Mountain View, CA Ð Adobe Systems shipped in September an upgrade to Version 1.1 of its Display PostScript Software Developers Kit (SDK), a set of programs, tools, and reference materials for developers working with Display PostScript (DPS) on the NeXT.
Although many applications access the screen using standard subroutines and objects included with NeXTSTEP, any program that includes specialized graphics or text handling will be writing custom code in DPS. The SDK helps programmers understand DPS and has software tools to help them debug and optimize their programs.
The heart of the SDK is Displaytalk 2.0, a programming tool that allows interactive development and source-level debugging of PostScript-language programs. Displaytalk also includes on-line manuals for PostScript Level 1 and Level 2, Display PostScript, and NeXT-specific PostScript language operators.
Also included in the SDK is the so-called Adobe Purple Book, Programming the Display PostScript System with NeXTSTEP; code samples from the book; and two font packages to help test text-manipulation routines.
"The programmer of any NeXT application that includes heavy imaging will benefit from the SDK," said Ken Fromm, principal author of the Purple Book.
The SDK costs $250 for registered developers but is free to 1.0 users through the Adobe Developers Association.