mjohnson@Apple.COM (Mark B. Johnson) (05/14/91)
Thousands of New and Compatible Software Products Ready for System 7
SAN JOSE, California--May 13, 1991--Apple Computer, Inc. today announced that
thousands of Macintosh(R) software and hardware products are immediately
compatible with System 7--Apple's upgrade to the Macintosh(R) computer operating
system and the most significant enhancement to Macintosh since its introduction
in 1984. Third-party developers announced over 100 new products that will take
specific advantage of System 7 features.
New System 7 technologies promote better ways of accessing and using
information which allow groups of people to work more productively together.
The new developer applications based on these technologies include a sweeping
range of Macintosh productivity, graphics, education, networking, and business
solutions.
"System 7 is a winning proposition for developers and their customers," said
Jim Davis, Apple's director of software product marketing. "With the unique
technology of System 7, developers can create exciting new ways to use
computers. The result is an even stronger business opportunity for developers
and even greater productivity for users."
System 7 Paves the Way for Exciting New Applications
System software, such as System 7, controls the way a computer works and
provides developers with a foundation upon which to write software applications
such as word processing and spreadsheets. Third-party developers have been
working closely with Apple over the past year to prepare new software
applications that take full advantage of the benefits and features of System 7.
Leading developers expressed excitement about System 7 and committed support
for System 7 in all of their Macintosh applications.
"Microsoft recognized that Macintosh was something very special--that's why we
were there in 1984 and that's why we're here in 1991", said Bill Gates,
chairman of Microsoft Corp. "We've developed a thriving business based on
Macintosh--System 7 gives us the means to be even more successful in the 1990s.
We've taken advantage of the many new features in System 7 to make our
applications even easier to use and more powerful."
"System 7 gives us a strong architecture to significantly broaden our entire
Claris product family," said Yogen Dalal, Claris vice president of research and
development. "System 7 is by far the most advanced technical breakthrough in
the history of Apple system software. With the sophistication of the new
Macintosh platform, we have been able to create virtually new applications that
will allow users to share work with others. We believe System 7 will elevate
the Macintosh platform in ease-of-use and innovation."
Other developers found that using the new technologies of System 7 such as
InterApplication Communication (IAC), promoted cooperation with other
developers to create new customer solutions. "The release of System 7 has
opened new doors for developers to work together to link complementary software
applications--rather than trying to do it all ourselves," said Ken Currier,
president of Softsync/BLOC, a company that develops accounting software for
small businesses. "This allows us to get our product to market sooner, and
creates exciting business opportunities for all third-party developers."
System 7 technology provided other software developers, such as Deneba
Software, with a unique advantage to seize market share. "The development of
System 7's powerful new technology has allowed us to create innovative and
exciting applications that bring a significant new level of user functionality
to our products," said Douglas Levy, director of corporate communications for
Deneba Software. "In our new version of Canvas 3.0, keeping the user interface
simple was important. With System 7, we were able to enhance existing features
and add ease-of-use for our customers."
Leading Developers Commit to System 7
Many leading developers, whose products are currently compatible with System 7,
have also committed to incorporate System 7 features into new Macintosh
products or upgrades to their current products. Some of the developers who
will be compatible or incorporating new System 7 features include Ashton-Tate,
Aldus Corp., Lotus Development Corp., Acius, Inc., Great Plains Software,
Farallon Computing, Inc., Novell, Inc. and Sitka Corp.
Macintosh Developer Support Tools
Developers are receiving support from Apple's newest development tools as they
ready and complete their applications to take advantage of the many new
features and capabilities of System 7. MacApp(R) 3.0, Apple's object-oriented
application framework, allows software developers to easily include System 7
features, such as Publish and Subscribe, Balloon Help(TM), and Apple(R) events, into
their applications. These recent MacApp enhancements have allowed developers
to greatly accelerate their progress in supporting System 7. MPW(R) (Macintosh
Programmers Workshop), Apple's powerful software development environment for
the Macintosh, now provides developers interfaces to System 7, giving them the
ability to exploit the new features in System 7. In addition, BalloonWriter(TM),
a tool for creating Balloon Help, has provided developers the ability to easily
add Balloon Help text to their new and existing applications.
New Editions of Inside Macintosh to Support System 7
Apple also announced today the immediate availability of Inside Macintosh,
Volume VI and Inside Macintosh Communication Toolbox, written by the Apple
Publications Group and published by Addison-Wesley. These volumes provide
programmers and engineers with the new information that describes benefits,
features, and the functionality of System 7.
Inside Macintosh, Volume VI, is a complete reference to new System 7 features
for programmers. In addition, Inside Macintosh provides on-line support for
Balloon Help, automated copy-and-paste features and access data information
from remote sources including databases. Apple also announced the Inside
Macintosh Communications Toolbox and Inside Macintosh X-Ref.
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Apple, the Apple logo, MacApp and MPW are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc. Balloon Help and BalloonWriter are trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc.
--
Mark B. Johnson AppleLink: mjohnson
Developer Technical Support domain: mjohnson@Apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc. UUCP: {amdahl,decwrl,sun,unisoft}!apple!mjohnson
"You gave your life to become the person you are right now. Was it worth it?"
- Richard Bach, _One_