It has taken Apple Computer Inc and DEC so long to get their interoperability software out the door – and it still won’t be out till September (CI No 1,417) that third parties have stolen a march. Network Resources Corp, San Jose, California has just added software that will enable Macintosh users to edit and exchange files on a VAX or Unix host, without the need for a terminal emulation programme. MultiGate Access comprises four modules, MacEdit, MacFTP, MacTerm and LocalTerm, residing on the host, giving Apple users access to VAX and Unix files from within the native Mac user interface. MacEdit automatically configures files for use with one of 11 popular Macintosh word processors. MacFTP gives a Macintosh interface to the TCP/IP-based File Transfer Protocol conversion, whilst MacTerm and MacLocalTerm provide the conventional terminal emulation sessions with the host. MultiGate Access is priced at $80, it is also bundled with Network Resources’ MultiGate Mac software router, which is $800. Other similar products are Makeasy and Macnix for VMS and Unix from the Italian software developer List SpA.
