Apple Debuts the Newton Toolkit 1.5

It’s well known that you can’t please all the people, all the time. Or can you? Apple has certainly set out to try with a major revision of its popular programming package, the Newton Toolkit (NTK). The NTK version 1.5, which is available immediately, contains several improvements that respond to some of the criticisms that the company has had to endure since the release of the original kit in August, 1993.

At that time, which coincided with the release of the Newton itself, early developers were pleased with the high-level simplicity of creating Newton applications, but fretted over the lack of proper tools to help take these applications to the level expected of commercial applications.

For instance, developers liked the interactive user interface prototyping feature available in the original NTK, but had to struggle to achieve the acceptable performance in the interpreted environment of NewtonScript.

Introducing the Newton Toolkit 1.5

Apple wants to make these debates a thing of the past by including a set of powerful productivity tools that make creating high performance applications a snap. The NTK 1.5, which is available for Macintosh OS-based computers, includes an improved user interface that makes application development faster and easier, especially for software that must be localized for international markets.

More importantly, the new toolkit features a new NewtonScript compiler and code profiler that developers can use to increase the performance of their applications. Using the code profiler, developers can pinpoint the routines that are contributing the most in terms of performance. After isolating these routines, developers can use the NewtonScript compiler to compile these routines directly into ARM machine code for fast native execution.

The profiler times individual functions selected by the developer as they execute on the Newton. The resulting statistics are displayed on the development system, using the Inspector window. The profiler runs on a MessagePad 120 (or later), however developers using MessagePad 110 or 100’s can install an appropriate patch available in the NTK System Updates folder.

This method retains the advantages of developing using an interactive, interpreted environment, while offering the performance enhancements of a compiled application. This factor will only get more important as handheld applications get increasingly complex, perhaps including advanced communication features.

The NTK also contains compile-time functions that let you isolate text that appears in your application. This is essential for creating localized versions for international sale.

Newton Book Maker

Along with the introduction of the NTK 1.5, Apple has also updated its Newton content publishing tool, the Newton Book Maker 1.1. Electing to no longer bundle the Book Maker with the NTK, the company is selling the product as a separate package.

Using Book Maker, a number of developers have employed the Newton as a platform for a range of online information and reference manuals including electronic books, travel and restaurant guides, documentation, and reference material. In fact, Pen-Based Computing has been available in Newton book format.

Pricing and Availability

Apple has restructured its pricing policy in an effort to make the Newton tools available to a broader audience of developers. With this in mind, the Newton Toolkit is now available for $299, a substantial drop from its predecessor’s price. The Newton Book Maker, formerly bundled with the toolkit, is now available for $199.

Apple is making the NTK 1.5 available to existing toolkit owners for $99. This upgrade includes the updated versions of both the Newton Toolkit and the Newton Book Maker.

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