Miramar Systems, which develops PC-to-Mac interoperability software, has released PC MACLAN for Windows 95/98/Me. The update adds IP Client, IP Server and True bi-directional printer support.
PC MACLAN uses AFP (AppleTalk File Protocol) over IP to provide Windows NT Workstations or Windows 2000 Professionals (Clients) the choice between file access and transfer over AppleTalk, or over IP. Mike Sheffey, Miramar Systems director of sales, said this new enhancement offers the Windows PC with greater flexibility in accessing Mac IP Servers, a service not provided with Windows NT Workstation. This feature enhancement to PC MACLAN levels the productivity output for Macs on a Windows network, he added.
PC MACLAN connects Windows 95, 98 or Me PCs to a network of Macs for bi-directional integration between the two operating systems. With its release, Miramar Systems complements its offering of PC software with support for Windows Millenium Edition, in addition to Windows 95 and Windows 98. Plus, three bonus utilities are included: PC Migrator (which helps maintain file extensions during transfers), A.K.A., which removes “illegal” characters from Mac files before transfer to a PC, and MacOpener by DataViz (which opens Mac media on a PC).
“As software vendors increase customer benefits, Miramar is advancing ahead of the curve,” Harry Rabin, Miramar systems senior vice president of engineering and Miramar co-founder, said in a statement. “The addition of IP support enhances a user’s ability to access and transfer data even faster. Moreover, the ability to print to non-PostScript printers further solidifies PC MACLAN as the most complete PC-to-Mac connectivity suite available on the market today.”
Additionally, the new PC MACLAN now offers the first cross-platform suite to provide Mac users with the ability to print to any non-PostScript printer attached to the PC network with the support of a third-party utility called Ghostscript, he added. Miramar Systems has developed an executable program called GSDirector that lets users download and set up Ghostscript. This enables PostScript compatibility for users who need to print to non-PostScript printers attached to a PC (with PC MACLAN installed) on the network. Ghostscript converts PostScript formatted files to non-PostScript and sends the job to the Windows print queue.
PC MACLAN for Windows 95/98/Me retails for US$199 USD. Upgrades from any previous version of PC MACLAN range from $69 to $99 but must be purchased direct from Miramar Systems. Volume license discounts are also available.