IBM Corp’s Burlington, Massachusetts-based friend Easel Corp has come out with a new generation of its Easel tool for developing personal computer-based graphical and co-operative processing applications for OS/2, Windows or MS-DOS environments. The new Easel Workbench software package itself is an OS/2-based visual development environment including the high-level Easel language, production compilers for OS/2, Windows and MS-DOS , and Easel application run-time software. To simplify the design of graphical user interfaces, Easel Workbench includes visual programming tools ranging from a Layout Editor, which supports IBM’s SAA Common User Access guidelines and enables the visual design of user interfaces by the creation, placement and sizing of objects such as windows, dialogue boxes and dialogue controls; Drawing Editor, which facilitates the design of icon and application-specific graphics associated with advanced user interfaces; Menu Editor, which enables the building of action bars, pull down and cascading menus; and Attribute Editor, which enables the definition and editing of the attributes of individual components of an application. Other editing tools include a Built-In-Text-Editor and a Librarian. Also provided are a set of visually-orientated, interactive debugging tools for refining applications, including a Source Level Debugger. Trace Facilities enable the visual monitoring of the execution of an application. Easel Workbench supports SQL databases including Microsoft’s SQL Server and IBM’s Database Manager, and for enhancing existing terminal-based applications, it supports mainframe communications protocols including 3270, PC Support/5250, VT100, and asynchronous communications. Advanced Program-to-Program Communications, APPC, and Dynamic Data Exchange, or DDE, are also supported. Easel Workbench will ship next month, priced at $12,000 for one application production compiler for OS/2, Windows or MS-DOS. Additional production compilers can be obtained for $6,000.
