1. Smithware Delivers Btrieve into the Internet Age.

Smithware is now shipping the Smithware I*net Data Server (IDS) and the I*net Developer's Kit. See http://www.smithware.com/ids for product information and http://www.smithware.com/ids/idsdemo/survey.html for a guided tour of the technology. IDS is an easy way to build database applications either for the Internet or intranets (I*net).

According to Scott Smith, Smithware president and CEO, "The Smithware IDS truly represents a fresh look at Internet and web application development. Smithware has taken proven Btrieve client-server development concepts, and moved them directly to the Internet." IDS technology allows developers to use the development environment of their choice to build applications that are scalable to the Internet. Smith added, "This is what really makes IDS unique: you do not have to learn a whole new way to develop in order to deliver top notch Internet-enabled solutions today."

One company using Smithware IDS technology is MagRabbit, Inc., an Austin, Texas based provider of order fulfillment and support services to Novell, Pervasive, and other firms. According to Tim Belding, MagRabbit systems analyst, "Recently we came across the Java Classes being developed by Smithware which allow WEB-based direct Btrieve calls. We feel that the use of the IDS and the Java classes will greatly simplify our Web-based order entry system." Belding envisions porting their system completely to Java, allowing internal ordering and direct customers orders to use the same Web-based interface. Chris Stewart, MagRabbit Webmaster and Internet programmer added, "Since Java was developed with the Internet in mind, both our Internet security issues and Internet/LAN database programming and integration problems will be minimized using Smithware IDS."

Approaching I*net development has been simplified by Smithware through the introduction of the I*net Partner Program (IPP). Smith explained, "With the IPP, the only requirements to build and test Internet-enabled applications is the IDS Developer's Kit and a connection of any type to the Internet. Users have access to the Smithware IDS_Test_Server where all features of I*net development can be used before any significant investment is made."

The Smithware I*net Developer's Kit is shipping now and retails for $595. The Developer's Kit includes a one-user version of the I*net Data Server that can be loaded on Windows NT for local testing if desired. For additional information contact Smithware at 615-386-3100 x6.

2. Pervasive Software files for IPO.

On September 4, 1997, Pervasive Software, the company that manufactures Btrieve and Scalable SQL, announced their filing of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering of 4 million shares of common stock.

The offering price is expected to be between $8 and $10 per share. Copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained by calling Robertson, Stephens & Company LLC at 415-781-9700, UBS Securities LLC at 212-821-4000, or First Albany Corporation at 212-273-7000.

The SEC registration statement can be found on-line at http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1042821/0000930661-97-001786.txt.

3. BDJ Magazine Autumn 1997 issue is just around the corner.

Here is what will be covered in the upcoming Autumn '97 issue of Btrieve Developer's Journal Magazine (http://www.smithware.com/bdj):

Pervasive Goes Public
                    Pervasive Software has filed with the SEC to take the company public. Business reporter Lori Hawkins from the Austin Statesman files an in-depth report on this event.

ODBC - What It Is, What It Isn't
          Understanding ODBC and its history by Jim Kyle.

Point of View
          Peter Blair, president of Reggatta Systems Inc., conveys his Point of View, in a new column designed to solicit opinion in a thought-provoking manner.

Clarion for Windows
          BDJ reader, Ayodele Dahunsi, details his search for a simpler and more efficient development platform, and how he converted to Clarion.

Inside Btrieve
          Doug Reilly takes a look Inside the Microsoft SQL Server Developer's Resource Kit

Embeddable Databases
          What is an embeddable database? Is Btrieve embeddable? Jim Kyle answers these and other "embeddable" questions.

Plus a whole lot more!
          Every issue of BDJ is packed with the latest information, programming hints, and technology trends that affect the world of Btrieve database development.

Be sure to subscribe to BDJ at http://www.smithware.com/bdj/subscriptionform.html today to make sure that you get the latest information available about Pervasive Software products.

4. Smithware ActiveX Controls 3.10.006 Updates to be Posted on the web.

On Friday September 26, 1997 Smithware will post patch updates for Smithware ActiveX Controls for Btrieve 3.10 32-bit edition. 16-bit patches will be available the following week.

See http://www.smithware.com/support/patches.html#ACTIVEX for information and availability of the 3.10.006 patches.

Here is a list of enhancements and bug fixes for the 3.10.006 build:

1) Enhanced: VAccess now supports non-null-terminated variable length fields.
2) Enhanced: ValueTrue & ValueFalse properties of VAOptionButton now apply to reads as well as writes
3) Fixed: FocusSelText property now works correctly in 16-bit VATextbox
4) Fixed: Help button in Format Multiple Columns Dialog for VAListbox now opens help
5) Fixed: Help button in Owner Name Dialog for VAListbox now opens help
6) Fixed: On multiple uses, the Selected Fields dialog box would fail to show all possible fields
7) Fixed: VAComboBox did not always close correctly in 16-bit
8) Fixed: GPF on VASearch textbox when used with a VAccess with invalid field data
9) Fixed: Arrow keys did not work correctly in the VATextbox and VAComboBox
10) Enhanced: VAccess controls can now be created on the fly with the CreateObject command in VB and ActiveServe pages
11) Enhanced: VAccess controls performing extended operations with selection criteria now automatically re-map fields with extended data types to the Btrieve key type that is most likely to be collated correctly.
12) Fixed: VAScrollbars fired Change event twice on thumb drag
13) Fixed: GetTotalRecords cleared VALocation property on VAccess
14) Fixed: The GotData event did not fire correctly
15) Fixed: If a VAccess in ExOps could not find any records to meet a filter condition, bound controls would not be cleared correctly
16) Fixed: Medium Date and Long Date format types were not displaying correctly
17) Fixed: The VAccess control now prompts for DDF owner names, when appropriate
18) Fixed: The VATextbox will now accept all text changes from code while in unbound mode

5. Pervasive Announces US and European Developer's Conferences.

Pervasive Software has announced two Developer's Conferences, one in the US and one in Europe, for early 1998. The US conference will be held March 14-18 in Austin, Texas, and Pervasive Europe's European Conference will be held April 2-5 at Disneyland France.

Contact Trish Manning (tmanning@pervasive-sw.com), Pervasive's Events Coordinator, for more information.