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PenRight! has been used to develop the majority of the pen-based, hand-held applications in the field today. Over a thousand ISVs, VARs, System Integrators and end users have selected PenRight! as their pen-based application development environment of choice. This makes finding applications to suit customer needs easier for PenRight! OEMs and end users. PenRight! applications have been developed for a wide range of industries such as public safety, utilities, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, route accounting, sales, and government agencies to name a few. As a result, PenRight! has been recognized as the industry’s leading development environment for the vertical pen-based market.
In fact Pen Computing Magazine recently stated, "What sets PenRight! apart from its competitors, in addition to its general orientation towards mobile applications, is that it allows the development of powerful pen-based applications for not only a single, but a wide variety of mobile platforms on the market today."
Below are responses to the most frequently asked questions about PenRight!’s operating environment (runtime license), PenRight! for Windows development tool and strategic market position.
Q. What is PenRight?
A. PenRight!’s solution is made up of two components, the PenRight! operating environment (runtime license), and PenRight! development tool, PenRight! for Windows v2.1. PenRight! is not an operating system but a pen-based/touch screen operating environment which runs on top of the MS-DOS operating system or as a true DLL in the Windows 3.1/95/NT operating environments.
The PenRight! Operating Environment
PenRight!’s operating environment is an efficient graphical user interface with built-in handwriting recognition engine supporting Windows 3.1/95/NT, DOS and DOS protected mode operating systems. PenRight!’s operating environment supports 10 international languages including, (Danish, French, French Canadian, Italian, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Turkish, and UK/US English) and can be ported to over 60 mobile devices including PDA, tablet, hand-held, notebook and desktop computers. Another key aspects of PenRight!’s operating environment is its low software overhead.
PenRight!'s handwriting recognition engine features:
When running applications in DOS, PenRight!’s environment only requires 98 KB of system memory. This low-overhead significantly reduces the RAM requirements and overall cost of running your application. As a result, PenRight! solutions can be delivered at lower price points than other machines running different operating systems and environments. Furthermore, a mobile platform’s battery life is significantly increased as a result of the lower horsepower required to run PenRight! applications.
When running PenRight!’s Windows applications all that is required is the Windows operating system, not the Pen for Windows extensions. PenRight!’s architecture allows applications created with PenRight! for Windows to run faster and require less memory than applications based on higher level interpretive languages like those used in Visual Basic and PowerBuilder.
Visual Rapid Application Development Tool
PenRight! for Windows v2.1
PenRight! for Windows v2.1 provides a complete, cross platform, visual Rapid Application Development tool to quickly create powerful Windows 3.1/95/NT, DOS and DOS protected mode pen-based and touch screen applications all from a single application design. Development time is drastically reduces by utilizing easy-to-use icons to activate all aspects of application development, including an object oriented project manager, graphical form designer, multi-featured code editor, property manager, integrated database wizard, and 350+ API functions optimized for pen based hand-held development.
Prototyping is easy too. A skeleton of the program is automatically created without having to write code, enabling custom applications to be designed extremely quickly. PenRight!’s open C architecture also makes linking in 3rd part libraries for such things as wireless communications, bar code scanning, printing, network and hardware specific functionality extremely easy. New Mobile Wizard have also been built into the environment to automatically integrate scanning and power management libraries into your application design.
Cross Platform Code Generator - Write it once…Port to many.
PenRight! for Windows’ cross platform code generator automatically creates
pen-based applications to run under Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT, DOS and DOS protected mode operating environments, all from a single application design. For example, applications created within PenRight! for Windows can be generated as Windows or DOS or both to run on a variety of cost effective PDA, hand-held, tablet, and touch screen platforms as well as laptop and desktop computers. Future releases of PenRight! for Windows will continue to expand the number of operating environments developers can port their PenRight! applications to such as Microsoft’s CE and 3COM’s PalmOS.
The development tool’s conversion utility also allows applications created within the earlier DOS-based PenRight! Pro v3.6 and PenRight! for Windows v1.X development tools to be automatically ported to the new Windows based development tool, preserving your PenRight! investment.
PRW v2.1 New Features Line-Up Includes:
"Fortunately, some product upgrades are so significant, they become the defining development platform for their marketplace. So it is with PenRight! for Windows v2.1. What continues to distinguish PenRight! is its focus on creating powerful tools that address the unique requirements of the mobile pen marketplace."
Pen Computing Magazine, "PenRight! for Windows," June 1997
Widest Platform Support
PenRight! runs on the widest variety of pen-based mobile computers today, including those manufactured by: 4P Mobile Data Processing, GRiD, Casio, E.Com, Dauphin, Epson, Fujitsu Personal Systems, Fujistu ICL, Husky, IBM, Intermec, Itronix, Kalidor, Melard, MicroSlate, Mitsubishi, Norand, Panasonic, Ricoh, Samsung, Sharp, Symbol Technologies, Telepad, Telxon, Texas Micro, Walkabout, and the Zoomer PDAs.
Q. Should I run my application in Windows 3.1/95/NT, DOS, or DOS Protected Mode? Yes...
A. Cost of equipment and battery life are always critical issues when rolling out a mobile solution. With PenRight! for Windows you can design a pilot program where customers can run the same application as DOS or Windows or both and choose which environment is right for them. No other tool allows this flexibility!
Q. What system requirements are necessary when running PenRight! in DOS and Windows?
One of the strengths of running PenRight! applications in DOS is its extremely low software overhead. What PenRight!'s powerful Graphical User Interface (GUI) allows developers to do is create professional graphical applications without the software overhead. System requirements to run a PenRight! application include, MS-DOS v3.3 or higher, a 8086 CPU or higher, 640K system memory, 512K storage, Pen, mouse or Microsoft compatible mouse, or a Digitizer input device. With PenRight!’s low memory requirements, platform cost is reduced and battery life is extended.
When generating PenRight! designed application for Windows all that is required is the Windows environment, not the Pen for Windows extensions. PenRight!’s architecture allows applications created with PenRight! for Windows to run faster and require less memory than applications based on higher level interpretive languages like those used in Visual Basic and PowerBuilder.
Q. Can existing applications be easily modified for PenRight!?
A. Yes, since our operating environment is based on C and C++, PenRight! developed front ends "hook" into an existing applications core code. Furthermore, PenRight! for Windows includes integrated database and datacomm libraries to quickly link into your back-end systems. If you prefer to use your own libraries that is fine too. This is really what PenRight! solutions are all about, getting critical information from the field to the back-end system. This is where the benefits of system automation can be immediately realized.
Q. If I create a DOS application today, can I later convert it to Windows?
A. Yes... PenRight!’s unique design eliminates the risk of having to choose between building applications for Windows or DOS. Now with the click of a button you can have both. Now developers can maximize their resources and let their users decide which platform makes to most sense for their application needs. No other pen-based development tool gives users this flexibility.
PenRight! has received permission to reference the following companies that are using PenRight! to design applications:
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Questions or Comments?
Email to: temple@penright.com
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