The Andrew Consortium of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science has released the first C++ version of the ANDREW USER INTERFACE SYSTEM (Andrew7.4). Users who upgrade to this latest Andrew version will enjoy its trademark integrated suite of compound-document applications with which they can create, edit, and view documents containing combinations of text, pictures, graphs, figures, spreadsheets, and other embedded objects. Andrew7.4 is available free of charge and is packaged in binary form to simplify installation. It can be used on these popular systems: IBM RS/6000 (AIX 3.2.5) Hewlett-Packard 720 (HPUX 9.0) DECstation 3100 PMAX (Ultrix 4.3) SUN Sparcstation (SunOS 4.1.3) SUN Sparcstation (Solaris 2.4) Intel x86 (Linux: Redhat & Slackware) In most cases, the distribution will also operate with later and sometimes earlier versions of the respective operating system. To obtain the new binaries, users with web browsers should view the Consortium's World Wide Web page at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~AUIS; those without web access can retrieve the binaries via anonymous ftp at ftp.andrew.cmu.edu:pub/AUIS/bin-dist. Each distribution is divided into packages so it is not necessary to install everything at once. Packages in this distribution are: wp - word processing and program source editor all other - everything but mail and documentation mail - MIME-compatible mail interface doc - documentation and help files Andrew7.4 includes many enhancements and novel features: o ATK - All Andrew objects are now derived from class ATK. In consequence, object types can be tested and their code can be loaded dynamically. o htmltext - Replaces the former htmltext object with a somewhat more general package. o ez2html - Program converts ez text files to HTML format. Can be used as part of a server to serve the web from Andrew files. o direct-to-PostScript printing - Print formatting is far faster, the resulting files are smaller, and there is no longer a dependence on troff or psdit. o color manager - Several strategies have been implemented to make images appear in the most accurate colors possible. The color manager is shared among all Andrew applications so optimization takes place across all Andrew windows. o recursive search - The recsearch package provides for searching -ALL- strings, whether in the text or in objects embedded in the text. o srctext - Many improvements have been made to the modes for editing files in particular programming languages. New support has been added for idl, perl, rexx, and scribe. o gofig - An object/editor for displaying diagrams of positions in the game of Go. o bug fixes - Literally thousands, among other new system features too numerous to mention. "Now that Andrew is in C++, the system can handle text in varied fonts and sizes, as well as automatic indentation, and text with embedded objects like drawings and widgets," says Andrew Consortium Director Fred Hansen. "In fact, sites can easily develop their own embeddable object." For example, in writing about the "ko" rule for the game of Go, Hansen needed a specialized inset to display Go diagrams. He was able to create the inset in just a few hours using Andrew in C++. What he did can be viewed on the Web at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~wjh/go/rules/Precise.html. "This would have been impossible with most word processors, improbable with OLE and difficult with OpenDoc," Hansen says. The Andrew User Interface System has been part of Carnegie Mellon`s computing environment since 1986 when it was developed as part of the university`s Andrew network, a joint project between the university and IBM Corporation. The university`s School of Computer Science established the Andrew Consortium to maintain and enhance the Andrew User Interface System, including the Andrew Toolkit and the Andrew Message System. The consortium helps users take full advantage of the system, including training, documentation, and distribution options. The consortium also offers outside organizations the opportunity to participate in its ongoing development and utilize the latest in-house advances. Please contact AnnMarie Zanger for information on becoming a consortium member. Andrew Consortium School of Computer Science Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 Phone: (412) 268-6710 Fax: (412) 268-5571 Email: discussion forum ---info-andrew@andrew.cmu.edu bug reports ---info-andrew-bugs@andrew.cmu.edu info, orders , subscriptions - info-andrew-request@andrew.cmu.edu