REALbasic 2.0 Shipping -- On 19-Apr-99, Real Software Inc. released the current developmental release of the company's application development framework REALbasic as version 2.0. Benefits of REALbasic 2.0 include refinements to the core programming language, improvements in the development environment interface, speed gains, and better handling of color, movies, graphics, files, localization, and Apple events. The Professional Edition also includes built-in database facilities, ODBC connectivity, and the capacity to generate Windows executables. (See "Yes, Virginia, There Is a REALbasic" in TidBITS-443 for a review of REALbasic 1.0.)

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Pricing is set at $100 for the Standard Edition and $300 for the Professional Edition, with discounts for academic customers (who are licensed to create freeware applications only) as well as those upgrading from REALbasic 1.0. Customers in certain overseas countries are referred to foreign distributors; others may obtain REALbasic directly from Real Software. The program is a 2.5 MB download and runs as a 30-day demo until a license is purchased. Printed documentation, as well as a CD-ROM with extra examples, will soon be available at an additional cost. Real Software has clarified its intention to continue at full speed with incremental bug-fix releases to REALbasic 2.0, which had hitherto been appearing frequently. Cautious customers may wish to wait a few weeks before upgrading until more of the known bugs have been squashed. [GD]