news@sun.uucp (news) (05/16/88)
A while back I solicited comments (in comp.sys.mac) concerning Interleaf Publishing Software on the Mac. I've had a few responses, so here is a summary. I thought the readers of comp.text.desktop might be interested. WHAT'S MISSING/NOT MISSING IN THE MAC VERSION ============================================= >From SDL... They use their own fonts, which is fine by me since they include just about everything in the LaserWriter Plus. Everything from the Sun is there except the eqn package ... but MathType or similar packages get the job done. ------ Editor's note: Interleaf apparently has plans to port eqn in the future. This summer there will be an interim release of Publisher that will interface with other Mac equation packages. Note that the Mac also doesn't have continuous tone image editing. The Mac version also only supports PostScript fonts and devices. ------ CONCERNING THE MAC USER INTERFACE ================================= >From SDL... Getting used to the difference in their window and menu system from the Mac's takes about a day, and even though I'm a Mac programmer who spend mucho time doing things according to Apple's User Interface Rules, I really like much of the IL interface. ------ >From FAD... As all the Mac reviewers have complained, it's not the Mac interface. To get the function of a three-button mouse, they require you to hold down command and click (equivalent to the middle mouse button) or shift-click (the right button). All the keyboard action is a little frustrating when you're working with the mouse. Double clicking would have been nice. ------ >From Eph... My immediate manager has Interleaf on his Mac II, and all of us in my office have it on our Sun 3/50's. The implementations are fastidiously identical, which is to say that Interleaf on the Mac is not a Mac program. It's an alien program that runs on the Mac hardware. ------ CONCERNING SPEED/PERFORMANCE ============================ >From SDL... I am currently running Interleaf Pub on a Mac II w/ 8Mb. I run w/ a 1Mb ram cache usually. ... I have been very impressed with the speed of ILP. Their windows are blazing and the WP makes FullWrite and Word look sick. It can scroll faster than I can click or drag. All printing is done in PostScript and is VERY fast. I have ~150 pages of bitmap figures and they print so fast compared to other Mac software (including doing a straight screen dump from the System!), that IL must be doing some very good PS hacking. Their menus, windows, etc. are simply the fastest stuff I've ever seen on a Mac. I wish Apple's code was this fast... ------ >From Eph... Performance is quite good. ------ INTEGRATION/COMPATIBILITY WITH MAC ENVIRONMENT & OTHER SYSTEMS ============================================================== >From SDL... It is file compatible w/ IL on Sun/RT/etc. and can run in a heterogeneous network environment. You can bring PICTs and TEXT from the Mac side over to IL either through a DA or directly from the Mac clipboard which is converted to a doc in the IL clipboard when you start IL. IL doesn't support multifinder, but it does run in a 6144k partion, but sometimes has problems, nothing terminal, but under finder it is SOLID. ------ >From FAD... They convert everything you paste from the clipboard, which works fine, but you can't have other applications open at the same time. You have to use DAs or the Scrapbook to get graphics from external sources. ------ MONITOR SIZE ============ >From SDL... I'm doing my thesis with it and even on a 12" Apple monochrome screen it is great. ------ >From Eph... A small screen is a big problem, especially if you're used to a larger one, so ... quickly got a larger monitor. ------ OVERALL IMPRESSIONS =================== >From SDL... They do need to make some adaptations for the Mac and add a thesaurus, etc., but I'm very happy with it. IL really makes Word and FW look like toys in comparison. If they improve their bitmap editor it will be even better. This is the first software in the Mac market that I ever known to ship on the announced date and to be ABSOLUTELY SOLID. We paid $1k for a university copy, but I would gladly pay $2,495 for this product for professional use. Yup, I like it. ------ >From FAD... We've used Interleaf on Suns for a while, and now have it on a Mac II also. It's very nice. ------ RESPONSIVENESS OF COMPANY ========================= >From FAD... We have a list of general gripes about Interleaf -- but a lot of these will be addressed by release 4.0, which is due in a few months. They are next door to us, and we've made direct contact with engineers, which helps with questions and responsiveness to suggestions. ------ >From Eph... We're not directly connected to Interleaf, but we do deal with them more than the average customer. They're about two blocks from us, the wife of one of my office-mates works there, and we had a bunch of their engineers over for lunch to discuss user-interface problems last week. They seem to be quite interested in what real users have to say about the product. ------ Credits: SDL: Steven D. Leeke (leeke@glacier.stanford.edu) Stanford University FAD: Franklin A. Davis (fad@think.com) Thinking Machines Corp. Eph: Ephraim (ephraim@think.com) Thinking Machines Corp. Many thanks to the contributors. Bill O'Farrell, Northeast Parallel Architectures Center at Syracuse University (billo@cmx.npac.syr.edu) ---------------------------------------- Submissions to: desktop@plaid.sun.com Administrivia to: desktop-request@plaid.sun.com UUCP: {amdahl,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4}!sun!plaid!desktop{-request} Archives can be gotten from the archive-server. To get information on the archive-server, send mail to: archive-server@plaid.sun.com -or- sun!plaid!archive-server with a subject line of help