Tenon Intersystems has updated its iTools and Xtools products for Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server.
iTools, its Web server tool suite for Mac OS X 10.0 and Mac OS X Server 10.0, is being revved to version 6.1. iTools is a Web server that takes advantage of the preemptive multitasking and memory protection of Mac OS X. Version 6.1 will include an Aqua graphical user interface (GUI) that lets Webmasters set up and configure Apache directly on Apple’s Aqua desktop, according to Tenon President Anita Holmgren.
“The new GUI co-exists with Tenon’s secure, remote, browser-based administration, enabling Webmasters to seamlessly switch between desktop management and anytime, anywhere browser-based control,” she said in a statement.
Using Apple’s bundled Apache as a point of departure and incorporating the latest open source protocol implementations of Apache, DNS, FTP and sendmail, iTools extends Mac OS X client and server platforms with a set of Internet services.
“The package lets Macintosh Webmasters realize the full strength of an Apache-based Web server, and at the same time have all the advantages of an easy-to-use Web server,” Holmgren said. “With iTools’ ease-of-use, top-performance and extensibility, coupled with the strength of Apple’s new OS, we are seeing Macintosh Webmasters rapidly transitioning from Mac OS to Mac OS X.”
Tenon’s iTools includes SSL for secure eCommerce transactions, FastCGI and mod_Perl for top CGI performance, a caching proxy server that augments Apache’s built-in proxy services, integrated domain name services, integrated multidomain FTP services, integrated logging, a Sherlock-savvy search engine. Also included is support for Java servlets and Java Server Pages with Tomcat, support for Active Server Pages with Halcyon’s iASP, and mod_dav to support the transition from a read-only Web to a collaborative, writable Web via WebDAV clients.
Plus, a WEBmail tool turns Mac OS X into a complete POP3 and IMAP4 mail server and a fully customizable, anytime, anywhere “hotmail” style mail client, Holmgren said. Tenon’s iTools WEBmail was developed by EMUmail, a vendor of Web-based mail systems. The new WEBmail supports multiple attachments, address books, user definable folders, outbox for sent messages, real-time SPAM filtering using the “Real-Time Blackhole” list of known SPAMmers, customizable tag line for site branding, blind carbon copy, spell check, quoted reply, forwarding, per-user or per-domain message quotas, an per-user or per-domain access restrictions. Plus, WEBmail supports FastCGI for optimized performance.
Tenon’s iTools 6.1 is a free upgrade for all iTools 6.0 customers. It will be available as a public beta by the end of the month. The price is US$399, $299 (educational and sidegrades), and $99 (upgrade from iTools 5.0 ).
Tenon also announced Xtools 1.0.4, a free update to their X Window Server for Mac OS X. Among the new features is enhanced ease-of-use via keychain support for secure shell, support of 8-bit applications and, enhanced rootless display.
The X Window System is an open source, industry standard for displaying remote graphical applications. X is highly portable, being both hardware and operating system independent, so users on one computer can work directly with applications on another computer. The X Window System allows enterprise-wide personal computer desktops to connect to mission critical applications and information-based systems on UNIX, Linux and NT servers.
Tenon’s Xtools not only allows remote X Window applications to be displayed on the Mac OS X desktop, but also includes a complete set of X Window tools and libraries to support local execution of X applications and X games on OS X, Holmgren said. Extending Mac OS X with an X Window porting environment enables high-resolution 3D-modeling and animation, graphical visualization and image rendering applications to be built directly on Mac OS X, she added. Over 100 X applications are already able to run on OS X with Xtools, including popular open source applications, such as GIMP and Tk. In May, Xtools won the Apple Design Award for “Most Innovative Mac OS X Application.”
Xtools is a new, built-from-the-ground-up, object-oriented, multi-threaded Cocoa application that takes full advantage of CoreGraphics and Quartz, Holmgren said. Xtools is optimized for the Velocity Engine and multiple processors and supports hardware accelerated OpenGL. Xtools is not only a vehicle for displaying remote X11 client applications, but also for developing local X11 clients. The Xtools X11 libraries let developers build clickable X applications that can be minimized in the Dock. Xtools is based on open source industry standards and is tightly integrated with Mac OS X and Apple technologies, Holmgren said.
Xtools is downloadable at the Tenon Web site. An online discussion board is available for Xtools users and X application developers. Xtools is $199 for a single copy, with $99 educational price and quantity discounts for both commercial and educational sites.