Scotts Valley, California-based Borland International Inc is now shipping ObjectVision 2.0, saying that the new release is a major enhancement to the program for developing interactive business applications for Microsoft Corp Windows visually. ObjectVision 2.0 adds the Property Inspector, an object-oriented feature that provides a new way to access and modify features of any object in the application. It also includes the Object Bar, to provide the capability to drag and drop available objects into ObjectVision applications. Both the Property Inspector and Object Bar features will be going into future Windows releases of Quattro Pro, Paradox and dBase. ObjectVision 2.0 also adds one-to-many data structures and multi-record display in table objects; event trees; rulers and adjustable grids; database filters; password protection; support for custom Dynamic Link Libraries; and support for Microsoft Object Linking and Embedding. The run-time version of ObjectVision 2.0 is provided free with each copy of the product on a separate Run-time and Applications disk so that users can distribute applications that can be run but not modified. The disk also includes a series of som 20 custom applications for personal and business use: they can be customised by ObjectVision buyers for their own use and for distribution and serve as templates and demonstrate how to carry out many new and enhanced functions in an ObjectVision 2.0 application, Borland claims. The new release also directly supports the Microsoft Windows for Pen operating system so that users can develop pen-driven applications – it has a forms user interface metaphor that Borland says is easily applied to use with a pen. An ObjectVision application will prompt the user for necessary information all the way to completion, and can be built to include check boxes and other features that make it natural to use with a pen hardware system. Borland says it is also developing a separate version of ObjectVision 2.0 for OS/2 2.0 for delivery early next year, and is doing an SQL link add-in product for ObjectVision 2.0 to support access to data on SQL Server, Sybase and the gateway to DB2 data. SQL Link Option is scheduled for first quarter 1992. The new release of ObjectVision costs $150, but Borland offers an introductory $10 rebate to those that buy the thing direct from the company. Upgrading from the 1.0 version is $50.
