by Jon Rosen <jonro@aol.com>
Alligent Marionet - Review
Marionet acts as a bridge between you and the Internet, it's AppleScript that gets you across that bridge. Marionet is a background application for the Macintosh OS. If you are not using the Internet in some capacity, you will be soon. And, if you develop FileMaker applications professionally, you will need to expand your technical skills to include the Internet - if you want to remain competitive. [Ed - we have a nice article this issue about the intricacies of the Internet]
Marionet is a software toolbox in the guise of an application that allows you to write AppleScripts to control low level Internet networking protocols. Marionet supports commands for the World Wide Web (HTTP), Newsgroups (NNTP), Email (SMTP, POP & APOP) , File Transfers (FTP), Domain Name Services (DNS), and Searching (through Gopher). Marionet is actually an application, but has no interface and doesn't show up under the application menu (the pull down menu in the upper right corner of the screen). It simply runs invisibly in the background.
[Ed - usually an application or extension that operates in the background but offers services that you can access is called a background process. Actually all and any applications running on your computer are called processes, some are hidden and some are not. Sometimes these processes run active and use memory. Other times they wait until you call them and then they sort of "wake up" from an idle state - such is the case with AppleScript and associated OSAX.]
The Internet is a network. Our desktop networks may use AppleTalk on Ethernet cabling. The Internet uses a protocol, or set of rules, called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). We generally access the Internet from our home and business computers through low capacity phone lines, though much of the Internet is on higher capacity lines. You will hear words like ISDN, 56K, T1 & T3. The Internet has evolved over time, with new protocols being developed for its new uses. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used to upload and download files. SMTP (Simple Mail Transport Protocol) is one protocol used for Email.
Programs like Claris Emailer already speak SMTP. So, since it is scriptable, we can send Email to someone across the Internet from FileMaker by using AppleScript to control Emailer. This ability to use pieces of other programs through AppleScript is a major advantage of the Mac/OS. Marionet is an application (albeit, a tiny, invisible one) and you communicate with it through AppleScript. Scripting Marionet is a lower level task than scripting Emailer. That is, you must use more commands that have more direct control over the process than you would with an auxiliary application. However, your user doesn't need a copy of other applications for your solution to work and it should be quicker because there are less software layers to go through. That means that a Marionet solution requires less RAM, too. There are other advantages, as well. You have more control over the process; you can make your solution do more tricks. You can use Marionet to do things that your “helper” application doesn't do. For example, if you have a URL database, you could write a program using Marionet that would check each link to see if it's current and possibly find the replacement for you. One final advantage is that Marionet supports a series of special chat commands that require Marionet on all computers using it. You can use Marionet to create an email program, a usenet reader or an FTP application - all within a FileMaker database.
Allegiant, the publisher, also publishes SuperCard 2.5, a leading multimedia authoring tool. They do a good job of supporting their users. Their programs are updated regularly. The update of Marionet from 1.0 to 1.1 was distributed free on their web site. The suggested retail price is $219. However, there is a licensing agreement if you plan to distribute Marionet as part of a software solution. You can get more information from Allegiant's web site at <http://www.allegiant.com> and we have included some of that information here. Allegiant maintains a public Internet mailing list for Marionet discussion. To subscribe, send an email message to <marionet@list.allegiant.com>. Leave the body of the message blank and put the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. If you want to connect your FileMaker projects to the Internet, using Marionet is an excellent way to do it.
One of the biggest concerns that a developer may have when creating a solution that takes advantage of Marionet is distributing his solution. In the case of Marionet the first limitation is that it is Mac only. The second is that each user that wants to run your database needs to have a copy of Marionet on their machine so that the networking protocols will function correctly. Following is the licensing information for Marionet.
Licensing Information
Trial Version of Marionet
Allows for Freeware/Shareware distribution. Anyone may distribute the Trial version of Marionet without paying any fees or executing any special agreement. After 30-days of use, the Trial Version converts to a more limited Lite Version. The manual documents which commands will continue to work. For this free licensing option, you will need to develop your product to work with the limited feature set of the Lite version.
Commercial Distribution License
Allows inclusion of the Marionet application with your commercial product. Requires execution of a license agreement with Allegiant and payment of fees. Site and Network Licenses Allows distribution of the Marionet and Marionet Manager applications within an organization, either on individual machines or through access to a workgroup server.
Educational Licenses
Educational licenses are the same as Site/Network licenses but are provided at a substantial discount (50%) to qualified educational institutions.
Commercial Distribution
Licensing policy:
A licensing agreement is required. Payment of fees is required.
What may be distributed:
The Marionet application sent to you after executing a license agreement.
Fees:
Limited Distribution for a single title (up to 200 units): $149
Limited Distribution for a single title (up to 750 units): $495
Unlimited Distribution for a single title: $995
Restrictions:
To distribute the commercial version of Marionet with your commercial product, you must contact Allegiant for a license agreement. After execution of the license agreement and payment has been received, Allegiant will provide you with a disk and license number. You will run the installer on the disk and enter your license number, the installer will make a master copy of Marionet which you can then include with your product. You may not distribute Marionet in an unrestricted fashion over the internet. Distribution must be restricted to your customers. Any electronic distribution must be private - either by email or through a secure web site or similar means.
Non-Commercial Distribution (freeware/shareware)
Licensing policy:
No license agreement is required. No fees are required.
What may be distributed:
The Marionet Trial Version as downloaded from the Allegiant ftp or Web
site.
Fees:
None
Restrictions:
The Trial Version is initially fully functional for 30-days. After 30-days the Trial version converts to a limited functionality Lite Version. The Lite Version may be used for PERSONAL use only. The only exception is that users of freeware or shareware products that require Marionet, may continue to use the Lite version with those Freeware or Shareware products that require it. The Trial Version MAY NOT be distributed with commercial products without the express permission of Allegiant. Distribution of the Trial version with a commercial product may require a Distribution License and payment of fees.
Tech Support
Allegiant does provide free support (but not on an 800#) for Marionet AppleScript users. You do have to have a technical support subscription for advanced scripting discussions and assistance in debugging scripts, but their free technical support will generally help with whatever you need. Because they have been oriented towards supporting Marionet XCMDs for SuperCard and Director users, they just haven't articulated their support policies for AppleScript and FileMaker users.
The manual for Marionet 1.1 shows the AppleScript version of each
command. While it is oriented more towards XCMD support there is enough AppleScript support to get a developer going on their project.
by Matt Petrowsky
Should you learn the Tango?
Unfortunately, ISO hasn't gotten to perform the hands-on test with Tango in order to see what the major differences are between WebFM and other AppleScript or Frontier based CGIs. What you can expect to find here is a brief overview of information of what Tango is and what it means to an already established environment of CGIs. We did read recently in MacWeek that Everyware, the publisher of Tango, has released a new version of Tango that includes APIs for developers to directly integrate the functionality of Tango into their Web Servers. This means that the WebStar Web Server may be direclty supporting FileMaker databases sometime in the near future.
If you have not already come across the press release information sent out by Everyware then here it is for you to browse.
----- Press Release Information-----
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 1996
Press Contact:
Jeff Hendry
Manager, Public Relations
(905)819-1173 ext.262
jhendry@everyware.com
Tango For FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh Ships
EveryWare Provides FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh users with a powerful
Web/database integration tool
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada,--July 1, 1996--EveryWare Development Corp. today announced shipment of the latest version of Tango. With this version, the popular Intranet Rapid Application Development tool provides the smoothest ever Web/database integration with FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh, the easy to use relational database from Claris Corporation. The new release of Tango for FileMaker premiered last week at "WebEdge" to an audience of programmers and developers at Apple Computer's Research and Development site in Cupertino.
Leveraging its popular graphical interface, Tango provides users with the ability to easily publish data from their FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh databases to a Web site without having to write a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) in C/C++, Perl, AppleScript or Frontier. Tango makes Web application development very easy, allowing even novice Web developers to quickly design dynamic Web-based applications that utilize Tango's superior performance features, providing fast access to FileMaker Pro data.
Tango for FileMaker offers Web developers an intuitive easy-to-use, visual drag and drop development environment as well as the tools needed to develop sophisticated Web-based applications. Webmasters can also easily upgrade to Tango Pro, which allows them to integrate their solutions with Oracle, SQL Server and other ODBC compliant databases without reworking their applications.
"Tango for FileMaker is our most popular release to date. Finally, the large installed base of FileMaker Pro users will have the ability to harness the power and flexibility of Tango when developing Web-based applications," said Dan McKenzie, president of EveryWare Development Corp.
"We're very excited about EveryWare's new Tango offering. It's a key product that FileMaker Pro 3.0 users looking to easily publish databases on the Web should have," said Jon Perr, vice president worldwide product marketing, Claris Corporation. "We're very happy to see an ever-broadening base of FileMaker 3.0 for Macintosh Web-enabling products such as Tango, and we're looking forward to future offerings from EveryWare Development Corp."
Tango enables Rapid Development of Web-based Solutions
Tango provides FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh users with the ability to design database integrated Web site solutions such as:
- corporate directories,
- online shopping,
- conferencing/BBS systems,
- online registration systems, and
- product & pricing catalogs.
"This new connectivity tool is specifically optimized for FileMaker 3.0 for Macintosh using the multi-threaded technology originally developed for Tango 1.5. We have had overwhelming demand for this product and we are very happy to provide FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh users with an easy-to-use Rapid Application Development tool designed specifically for creating Web-based applications," said Don Reith, director of product management, EveryWare Development Corp.
Tango for FileMaker is being sold for $349 and can be purchased directly through EveryWare by calling toll-free 1-888-819-2500, or online at
(http://www.everyware.com/tangofm/).
The U.S. estimated retail price of FileMaker Pro 3.0 for Macintosh, Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and Windows NT is $199. For more information on FileMaker Pro please call Claris Corporation at 1-800-544-8544 or visit the Claris Web home page at (http://www.claris.com/).
To order EveryWare products call 1-888-819 2500, e-mail sales@everyware.com, or visit the EveryWare Web site at (http://www.everyware.com/).
###
Press inquiries should be directed to Jeff Hendry at (905) 819-1173 ext. 262,
or through e-mail at jhendry@everyware.com or Jamie O'Donnell at (415)
552-1515 or through email at jamie@jonagroup.com.
EveryWare, the EveryWare logo, Butler,Tango, and Bolero are trademarks of
EveryWare Development Corp. Other product and corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of other companies, and are used only for
explanation and to the owners' benefit, without intent to infringe.
------ End Press Release -----
So what does ISO have to say about it? Well, not too much yet. We are gathering input from web administrators and users of both CGIs and Tango. We suspect that there are tests going on as we speak. If you have any positive, or negative, information that you feel would be of value to the readers of ISO we encourage you to send that information in. There are specifics that we have not covered here that are differences between some of your more extensive CGIs, like WebFM, and Tango. Soon, speed ratings will start popping up and I am guessing that they may not be highly significant unless you are administrating a site that is receiving 10,000 hits a day or more.
One of the things to keep in mind is that AppleScript 1.2 (due out sometime this year hopefully) will be native on the PowerMac. This should mean a significant speed increase in the speed of some of your more customized CGIs.
We'll keep you posted as more information comes in.
Happy WebFileMaking!
## END ##