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Escale - 1.0.1

DCL-based Newton connection utility

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All Time:	Not rated (0.0)
This Version:	Not rated (0.0)
Current Version:	1.0.1
Release Date:	2003-05-03
License:	Freeware
Downloads (this version):	3,000
Downloads (all versions):	3,291

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Product Description:

Escale is a Newton Connection Utility for MacOS X featuring AddressBook synchronization, Package installation and use of Mac Keyboard to echo letters on the Newton. It can connect to a Newton via the serial line, AppleTalk and TCP/IP with RendezVous. Escale comes with the full source code of the Desktop Connection Library (DCL).

What's new in this version:

Escale

groups/companies synchronization is disabled until a good solution is defined
the AppleWorks old documentation has been deleted
the Escale User's Guide now uses more PDF features thanks to hyperref, for example URL can be clicked directly or the document tree appears on the left.
the backup and restore menu items have been linked and deactivated
the buttons and menu items are now properly deactivated when no Newton is connected
the preferences to choose the serial port now works
birthdays are now properly synchronized (and the change dates are also properly compared)
the e-mail addresses are properly imported (exportation is not implemented)

DCL

there were leaks in the management of the Newton objects, they have been fixed
the references to NewtonScript objects are now much better handled, thus saving memory and CPU
there were bugs caused by a misuse of these references, they were fixed as well
the NewtonScript strings can be catenated just like on the Newton (e.g. myResult = myStringRef & myOtherStringRef)
the NewtonScript binaries of class 'name are now handled as strings as they should (why did they not use a subclass of string as they do elsewhere?). Anyway, this fixes a bug with synchronization that would make Escale not synchronize any Newton name or just a few of them.
the keys in a Newton frame are now sorted when the 20 pairs threshold is met
the comparator of NewtonScript symbols now works properly
LoadPkgLink has been reintegrated (untested, but should work)
wrote code to normalize e-mail addresses based on Built-in and KitFr classes (later I will ask the Newton to normalize them and therefore take into account any e-mail system configured in the Newton)
I wrote some pages of the DCL Programmer's Reference (not much)
the MacOS 7 code to handle files has been updated and completed
the crash when installing a package from the Newton has been fixed
the crash in SyncOneEntry has been fixed

Other/Meta

there are new tests for NewtonScript object manipulation
many aesthetic changes were performed
the doxygen test now succeeds (so every test succeeds)
applied Sandro Mazzucato's patch: added end of line to the end of files to satisfy gcc 3.2 on RedHat
added macros for 4 characters constants so gcc 3.2 on RedHat should be happy (no feedback yet)
various stability changes have been made
the projects have been moved to _Build_ and cleaned/merged/whatever.
the DCL is now built as a MacOS X framework (PB project only)
the CW project can build localized versions of Escale
old Windows interface files have been removed (you can still get them from the CVS server, but they were very obsolete anyway)
many things got broken since 1.0 and were fixed like the way link engines are handled (this literaly prevented any operation in recent builds)
the ADSP test code has been added to the CVS repository
the Unicode normalization file has been removed from the CVS repository (this helps making the disk image smaller)

and probably other things I forgot.

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

Mac OS X 10.2

Additional Requirements:

MacOS X 10.2 or higher
NewtonOS 2.0 or higher
Compiling requires CodeWarrior 8.3 or latest Apple Development Tools

Feedback Summary:

This Version:
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It's great that… - Version: 1.0, 4/17/2003 06:25AM PST

(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)

Tyaris Major

this is being made, especially with Rendezvous support (who would have thunk that the second platform to support Rendezvous would be the Newton OS?). However it's still early days I think. Escale seems to be a bit unreliable as far as maintaining a connection. eg: the Keyboard function, after a couple of keystrokes, Escale's Keyboard typing window disappears. The Newt isn't really sure that a disconnect has happened, and Escale (this is over IP). Also, Rendezvous seems to be a bit patchy - the Newton's Dock can see my Mac, but if I tap to connect to it, the Escale desktop app doesn't respond and the Newt reports a failure to connect (not sure if it's Escale's fault or the Rendezvous/Dock stack). Escale doesn't deserve low stars, simply because this seems to be the first version, and anything involving bringing the Newton into Mac OS X has got to be a tricky deal. I'll definitely keep an eye on it and hopefully the glitches will be ironed out.