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From: jesper@cooper.xanthus.se (Jesper Lundh)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.announce
Subject: SUBMISSION: Questor 2.0 beta available on public archive...
Date: 12 Oct 1993 16:00:17 -0400
Organization: Next Announcements
Lines: 132
Sender: sanguish@digifix.com
Approved: sanguish@digifix.com
Message-ID: <29f2ch$5je@digifix.digifix.com>

****** Beta version of Questor 2.0 spreadsheet application
****** now available on public archive

Stockholm, October 12, 1993 - Xanthus International AB today announced
that a beta version of its spreadsheet application Questor 2.0 is
available on a public archive. The beta is available as fat binaries
for both NeXT and Intel hardware, and will run on NEXTSTEP 3.1 and
higher.

The Questor 2.0 beta can be found on the following archive:

sics.se:/pub/next/beta_fat

The beta version can be run in demo mode for 10 minutes with full
functionality.

If you want to participate in the beta programme, please send a
mail to Xanthus at questor@xanthus.se to get a valid registration
number.

Questor 2.0 will be distributed in North America by Alembic Systems
International Ltd, email: info@alembic.com

Retail price will be $595. Please contact Xanthus for academic and
volume discounts.


 ----------------------------------

Questor 2.0 from Xanthus is the most powerful and user-friendly
spreadsheet application for the NEXTSTEP environment.

Questor combines the intuitive metaphor of "matrix-based" spreadsheet
program with a number of unique features and a true NEXTSTEP user
interface.

The backbone of Questor 2.0 is a conventional matrix-based spreadsheet
that can easily be used by anybody that have once used spreadsheet
programs like Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 or Wingz.

Questor 2.0 is the second release of the Questor spreadsheet
application. Questor 1.0 was released in May 1993.


 **** New in Questor 2.0:

- Significantly improved performance regarding worksheet recalculation
and file access.

- Excel file importing.

- Improved database access, including automatic datatype conversion
and easy-to-use DBModel queries and powerful SQL queries. Questor
uses the Database Kit in NEXTSTEP for transparent database
communication. Custom-made database queries can easily be created
and shared among several users on the network.

- Cell styles for easier worksheet layout.

- Cell range dragging for faster worksheet design.


 **** Standard Questor features:

- A state-of-the-art user interface for easy access to all features,
including a ToolBox with object palettes and a number of other
tools that removes the need of modal panels for filling, searching
and sorting data.

- Multi-level undo. All commands can be undone and the number of
undos are user defined.

- A powerful structured scripting language - QScript with an
"intelligent" editor, including automatic pretty-printing and
programming support. QScript allows you to customize your worksheet
to perform very specific tasks.

- Input controllers like buttons, text-fields and sliders can be
drag-and-dropped anywhere on the worksheet, and connected to QScript
code or directly to cells by control-dragging.

- Output objects like graphs and gauges can be drag-and-dropped
anywhere on the worksheet, and be connected to cell areas by
control-dragging for continuous updating.

- Many graph types are supported, including bar, stacked bar, line,
combination, stock, area, stacked area, scatter (xy-plot) and pie.
The components of a graph can be edited separately.

- Hot-links to Graphity (like Lotus Improv and Presentation Builder).
Graphity is a business graphics application from Xanthus that
supports 3D graphs based on Renderman.

- Seamless connections to relational databases like Oracle and
Sybase using the Database Kit in NEXTSTEP.

- Timers that can trigger complex calculations, database queries
or any other event at regular intervals.

- A powerful double-directed API that allows Questor to easily
control and send data to other applications. The API also makes it
easy for other applications to control Questor and to feed data
into worksheets.

- External functions can be written in C or in QScript and be loaded
into Questor for easy extensibility.

- Full support for user palettes. Users can easily create new
palettes with customized graphs, graphics and control objects.

- Drawing tools that allows you to draw directly on the worksheet.

- Images and sound can be drag-and-dropped anywhere on the worksheet
to create stunning documents including graphics and sound effects.

- Reads the BIFF2-4, WKS, WK1 and SYLK file-formats, which enables
you to import worksheets from Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Improv, Microsoft
Excel and Wingz.

- Writes the WK1 file-format, which enables you to export worksheets
to Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Improv, Microsoft Excel and Wingz.

- Full support for Lotus 1-2-3 bracket-macros.

- Powerful report layout functions that allows total control over
the layout of your documents, including direct manipulation and
drawing tools.

- Full support for object linking. Graphs, cell areas and graphics
can be copied and linked into other documents for continuous
updating.

These are the contents of the former NiCE NeXT User Group NeXTSTEP/OpenStep software archive, currently hosted by Marcel Waldvogel and Netfuture.ch.