LinkBack is a new open source project spearheaded by Mac OS X software developers Nisus Software, The Omni Group and Blacksmith. LinkBack enables developers integrate content from other applications into their own, according to its creators.
Copying and pasting content from one application to another is basic the Mac user experience. While some applications allow users to edit content pasted into different applications, it’s been pretty restricted depending on the developer.
Until now, there’s been no general way for content to be edited once it’s inside another application. Changing a graph once you’ve pasted it into a word processing document, for example, might require you to go back to the original document, edit it, then copy and paste the revised graph back into the document.
LinkBack seeks to solve that problem by providing a common framework for all Mac OS X applications to use for such purposes. LinkBack’s creators liken the technology to Microsoft Corp.’s Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) or the Edit Graphic Object (EGO) Apple event technology.
The companies indicated they will add LinkBack to future versions of Nisus Writer Express, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle and Chartsmith. What’s more, a Software Development Kit (SDK) is ready for download from the LinkBack Web site.