NAME:

zApp, V2.0

VENDOR:

Inmark 2065 Landings Drive,

Mountainview, CA 94043

(800) 3-inmark (inquiries)

(415) 691-9000 (voice)

(415) 691-9099 (fax)

Email: sales@inmark.com

SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION:

This is a full C++ class library. This product contains over 200 classes to provide things like DDE support (non-portable), printer support, geometry management, and true-type font support. Included in their package is 75 pre-defined forms (as well as the usual examples) and source code for the class libraries. The software comes with zApp Programmer's Guide (330 pages) and zApp Programmer's Reference (833 pages).

OPTIONS:

zApp Interface Pack, around 100 extra classes like a spreadsheet- oriented table class, 3-D toolbars, status lines, and 3-D custom controls. This software comes with the zApp Interface Pack Guide (144 pages) and the zApp Interface Pack Reference (158 pages). zApp Factory, a drag-n-drop WYSIWYG builder that includes a code generator. This software comes with the zApp Factory User's Guide (213 pages). The zApp Developer's Suite includes zApp, the zApp Interface Pack, and zApp Factory. This software comes with the 'Getting Started with the Developer's Suite' manual (89 pages). zApp offers training, as well.

SUPPORT:

Basic support is free. There's also premium support (for extra bux) that includes product upgrades. FUTURE PLANS: Mac support (but I wouldn't count on this any time soon). zApp (and the zApp Interface Pack) versions 2.2 are scheduled for release any minute now. These releases should have full support for DLL's. The X/Motif version of zApp is currently in limited release and will go into general release in early November. zApp Factory will also be released on X/Motif in November. Inmark is also working on a portable help product that will be released early next year.

COMMENTS:

The zApp class libraries were originally coded in C++.

WHAT THE USERS SAY:

The customer-interface is great. Their BBS is said to provide a faster response than does CompuServe. zApp receives many plaudits. Many users really like their class structure. One user says "zApp contains without a doubt the absolute best C++ code I have ever seen. It is an amazingly simple, intuitive interpretation of GUI and OOP interfaces". Another user says, "zApp is an EXCELLENT platform-independent API. If you truly must write your code "once" for multiple platforms, zApp is the C++ solution to get." Also revered is the zApp Factory tool. A big complaint seems to be that zApp is quite apparently MS-Windows-oriented. Many of their classes and idioms don't translate well (or at all) to other platforms. For example, one user says "my disappointment [with zApp] stems from my Mac expectations." Another user agrees, "The [MS] Windows version works rather better than the OS/2 version". In order to do substantial work under MS-DOS Graphics mode, Inmark has told users to purchase MEWEL Library. Another user corroborates: "To use zApp in [MS-DOS] Graphics mode you WILL need to buy MEWEL Professional [, and a memory extender such as] PharLap/286 or Borland PowerPacks". A, possibly anachronistic, comment I've heard is "it has A LOT of memory leaks". On the other hand, Inmark has been listening to the complaints of it's customers, "We have been very diligent in tracking memory leaks and memory issues with zApp. The latest versions of zApp have been verified with [an in-house product, SmartHeap, BoundsChecker, and Purify]." Other miscellaneous complaints include lack of DLL support, no portable help files, and zApp Factory regenerates all source code even when only one line is changed.