Developer Product Briefs
April's New Apps & Upgrades for Your Toolkit
This month we look at the latest from SlickEdit, Developer Express, Catalyst Development, Artifiact Software, Perpetuum Software and Guruck Software.
SlickEdit Inc.:
SlickEdit 2007
The latest version of this cross-platform code-editing tool offers full support for Windows Vista.
New features include the ability for users to predefine formatting schemes for .XML and .HTML files, which are then automatically formatted during editing. There's also a Find Symbol Tool Window for finding symbols more quickly than with text searches. Also, the included HTML and RTF clipboard formats enable users to paste formatted and color-coded text into other applications, and the Java Live Errors feature identifies errors in your Java code on the fly. SlickEdit 2007 can work with files up to 2GB in size. Pricing starts at $284 for new licenses.
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SlickEdit: The latest version of cross-platform code-editing tool SlickEdit 2007 offers full support for Windows Vista. |
Developer Express Inc.:
DXperience 2007 Vol. 1
This edition of Visual Studio components and tools features a series of new ASP.NET controls and a spellchecker for Windows Forms.
The XtraSpellChecker lets users add Office-style spellchecking into applications. Among the new ASP.NET tools is the ASPxCloudControl, which can be used to automatically organize hyperlinks on a Web page by displaying them in a specific area and weighting their importance through various types of font sizes and colors.
Other new features include performance improvements to the XtraGrid suite and more charting options. Evaluation versions are available from the company Web site. DXperience v2007 Vol. 1 doesn't
provide support for the .NET Framework 1.x.
Catalyst Development Corp.:
SocketTools 5.0
This toolkit for Internet and intranet software development can be used to plug Internet functionality into applications without the need to know Windows Sockets programming.
The 5.0 release offers full compatibility with Vista, along with support for XP, Server 2003 and Win2000. There's also a new internal memory management system; support for the new Advanced Encryption Standard; a "free threading" feature that makes it easier to write multi-threaded apps; a resource utilization function that can assign each client its own level of priority; expanded documentation; and additional example code.
The product includes assemblies for .NET 1.1 and 2.0, and costs $395.
Artifact Software Inc.:
Lighthouse
Maryland-based Artifact Software Inc. has released Lighthouse Pro, a free hosted software development management tool that centralizes and makes available online project documents and data typically scattered across various apps and locations.
Features include task management, requirements management, resource management, project planning, time sheets, test management and defect tracking, according to the company.
Lighthouse requires only an Internet connection and a browser to use. Data is partitioned at the company and project levels to prevent unauthorized access by other Lighthouse users or other project teams within a user company.
Databases and tables hosted on the Lighthouse service are secured behind access control lists and passwords, while third parties working for Artifact to support Lighthouse have access when necessary only to obfuscate data snapshots, the company says.
The free version has an initial storage limit of 100MB. A customizable and extensible paid-subscription version, Lighthouse Premium, starts at $300 per user per year.
Perpetuum Software LLC:
Report Sharp-Shooter Express 2.3
This free reporting tool enables developers to create reports and integrate them into Windows Forms-based applications. The product is written in C#, is compatible with .NET Framework 1.1 and .NET 2.0, and supports all .NET data sources.
SharpShooter Express' designer allows the creation of various types of reports, from multi-column to hierarchical. It also features a "Master Report" function that enables the quick creation of multiple reports with a layout conforming to a particular company's standards.
The company is offering a free license for the product that includes a one-year subscription. Reports can be developed and freely distributed into both in-house and commercial applications.
Gurock Software:
SmartInspect 2.0
SmartInspect 2.0 is a logging tool for debugging and monitoring .NET, Java and Delphi applications.
The 2.0 release includes more than 100 new features and improvements, according to maker Gurock Software. Among them is full support for Unicode, easing the development of applications meant for worldwide deployment.
The product can also be used to monitor live production systems without stopping the application. The Watches Graph feature can be used to track the way an application is using resources -- such as by spotting peaks or leaks -- and pinpoint areas for improvement.
SmartInspect costs $229 per developer. A 45-day fully functional trial version is available for download.