News Briefs and Product Shorts

• Symtrax has recently added a number of new modules and features to its OS/400 report distribution suite called Compleo. In the update are three new modules, including Compleo Reader; new spool-file-to-Microsoft SQL Server conversion capabilities; a new faxing add-on; and a new HTML "metatagging" feature. Symtrax delivered its new Compleo Reader as an alternative to users who didn't want to use the full-blown Compleo Explorer interface. Compleo Reader assists users in viewing, printing, and searching compressed Compleo files, which are stored in the .SPL format. The new SQL DB Driver allows Compleo users to transfer OS/400 spool files directly into a SQL Server database. The Los Angeles company says this feature will come in handy at companies that don't want to expose their stable and secure back-room OS/400 applications to other users over a network, which more often than not is controlled by a Microsoft Windows server anyway. The third new module, the Winfax add-on, allows users to extend their Compleo report distribution systems to include faxing capabilities, via direct API-level communication with the popular and inexpensive Winfax fax system. Compleo now also sports a new metatagging feature, which, Symtrax says, will make it easier for users to find the reports they're looking for when there are thousands of reports to choose from. The metatag is a numeric or alphanumeric sequence that gets attached to specific reports to describe a certain attribute. For more information, go to www.symtrax.com.

• Print protocol conversion specialist MPI Tech last week announced a new memory plug-in that provides AFP and IPDS emulation for Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers. The new IPDS DIMM HP is a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) that allows full bidirectional communication over IP between a LaserJet printer and an IBM S/390, OS/400, or AIX server, without affecting the LaserJet's native PCL and PostScript capabilities. The IPDS DIMM HP plugs into and is automatically configured by the LexMark printer. If the network environment uses IBM's SNA protocol, a converter will be required on the server. Other converters are available for coax and twinax cables. MPI Tech, which recently completed its acquisition of iData, offers similar DIMM converters for Xerox and Lexmark printers. For more information, go to www.mpitech.com.
  
  
• WorksRight Software recently announced that, starting in December, customers paying maintenance on its four OS/400 ZIP code and address verification software utilities--PER/ZIP4, PER/SORT, ZIP/CITY System, and CPC System--will receive an update every month, instead of every other month, as the company had done previously. Leon Stewart, the president of the Madison, Mississippi, company, said, "We want to get updated data and software to our clients as soon as possible, so switching to monthly updates is just another step in that direction." Along with the increase in service comes an increase in price. Beginning in January, the first-year subscription price for both PER/ZIP4 and PER/SORT will increase by $600, to $3,900, while the renewal price will increase by $300, to $1,950. The company's ZIP/CITY System will increase by $100, to $495, while the CPC Canadian Postal Code system will remain at $900. PER/ZIP4 helps companies qualify for USPS bulk mailing rates by checking its customers' mailing address against the USPS ZIP code database. PER/SORT is used to sort mailing files into the correct sequence and to produce mailing reports for discounted mailings. ZIP/CITY matches ZIP codes to place names and abbreviations, while CPC provides Canadian Postal Code functionality. For more information, go to www.worksright.com.
  
  
• Generic Software, the dynamic Madison, Mississippi, provider of such exciting products as Attention Key Menu, Save Output Queue, and 1099 Magnetic Media Reporting, recently announced the launch of another exhilarating product, an OS/400 archiving utility called Reprint. Generic's newest creation works as a recycle bin for your OS/400 server. As spool files arrive in output queues, Reprint automatically archives them so users can later view or reprint the files (which could be reports or other such items) by simply selecting them from a list, without requiring the assistance of an operator. The software adheres to OS/400 security and limits access to the spool file's original owner and specially identified "Reprint System Administrators." The utility also keeps track of its activities and provides information on which spooled files have been archived, the amount of disk space in use by the archives, which spooled files have been printed, and which users are doing the reprinting. An auto-purge feature saves your valuable disk space by deleting expired archives and reprint history. Reprint sells for $695 and can be downloaded for a 30-day trial at www.genericsoftware.com.
  
  
• Did you know that improper testing of OS/400 applications costs companies in the United Kingdom nearly 5 million pounds ($8 million) every day? That, according to The Original Software Group, a British provider of testing tools for OS/400 and Web applications. The company recently loaded a cost-saving calculator onto its Web site, the results of which showed that the typical U.K. iSeries company wastes about 210,000 pounds (or about $335,000) every year because of wasted manpower and resources caused by poor testing practices. The company admitted that the results are staggering. "We know that good testing practice will save businesses money and reduce unnecessary risk," said George Wilson, the company's operations director. "But even we were surprised at the figures returned by users of the calculator."
  
  
• Thenon, British provider of OS/400 change management and testing tools, recently announced an update to its SmartTest400 utility. Thenon said that SmartTest400 Advanced Edition now supports the testing of any iSeries application with a rejuvenated interface developed using tools such as SEAGULL's JWalk, looksoftware's newlook, and other third-party products. SmartTest400 Advanced Edition ships with a Windows PC component that provides record and playback functionality to find bugs in rejuvenated applications. Developers can also run the same SmartTest400 test scripts against any OS/400 application screens, whether they be 5250, GUI, or rejuvenated interfaces. For more data, go to www.thenon.com.
  
  

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