LinkBack
Re: LinkBack
I would like to see a spreadsheet having this technology. The ability to have a table auto update in NWE after changing the data in a spreadsheet would be really cool.KarenH wrote:I really like the sound of Linkback! Is there any date for seeing versions of things like Nisus Writer Express, OmniGraffle and ChartSmith that incorporate this facility?
Any word on when we will see this in NWE?
Tacitus
History is a nightmare from which I am trying to escape.
Possibly even more exciting than the fact that NWE and Omni apps will be able to embed dynamic pieces of documents in each other's docs, is the fact that these apps will be able to embed things from my LinkBack app. And my app will be able to embed NWE and Omni docs! Any developer can use this stuff.
This will particularly benefit those of us who have learned better than to use the bloated pile that is M$ Office, and those developers who believe there's something better to be made.
Ryan
www.r-blog.com
This will particularly benefit those of us who have learned better than to use the bloated pile that is M$ Office, and those developers who believe there's something better to be made.
Ryan
www.r-blog.com
Hi everyone:
I'm glad to hear you like the idea of LinkBack. LinkBack has been in the works for over a year and we started it because of your requests, so I'm glad we can finally announce it!
I can't speak for the other companies, of course, but Nisus is planning a new release of Nisus Writer Express that will contain LinkBack in the next month or two. The others are adding LinkBack for their next releases, which will be out sooner or later than NWE.
Several other companies have contacted me about adding LinkBack to their products also. Hopefully, we can get a good core group of apps together that will offer a complete, Mac-only office experience for those who want the best products available for each part of their work.
I'm glad to hear you like the idea of LinkBack. LinkBack has been in the works for over a year and we started it because of your requests, so I'm glad we can finally announce it!
I can't speak for the other companies, of course, but Nisus is planning a new release of Nisus Writer Express that will contain LinkBack in the next month or two. The others are adding LinkBack for their next releases, which will be out sooner or later than NWE.
Several other companies have contacted me about adding LinkBack to their products also. Hopefully, we can get a good core group of apps together that will offer a complete, Mac-only office experience for those who want the best products available for each part of their work.
Charles Jolley
Nisus Software, Inc.
Nisus Software, Inc.
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HeatherKay
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Linkback sounds a lot like the old Publish & Subscribe from System 7 days. Working as a jobbing designer, it used to a really useful system. An Illustrator file could be updated, and because it was 'published' it would automatically udate in a Quark layout if it was 'subscribed' to.
I think InDesign has a similar function these days. I find a lot of imported text files in the Links palette, as well as the more normal image files. I haven't bothered to see if a linked NWE rtf would update in my layouts, as updates tend to be fixed by the time I get the final text file.
A bit off topic there, but nevertheless interesting how some good ideas never really go away.
I think InDesign has a similar function these days. I find a lot of imported text files in the Links palette, as well as the more normal image files. I haven't bothered to see if a linked NWE rtf would update in my layouts, as updates tend to be fixed by the time I get the final text file.
A bit off topic there, but nevertheless interesting how some good ideas never really go away.
It is interesting that a third-party multimedia object standard would be created for the mac platform, when it appears that Apple has developed its own multimedia object format.
The whole premise of the current and forthcoming iWork apps is the ability to embed any type of multimedia into presentation formatting/viewing software (such as slide presentation software, word processing software, page layout software, etc). Sure there are differences, but the premise is still basically the same.
It will be interesting to see what Apple does in the future: I highly doubt that they will use LinkBack code in any future software, but Apple may release a competing standard, which I think would inevitably dwarf LinkBack since Apple is the OS vendor.
I think this analysis is very primitive at best, which leads me to think that the whole LinkBack project is an effort to beat Apple to the market and make a name for the allied company products. Some could say that it is bad, but I think competition is good
May the best standard win!
The whole premise of the current and forthcoming iWork apps is the ability to embed any type of multimedia into presentation formatting/viewing software (such as slide presentation software, word processing software, page layout software, etc). Sure there are differences, but the premise is still basically the same.
It will be interesting to see what Apple does in the future: I highly doubt that they will use LinkBack code in any future software, but Apple may release a competing standard, which I think would inevitably dwarf LinkBack since Apple is the OS vendor.
I think this analysis is very primitive at best, which leads me to think that the whole LinkBack project is an effort to beat Apple to the market and make a name for the allied company products. Some could say that it is bad, but I think competition is good
May the best standard win!
A big advantage to the potential of LinkBack, as I see it, is the expansion potential. Any developer who supports LinkBack automatically benefits from every other developer who uses it. If I release a new program that does something no one's ever seen before, but has LinkBack, you could automatically embed my documents into any other LinkBack app. The pool is infinitely expandable, making each app infinitely expandable (sort of).
The way Apple's been going, it's unlikely their embedding will be openly extended to other developers. The iWorks file formats are based on XML and such, and therefore others could use them, but this is a far cry from an embedding protocol that anyone can use for any sort of document.
It is unfortunate that Apple probably won't give a rat's tail about including LinkBack support in their apps. Keynote, especially, could benefit nicely. Perhaps Omni could use their clout with Apple...?
Of course, Microsoft is even less likely to support LinkBack (y'know, about the same odds of a Martian winning the lottery without buying a ticket).
Ryan
www.r-blog.com
The way Apple's been going, it's unlikely their embedding will be openly extended to other developers. The iWorks file formats are based on XML and such, and therefore others could use them, but this is a far cry from an embedding protocol that anyone can use for any sort of document.
It is unfortunate that Apple probably won't give a rat's tail about including LinkBack support in their apps. Keynote, especially, could benefit nicely. Perhaps Omni could use their clout with Apple...?
Of course, Microsoft is even less likely to support LinkBack (y'know, about the same odds of a Martian winning the lottery without buying a ticket).
Ryan
www.r-blog.com
I think what will convince the bigger guys to support something like LinkBack is its relative popularity. If people are out there buying products because they are LinkBack enabled, then that will make the big developers listen.
We have actually talked to the folks who are working on Keynote about Linkback. So far no commitment of course, but at least they are aware of us.
-C
We have actually talked to the folks who are working on Keynote about Linkback. So far no commitment of course, but at least they are aware of us.
-C
Charles Jolley
Nisus Software, Inc.
Nisus Software, Inc.
LinkBack support
I for one, know that I will be... I've been one of those bugging the Nisus and Omnigroup guys about this for ages, so I was very happy to see it announced. This is one thing that will really address some of the things I'm missing in Nisus... I really look forward to being able to embed my OmniGraffle diagrams (often originally from Visio), into NWX maintain editing, and still be able to exchange with Word users.charles wrote:I think what will convince the bigger guys to support something like LinkBack is its relative popularity. If people are out there buying products because they are LinkBack enabled, then that will make the big developers listen.
One thing I'm not clear on just yet; will LinkBack also support text, or is it image-based only? I can see some complications over which app 'owns' text... one thing I'd really been hoping for was the ability to use OmniOutliner as an external outline editor for outlines inserted into NWX...
Is this is related to the comments that you're 'working' outlining for the next version; it'd be great if it was! : )
Well that's interesting, my first assumption was that Apple might stay hands off, until, as you say, there's widespread support, when they might adapt it, as they did with Internet Config, but unfortunately I could just as easily see them leap-frogging this with something more ambitious, but hopefully not too closed... but we'll see.charles wrote:We have actually talked to the folks who are working on Keynote about Linkback. So far no commitment of course, but at least they are aware of us.