Geoworks Announces SDK for GEOS; Tools Put Mobile Market Within Reach
BERKELEY, Calif. — October 13, 1993 — The GEOS 2.0 Software Development Kit (SDK), an all-inclusive set of application tools and documentation on CD-ROM, will be commercially available Oct. 15 from Geoworks.
The SDK provides everything software developers need to create applications for any hardware operating on the GEOS platform.
The SDK runs in a cross-development environment, which makes it possible for developers to create a single application for multiple consumer computing devices (CCDs), like the Zoomer personal digital assistant (PDA) from Casio/Tandy and the PT-9000 personal information assistant (PIA) from Sharp Electronics, simultaneously.
To do this, SDK users need two PCs connected by a serial cable or a PC connected to the CCD itself. The first PC, the host, is for developing and debugging the application code. The second unit runs the application.
If developers are using a PC as the second device, the SDK will emulate the user interface (UI) of the CCD, allowing developers to debug their applications in the same look and feel of that specific environment. Users can also debug quickly and easily between environments.
This unique two-machine setup allows SDK users to design high-quality applications that will run across a wide range of products.
The beta version of Geoworks' SDK will feature user interfaces that emulate the Zoomer, the PT-9000 and PCs.
Geoworks also designed the SDK to be fully extensible to support new GEOS-based CCDs as they become available. The kit includes support for devices with pen input.
"We believe the new consumer computing device market will consist of many different types of products," said Brian Dougherty, chairman and CEO, Geoworks. "So we wanted a flexible SDK that would accommodate diverse development needs."
Among the tools included in the Geoworks SDK are the GEOS debugger, SWAT, which developers can program to create their own custom debugging commands; a Linker (GLUE), which lets users link together file dependencies; a Resource Editor, which enables non-programmers to translate the applications to foreign languages; and an Icon Editor, which allows developers to create custom icons.
Developers attending Geoworks' first developer conference, Oct. 25-26, will receive the SDK free of charge. The conference will highlight the opportunities for software developers in the CCD market and will include presentations by top Geoworks executives, senior executives from the company's hardware partners Casio, Tandy and Sharp Electronics and key industry analysts.
"GEOS: The New Profit Platform" will be held at the Hyatt Regency, Burlingame, Calif. To register, call Geoworks at 800/524-1857, ext. 1214. The cost for attending is $595.
Geoworks is making its SDK available on CD-ROM at $99, which includes all development tools and online documentation in ASCII, PostScript and FrameReader formats. A hard copy of the documentation is available for $295. To order, call Geoworks at 800/GEOS-SDK, beginning Oct. 15.
Located in Berkeley, Geoworks is the developer and publisher of the GEOS graphical operating system and application software. The company provides sophisticated and highly efficient system software and markets targeted applications for an emerging class of consumer computing devices designed to communicate, entertain and manage information for mass-market consumers.
Geoworks products are available worldwide through OEMs, dealer channels and republishers.
NOTE TO EDITORS: GEOS and Geoworks are registered trademarks of Geoworks in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
CONTACT:
Geoworks, Berkeley
Deborah Dawson, 510/204-8550
or
The Bohle Co., Los Angeles
Holly Zmetrovich/Karl Fields, 310-785-0515, ext. 227/233