestions etc to GEmail address
G.GECZY1 .
A sample HyperLINK application will be uploaded to Genie within
the next few weeks to give some feel as to the power and
versatility of this product.
JMG Software International Inc,
Canada: 801 Mohawk Road West, Hamilton, Ontario L9C 6C2
US: 2201 Pine Ave, Niagara Falls, NY 14301
Voice Phone: 416-575-2867
Fax: 416-575-0283
-- George Geczy, President.
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The following is a more detailed description of this powerful new
Atari ST product:
HyperLINK?
What is HyperLINK?
HyperLINK can be viewed as quite a number of things. Most simply, it
is a managing program for any (reasonable) number of HyperLINK
Applications and Modules.
A HyperLINK Application can be something as simple as a flat
filing system, or as complex as a mini word processor or relational
database.
A HyperLINK Module is more of a "tool", for use by HyperLINK
Applications in manipulating or collecting data, or controlling
external devices or actions. A simple example of a HyperLINK Module
is a routine to convert graphics for display in a database
Application, or a driver for a CD-ROM or Laserdisk, as well as sound,
music, and speech Modules.
The true power of HyperLINK lies in its Hypertext-like capabilities.
Hypertext is a system (or theory?) developed mostly in 1970's that
aspires to replace normal, linear text with smaller text topics
"linked" to each other. This system can be applied beyond simply
text to encompass data, graphics, sound, and external control as well
(these days, this is popularly called Multi-media).
An example of Hypertext
As a simple example of Hypertext, imagine a file listing software for
the ST. In the title page, you select the heading "Multimedia
Applications", and a list of available multimedia programs is
displayed, possibly with some information on multimedia programs in
general. You then select HyperLINK from this list, and a page of
information on HyperLINK is displayed. If it were a very
comprehensive file, it might even let you select topics like
"hypertext" and "database" and look up general definitions or
explanations. Or, from the HyperLINK description, you could select
JMG Software's name and be shown a list of all the applications we
develop and general information about us. (To take things one step
further, under our company listing you could select "ST Software" as
being our specialty, and that link could take you right back to the
table of contents of the ST software guide - a complete circle.
That's the fun of hypertext.)
An example of HyperLINK
One of the simplest examples is the Message/Address/Calendar
Application set developed for HyperLINK. The phone Message App lets
you take standard phone messages, enter them on a graphics-based
screen and store them in a database. But then, to call up
information on a company or a person named in that message, just click
on the name and it will display the Address book form with any
information available. Then you could click on the Appointments link
and it would display on the Calendar form any appointments made with
that person. You could then zoom in on one particular day's schedule,
and even go look at the Address or Message record of someone else from
that day.
Another example developed is a "Music Sampler", which uses a
HyperLINK module to control the Atari CDAR CD-ROM Player in music
mode. It would display a list of CD's on which data has been entered,
and let you pick one to sample. Assuming you put the correct CD into
the drive, it would give a list of all tracks on the CD, and from it's
database provide information on each track. You could then call up an
extended information screen on that track, providing some history or
information, or you could call up text on the composer/artist or
author (with picture of course). All while having the computer play
the requested selection for you.
HyperLINK capabilities
HyperLINK can create links between any sort of data (one Application
to another) and Modules. All you have to define is how to do the link,
and HyperLINK will do the rest. For instance, Hyperlink has a
build-in dBASE compatible database manager. It automatically knows
how to look up a name found in one database from another, you just
tell it what fields to use. For more involved links, you can include
custom modules for the application. An assortment of such modules is
provided with HyperLINK, and any others can be added at any time (ie
programmed in C and loaded into HyperLINK with it's Module-load
feature).
Each Application is provided its own windows for its forms, so a full
history of links can be present on the screen at the same time, and
you can effectively edit all the data displayed at the same time. A
single application (ie the Message App) can have multiple windows
displayed at one time as well (making this the first program to use
the "cluttered desktop" metaphor).
Some Specs:
- Fully dBASE III / dBASE IV compatible database manager included.
- Support for Moniterm and other special monitors; support planned
for all TT graphics and colour capabilities.
- Custom windowing feature allows greater than 7 windows active.
- "Launch" feature to run other programs from within HyperLINK;
includes parameter passing and clipboard use if the destination
program supports it.
- dBASE data support, Text Support, Graphics Support, Digitized Sound
Support, Speech Support, and HyperLINK Module Support all standard.
- Document hypertext capability standard, allowing use of existing or
new text files as hypertext documents or HyperLINK control forms. (ie
link text to text, text to graphics, or text to another HyperLINK
form, Application, or Module.)
- Ability to actively link two computers together to share,
real-time, information. (Serial or Midi).
- Support Modules for Atari's CDAR-504 CD-ROM player also included.
- "HyperLINK Module Protocol" will be published and distributed
public domain to allow third parties and experienced end users to
create HyperLINK Modules for special purposes. (Use of custom
HyperLINK Modules will effectively allow virtually anything to be
linked to anything.)
- Allows compiling "HyperLINK Applications" into stand-alone programs
that may be distributed either commercially or public-domain.
- To be distributed with sample HyperLINK Applications: Message,
Phone List, Address Book, Calandar and To-Do; Document Hypertext
Sample; Database-Graphics-CDROM Sample.
The possibilities are endless....
--
"We didn't start the fire, / ___/_ Jim Van Leeuwen
it was always burning / / / \ The University of Dayton
since the world's been /___/__/ / UUCP: vanleeuw@udcps2.cps.udayton.edu
turning..." --Billy Joel /______/ GEnie: JVAN