Other System Software Technologies
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1) What is new with QuickDraw GX 1.1.3 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
QuickDraw GX 1.1.3 contains fixes required for the Color StyleWriter Pro driver (which is included with the update). It also fixes a bug where desktop printers revert to their original position on the desktop after a reboot*even if you*ve moved them to a different place on the desktop. There are also some performance improvements for color ink-jet printers. QuickDraw GX 1.1.3 can be installed from a separate installer that is available as a floppy fulfillment with System 7.5 Update 2.0, and is on the System 7.5 Update 2.0 CD.
2) What is new with PowerTalk 1.2.3 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
The most visible change delivered with PowerTalk 1.2.3 is the decoupling of DigiSign Digital Signature technology from PowerTalk. This capability is accessible through a Custom Install option in the PowerTalk 1.2.3 Installer. With this release are new Starnine PowerTalk gateways for access to Internet mail, Starnine Mail, and C.E. Software*s QuickMail. Additional changes include bug fixes to existing problems, bug fixes to problems uncovered during the 7.5.2 effort, and the synchro-nization of PowerTalk Finder Extensions to the current version of the Finder. PowerTalk 1.2.3 can be installed from a separate installer that is available as a floppy fulfillment with System 7.5 Update 2.0, and is on the System 7.5 Update 2.0 CD.
3) What is new with PlainTalk 1.4.1 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
The major improvements for PlainTalk 1.4.1 are as follows:
* English Text-to-Speech now runs on all Macintosh computers.
* English Speech Recognition has improved performance when used with the built-in microphone on Apple 14 inch AV monitors.
* "Listening" control panel defaults to the much more robust and accurate "push-to-talk" mode. Users hold down a key (defaults to the Escape key), which toggles the microphone on and off as they speak a command (without having to say "Computer" first).
* Speech control panel is compatible with HyperCard 2.3 pop-up menus on Power Macintosh computers.
* The Text-to-Speech part of PlainTalk 1.4.1 is automatically installed when "Easy Install" is selected when installing System 7.5 Update 2.0. If you are interested in installing Mexican Spanish Text-to-Speech or English Speech Recognition, they are available in the PlainTalk 1.4.1 folder in the Apple Extras folder on the CD version of System 7.5 Update 2.0. In addition, PlainTalk 1.4.1 is available electronically at many of the same locations as System 7.5 Update 2.0. Please see the section, "Availability and Distribution" for more information.
4) What is new with Apple Guide 2.0 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
Apple Guide 2.0 features the following improvements:
* Unlimited mix-ins. The previous limit of seven mix-ins has been removed. The number of mix-ins is limited only by the amount of memory.
* The ability to option-click on a panel to copy a picture of that panel to the clipboard has been added.
* Sounds are now played asynchronously.
* System 7.0 and 7.1 are supported.
* Coach marks are displayed in modal dialogs.
* The problem of entire topic areas being eliminated when trying to add a mix-in has been fixed.
* Fixed the problem that occurred while some applications would build their menus, preventing Apple Guide from displaying that application's guide file item, even if one existed in its folder. Apple Guide 2.0 is automatically installed when "Easy Install" is selected when installing System 7.5 Update 2.0.
5) What is new with QuickTime 2.1 included with the System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
QuickTime 2.1 is automatically installed when a customer chooses the "Easy Install" option when installing System 7.5 Update 2.0. The main features of QuickTime 2.1 are the following:
* Provides developers with a high-performance sprite engine, with all sprite images stored as QuickTime compressed images
* A sprite track has been added, which allows sprite animations to be included as part of a QuickTime movie
* Includes a new Modifier Track feature, which allows for the creation of extremely dynamic movies
* Sound Manager 3.1, included with QuickTime 2.1 for Macintosh, for significantly enhanced recording and playback performance on all Power Macintosh computers
* Allows developers to create video that*s larger and looks better on most computers, yet still plays back well on slower ones
* Adds a 256-color format to Cinepak, enabling high-quality video playback without any color remapping
* Adds a settings dialog so users can control the font, font size, style, and color of the text
* Using QuickTime 2.1 for Macintosh, Sound Manager 3.1, and any QuickTime aware application (such as Apple*s MoviePlayer or Simple Text), a consumer can now transparently open and play ".WAV" and ".AU" format sound files, which are commonly found on the World Wide Web
* Provides a convenient way for developers to easily change the monitor resolution within their title so the content fills the entire screen
* Supports QuickTime Teleconferencing
* Supports the Apple MPEG Media System, providing expanded MPEG support for multimedia developers
* Includes playback support that allows digital video compression cards to provide QuickTime with memory to store compressed video data as it is read from the disk
6) What is new with Desktop Printing 1.0.3 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0? How is it installed?
Desktop Printing Software v1.0.3 fixes memory-related problems that occur on Power Macintosh computers with Open Transport installed. If you have a Power Macintosh 7200, 7500, 8500, or 9500, you may have experienced system errors while printing to a desktop printer. This is especially likely if you have turned off virtual memory. Desktop Printing Software v1.0.3 includes support for the Extensions Manager. All three components of the Desktop Printing Software now appear in the Extensions Manager control panel. These components include the Desktop Printer Extension, Desktop PrintMonitor, and Desktop Printer Spooler. If you do not already have Desktop Printing Software in your system, you can install it by choosing the "Custom Install" feature when installing System 7.5 Update 2.0.
7) What is new with QuickDraw 3D 1.0.3 included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
How is it installed?
QuickDraw 3D 1.0.3 is a minor maintenance release that provides better memory management. It is available as a separate installer that only comes on the CD version of System 7.5 Update 2.0. However, QuickDraw 3D 1.0.3 is also available elec-tronically at many of the same locations as System 7.5 Update 2.0. Please see the section, "Availability and Distribution" for more information.
8) Why isn*t OpenDoc included with System 7.5 Update 2.0?
The current OpenDoc release is targeted primarily to developers. When Apple is ready to deliver OpenDoc to customers, it will be included with future system software releases.
Article Change History:
12 Aug 1996 - Changed distribution status.
20 Mar 1996 - Added keywords.