Newton Sync Utility for Mac OS X

zdryer writes "The Newton refuses to die! John Anderson has released nSync Public Preview 1, a Newton sync program designed for Mac OS X 10.2. It's rough right now (only supports serial connections, only syncs clock and AddressBook), but Anderson has big plans (TCP/IP connections, iCal support) and an open plug-in architecture. Also, once he sells 300 copies @ $34 each, he's going to release the source under a BSD-style license."

Comments

First the nSync software...

[Anonymous Coward]

next thing you know, it'll be the Apple iBrittney.

Hey, that gives me an idea!

[Noose For A Neck]

Wouldn't it be cool if there were a site that we could go to where we could find out about all these software releases? We could make it a center of the open source community, where developers can post news about revisions of their pet software projects.

Anyone got any name ideas? I was thinking of "Freshmeat", but I think I've seen that somewhere before...

Re:Hey, that gives me an idea!

[Anonymous Coward]

www.versiontracker.com

Re:Hey, that gives me an idea!

[MonaXier]

On the Mac side, most people are happy with VersionTracker. It does mix commercial and open-source updates, though.

Naming of products....

[cuyler]

Personally, I wouldn't have named my product nSync....

gee, what a swell guy.

[BigChigger]

If you're the 300th purchaser, you're gonna feel great that the code gets released the next day.

BC

Re:gee, what a swell guy.

[capmilk]

I would be feeling pretty good, knowing that by merely buying a product I wanted to have for a long time anyway, I also help the tiny Newton community.

Yep, being the 300th buyer should earn you an achievement award. :)

Re:gee, what a swell guy.

[scotto]

If you're the 300th purchaser, you're gonna feel great that the code gets released the next day.

Actually, I would feel great. It means I just bought the rights to view, modify, and redistribute the source code.

That 'Ol Newton

[MBCook]

Once he sells 300 copies? That's like 80% of all newtons ever sold! (*rimshot*)

OK seriously, that's pretty cool. I had one of the origional ones way back. It was really nice. I still think that it's one of the best PDAs ever made (especially for that time). It's only real failing was that as expensive as it was, YOU HAD TO PAY EXTRA for a sync cable/software. And it's not like you had $15 or $20, or even $50. If I remember correctly you had to pay $100. Because of that, I could never put any software on my newton, I couldn't afford to sell that cable. That's one of the reasons (IMHO) that Palm succeded. They were one of the first (or at least as it appeared to me) major PDA makers to include the cable, instead of charging extra. The handwriting on the things was actually very nice, especially considering how long ago they first appeared.

As for the name, I like how he's "appelized" it, but as many other comments have pointed out, nSync is not that great a name. Personally, I'd prefer "iNewt". That name is just cool.

I have a question about sync methods though. I know newtons could be synced by serial. I seem to remember you could use IR (is that right)? Did they ever support using TCP/IP to sync? I remember trying to use a PCMCIA modem, but it drew too much power so I never got to mess around with it's "internet" ablilities.

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[dramsey]

YOU HAD TO PAY EXTRA for a sync cable/software. And it's not like you had $15 or $20, or even $50. If I remember correctly you had to pay $100.

That's odd, because I bought every Newton ever made, including the Sharp variants (so I'm a geek, sue me) and still have a clear Newton, 130, and 2100, and every single one of them came with sync software and a cable. Admittedly in the case of the 2x00, it was awfully beta software, but still... You could sync a Newton over Ethernet, but I think it was AppleTalk over Ethernet, and not IP...

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[Tug3]

The handwriting on the things was actually very nice, especially considering how long ago they first appeared.

The handwriting recongnition was great, and still is. Even Apple seems to think so as they based their new OS X's Inkwell on it. I hear the Inkwell even has some of the Newton's hidden gimmicks left in...

I have a question about sync methods though.

Yes, you can sync Newton via serial, IR, and ethernet. Only catch is that it only supported EtherTalk, no TCP/IP... ...and of course none of that (yet) exists for OS X. (Apart from this

Maybe I should go out and get me one of these Newtons again? I guess Apple store don't sell them any more...

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[edbarrett]

You had to pay extra for *sync* software. The software shipped with the Newton would allow you to do a backup/restore and install software.

That's it.

You want to do anything with your data besides back it up, say, export your name cards to your desktop PIM? Buy the upgrade.

For reference: for 1.x devices or for 2.x devices.

Which is all a moot point, because damn near every package ever released for the thing is out there, including the Dragon Speech-to-Text demo.

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[scotto]

And although the capability exists in the Newton OS to sync via IR, that feature was never added to the sync software from Apple.

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[colenski]

Actually I got my MP-100 to work just fine with just a plain old ImageWriter cable which you can get from mac shops for like $6. Tons of freeware (windows too) to transfer apps to newt, even pre-internet, got mine off AppleLink, anyone remember that?? i get misty eyed for the little fucker every day. stupidest thing I ever did was to sell it for $100

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[BiOFH]

So... if I told you I was reading slashdot wirelessly on my Newton 2100 would that make you buy one faster? :)

There're quite a few on Ebay. Then head to www.unna.org for lots of software including the wireless (802.11b) driver.

Re:That 'Ol Newton

[Tug3]

So... if I told you I was reading slashdot wirelessly on my Newton 2100 would that make you buy one faster? :)

Unfortunately I was aware that this was under development...
Fortunately I didn't know it worked that well already...
Unfortunately you told me this, and now I'm gonna be quite a few Euros poorer...

But seriously, the link you gave was a good one!

silly boy band

[kraksmoka]

man, and just when i had gotten my powerbook 1400 with the ir panel, now they have stuff for jaguar!

Don't worry, my little newton! The Newton shall rise again!!!!

Hence,,,

[floydigus]

...you have not made millions from manufacturing boy bands.

Interesting licencing strategy

[darkov]

Also, once he sells 300 copies @ $34 each, he's going to release the source under a BSD-style license.

This is a great. You could cal it "payware" or "wageware" or something. The programmer gets paid for his time and we get some new open source software. This is much better than shareware since it contributes to the pool of open source, but dosen't limit development to those who have the time (or the lack of a social life) to develop software for free. And by using the BSD licence, another enterprising soul could enhance the product and do the same thing. This is much better than GPL - it lets the small guy make some money instead of just companies who have the capital to make money from open source.

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, this is a good way to make people less likely to purchase the product.

Some of those who would have bought it if they can't get it for free will say "I'll wait until it becomes open source".

Those who would buy it but don't like leeches or moochers will not want to buy it if it just helps the cheapskates get the same thing for free.

Those who wouldn't have bought it anyway aren't enticed to buy it, because they aren't getting any reward... only other people who didn't pay will get the reward.

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would people buy it if it'll be free later?

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[darkov]

Actually, this is a good way to make people less likely to purchase the product.

If you only consider the proposition in strict money terms, then you are correct, but there are other things motivating people. There is lots of shareware out there that does not lock you out or nag if you do not pay, but people still pay although they don't have to.

There will be people who like the product alot and are grateful someone wrote it and will happily pay the money. We're only talking about 300 people. If it's useful there will easily be 300 people who just want to support the guy who wrote it. Who cares about everybody else who doesn't want to pay for it?

What's good about this is that the programmer gets a reward and so does everybody else. Someone might write some software and GPL it becuase they don't want others to benefit from their work. But if they get some money they might feel alot better about others getting benefit out of it: "Hey, I got paid! Who cares about what happens to the source".

The great weakness of GPL is that it makes it harder to make money out of. Some might say "exactly - we don't want to support evil corporate leeches". But that just means that it makes it harder to make an industry out of open source. Why have good programmers locked up (employed) by evil corporates when they could be freelace open source programmers? It would also give people like MS one less stick to beat open source with. The most important thing to keep in mind is that competition is what the corporate world is really afraid of. And if the source is open to all without comercial restriction then anyone make use of the source and complete in the market place. No one company or person can make a killing, meanwhile everybody benefits from improved technology.

One fine example of this is the BSD networking code and the corresponding success of the Internet (yes, the two are related).

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[Polo]

or it could be thought of as shareware that you can use, but if you really support it, put some money in the tip jar to free the source. Or if you're a company and want to build something, buy it outright (and incidentally, free the source)

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[Alan Partridge]

not everyone is a fuckhead like you

Re:Interesting licencing strategy

[MaxVlast]

Because people care.

Cocoa in NewtonScript

[RevAaron]

Now you can write Cocoa apps in NewtonScript!

As a part of nSync's cool plug-in archetecture, you have the ability to get at anything in the Newton's soup system, an object database in which all data on the Newton is stored. Not only can you get to any Newton data from Cocoa, you can also execute arbitrary NewonScript!

Meaning, with a little creativity, you could write NewtonScript Cocoa apps. Make the GUI using InterfaceBuilder, and make callbacks to the NewtonScript side for the logic. It's like having asyncronous multiprocessing! WOOT!

Re:Cocoa in NewtonScript

[RevAaron]

While I did mean this as tongue-in-cheek, it's also true. Because of the facilities provided in nSync, and the very dynamic and reflective nature of the Newton's software system, you *can* indeed write Cocoa apps in NewtonScript. :)

Re:Cocoa in NewtonScript

[John Anderson]

Yup, you could offload some of that heavy processing to your Newton, freeing up your G4 for more important tasks, like games and porn. Move over, Quartz Extreme :-)

Me want Newton

[Anonymous Coward]

And why doesn't Apple make Newton anymore? Yeah, I know Sculley blew some things and Steve doesn't like it. But people really seem to love their antique Newton PDAs which are maybe even better in their own purpose than todays Palms. So if someday iPod evolves into a new PDA/multimedia phone , I wouldn't doubt it to be a hit considering the long life of Newton.

Re:Sad news ... Stephen King dead at 55

[Stephen King]

No, I'm not.

er

[Anonymous Coward]

you scare me

the eMate

[teamhasnoi]

I recall going in to an Apple reseller and getting a demo of an eMate (Newton with a keyboard). The lady made me drop it on the counter from 2 feet up.

It lived.

That thing was ahead of its time.