This article may contain URLs that were valid when originally published, but now link to sites or pages that no longer exist. To maintain the flow of the article, we've left these URLs in the text, but disabled the links.

Visual CE Database

      SYWARE Inc. has announced the release of Visual CE for the Pocket PC, which allows users to build their own databases and create custom forms, including faster sync and connect speeds, high-resolution screens, and 16-bit color. Forms can include common controls: labels, edit boxes, note boxes, checkboxes, radio buttons, tab buttons, and dropdown lists. Font control, device-based printing, timestamps, digital ink (scribble), and simple calculations are also supported.
      Additional features include support for color, data filtering, wildcard searches, password protection, and calculations across records. Controls can be sized, dragged, and positioned as necessary using the desktop WYSIWYG development environment. Supported data types include text, note, bitmap, data/time, numeric, and money. A popup calendar and numeric keypad facilitate data entry.
      The Professional and Enterprise Editions are designed for more advanced development applications and include such features as data storage to a flashcard, command buttons, autonumbering, application launch buttons, synchronization of multiple devices to one desktop, and the ability to remove all references to SYWARE and Visual CE from the created application. In addition, the Professional and Enterprise Editions allow developers to create an unlimited number of applications and distribute them to an unlimited number of users, royalty free. Applications are created on any Windows 9x, Windows NT, or Windows 2000-based desktop system and downloaded to the Windows-powered Pocket PC.

SYWARE Inc.
P.O. Box 425091, Kendall
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-497-1300
https://www.syware.com

XML Content Creation

      SoftQuad Software Ltd. announced XMetaL 2.0, an upgrade to its XML content creation solution. The new version of XMetaL provides even greater flexibility in deploying content solutions for real-world production environments. Key features to this upgrade include a new Structure view, which provides a quick way to navigate and edit documents, support for more advanced XML constructs, and expanded customization options. XMetaL 2.0 features built-in access to script engines and a Script Editor that supports code coloring and pretty printing. XMetaL 2.0's Forms Editor facilitates the creation of custom dialog boxes to bring windows dialogs and behaviors into the document interface. XMetaL provides support for inline ActiveX® controls and features an extended object interface that allows embedded ActiveX controls to be hosted within a Resource Manager tab. Plus, XMetaL 2.0 features enhanced support for advanced XML constructs like internal subsets, parsable external entities, the DOM, OASIS catalogs, and UTF-16 (Unicode) encoding. XMetaL 2.0 also provides versatile XML authoring capabilities. It supports well-formed editing so users can open and edit documents without the associated DTD and work with document fragments.

SoftQuad Software Ltd.
161 Eglinton Avenue East
Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 1J5
800-387-2777, 416-544-9000
https://www.softquad.com

Measure E-Business Performance

      Visual Insights recently announced the launch of its eBizinsights family of e-business Performance solutions. eBizinsights is designed for business, financial, and marketing managers, data analysts, and Web or e-commerce managers. The product provides a platform for targeting customers, applying integrated marketing programs to support business objectives, and a foundation to measure e-business performance. eBizinsights provides a unified view of buyer behavior, visitor demographics, promotional effectiveness, and site performance. Powered by Visual Discovery and realTime3D animation technology, eBizinsights helps companies understand their customers, make faster, more informed decisions, and implement better e-business strategies. eBizinsights offers a fast route from data to decision-making, a high degree of accuracy, flexibility, and customization.
      eBizinsights comes in three versions: eBizinsights, which is designed specifically for the Microsoft® Web platform and is optimized for small to mid-sized sites; eBizinsights XL, which features enhanced data management capabilities to provide superior performance for large commerce and information/branding sites, available for Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), Netscape, and Apache Web platforms and optimized for larger sites; and eBizinsights CS, designed for Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 to provide a unified view of customer and visitor behaviors.
      Promotional effectiveness, as well as site and product performance information, integrates with purchasing transactions to deliver ROI against key business indicators. RealTime3D animation provides instant performance analysis of marketing campaigns and real-time site monitoring.

Visual Insights
215 Shuman Boulevard
Suite 200
Naperville, IL 60563
630-753-8600, 630-753-8670
https://www.visualinsights.com

Royalty-free SSL Components

      devSoft Inc. has started shipping IPWorks! SSL V4, which introduces Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Digital Certificates to the IPWorks! components, providing secure web browsing, secure client, secure server, secure mail, and digital certificate management capabilities. This is a suite of royalty-free SSL-enabled components that eliminates much of the complexity of developing connected applications for Windows platforms by providing programmable components that facilitate tasks such as sending e-mail, transferring files, browsing the Web, accessing directories, and so on.
      IPWorks! SSL V4 consists of four editions: ActiveX, Delphi, C++, and C++ Builder. Each edition includes 11 components for secure Internet connectivity: HTTPS, SMTPS, POPS, IMAPS, FTPS, LDAPS, NNTPS, TelnetS, IPPortS, IPDaemonS, and CertMgr. They consist of security-enabled versions of the corresponding components in the IPWorks! Internet Toolkit. The ActiveX edition includes ActiveX controls optimized for the Internet. The C++ edition consists of a C++ class library included in a DLL. The Delphi and C++ Builder editions include native Delphi and C++ Builder VCLs that are fully integrated with the Borland Delphi and C++ Builder IDEs. The client components such as HTTPS and SMTPS provide control over the process of setting up SSL connections, including certificate management, verification, and certificate-based client authentication.
      The secure server control, IPDaemonS, is a generic SSL server, providing full secure server capabilities. A demo of a secure Web server application (with full source code) is also included in the package. The CertMgr control provides certificate management capabilities.

devSoft Inc.
P.O. Box 13821
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-544-7770
https://www.dev-soft.com

OpenGL Charting Component

      Dundas Software has announced the release of Dundas Chart ASP Server Edition, an OpenGL powered charting component. Dundas Chart employs techniques such as object-oriented architecture and COM in design patterns. The Server Edition brings presentation-quality graphics, 3D acceleration, power, speed, and flexibility to server-side development projects. In addition to a wide array of chart types, Dundas Chart includes features such as texture color blending, templates/template editing, edge beveling, and annotation. Dundas' Template Creator gives Web developers an interactive experience during the design and layout phase of Web application development, so they don't have to design programmatically.

Dundas Software
500-250 Ferrand Drive
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 3G8
800-463-1492, 416-467-5100
https://www.dundas.com

The Bookshelf

      New Riders has released six new guides to Windows 2000.
      Windows 2000 Essential Reference by Steven Tate et al. provides a Going Deeper section for digging further into the capabilities of Windows 2000. The book's author team includes a member of the Windows 2000 rapid deployment team and consultants who train administrators to deploy Windows 2000 efficiently.
      Planning for Windows 2000 enables administrators to develop an Active Directory service that makes the most of the new features and technologies in Windows 2000. Author trio Eric Cone, Jon Boggs, and Sergio Perez are senior consultants with Metamor Technologies.
      Inside Windows 2000 Server by William Boswell contains information for those who design, administer, or troubleshoot a Windows 2000-based network.
      Windows 2000 Active Directory by Ed Brovick, Doug Hauger, and William C. Wade III, helps administrators with management, interoperability, and security of enterprise networks.
      Windows 2000 DNS by Roger Abell, Herman Knief, Andrew Daniels, and Jeffrey A. Graham focuses on key topics including designing and securing DNS services, planning for interoperation, and installing and using DHCP and WINS services.
      Author Kackie Charles explains creating cost-effective and secure remote access across your network in Windows 2000 Routing and Remote Access Service. This book is for those working with large routed networks or at ISPs. More details about all of these books are available on New Riders' Web site at https://www.newriders.com.

Quick Takes

      Head to Davos, Switzerland for the second annual WinSummit, which will be held October 2-6 2000. WinSummit offers participants an opportunity to keep track of the latest developments in Windows-based products by attending seminars and workshops with the world's most renowned experts on Windows. WinSummit features the best of software and lots of MSDN® Magazine authors, too. Jeff Richter, Jeff Prosise, John Robbins, Matt Pietrek, and Dino Esposito, to name a few. More information is available at https://www.winsummit.com.

      Extended Systems recently announced the release of XTNDConnect RPM (Remote Procedure Middleware), a middle-tier server for developing wireless and wired applications that provides real-time access to enterprise data and server processes. XTNDConnect RPM supports Palm Computing, Windows CE-powered Pocket PC, and Windows platforms. XTNDConnect RPM allows developers to extend simple or complex enterprise applications such as MRP systems to wireless mobile devices through multitier server architecture. The mobile device becomes a thin client to the server, allowing complex processes to be executed on the server, and then send processed data to the mobile client application. Find out more at https://www.extendedsystems.com.