Extensis Inc. has released a new Suitcase Server and updated the Suitcase client that previews, organizes and activates fonts.
Suitcase 10.2 is a free upgrade for registered Suitcase 10 users. New features in this upgrade include additional system-wide auto-activation support and AppleScript support in Mac OS X. The auto-activation functionality lets users open any document in a supported application; if the fonts needed for the document aren’t already active or available, Suitcase will activate the fonts for the user automatically, according to Extensis CEO Craig Keudell.
Supported applications in Mac OS X include: Adobe GoLive 6, BBEdit 6, AppleWorks 6, Corel Suite, FileMaker Pro 5/6, Final Cut Pro 3, iMovie 2, Microsoft Entourage v. X, Microsoft Excel v.X, Microsoft PowerPoint v. X, Microsoft Word v. X, Macromedia Freehand 10, Macromedia Fireworks MX, and TextEdit. Additionally, Suitcase provides three auto-activation plug-ins for Adobe InDesign 2.0, Adobe Illustrator 10 and QuarkXPress 5 that utilize Apple’s FontSync technology and provide additional functionality.
The new Suitcase Server adds support for Users & Groups. You can create individual users and assign them to a specific group or groups. Administrators have the ability to control access permissions for each user and what fonts they have access to.
Suitcase Server will keep track of font licenses and alert administrators if the number of users who have access to a font or fonts exceeds the license for that font. The product keeps font files in a secure, centralized database that’s available only via the new Suitcase Server administration tools.
Suitcase Server has new administration tools for creating users and groups, managing font licenses, and designating access privileges for fonts and sets. It also utilizes industry standard TCP/IP protocol in order to allow quick and easy remote administration, according to Keudell.
Workgroup members can now keep up with any changes made on the server with the new Continuous Updating feature. Changes made by an administrator to font sets appear almost instantly to the users who have access to those fonts, Keudell explained. What’s more, fonts from the Suitcase Server are always available to workgroup members.
The English version of Suitcase 10.2 is available now for free to registered Suitcase 10 users via download from the Extensis Web site. Suitcase 10.2 is available for a suggested retail price of US$99.95 and $59.95 for upgrades from previous versions of Suitcase. The English version of the new Suitcase Server is also available by download. It has a suggested retail price of $999.95 and includes five free copies of Suitcase 10.2. Upgrades from previous versions of Suitcase Server cost $499.95.
Suitcase 10.2 supports Mac OX X (10.1.5 or higher) and Mac OS 9.2.2. It requires a Power Mac, 45MB of hard disk space, and 32MB RAM for Mac OS 9 and 128MB RAM for Mac OS X. Suitcase Server will support Mac OS X (10.1.5 or higher) and Mac OS X Server (10.1.5 or higher) and requires a Power Mac, 10MB of hard disk space, and 128MB RAM, and additional hard disk space to store fonts.