 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
By Brad Cook One of the first things you notice is that it shimmers, as if it’s reflecting nearby lights. It’s not, of course. That cool blue wash on the display of your Macintosh computer reflects the fact that World Book Encyclopedia 2002 was built from the ground up to take advantage of Mac OS X— both its Aqua interface and its underlying technology. World Book 2002—which will be on store shelves shortly—had its coming out party at the recent Macworld Expo in New York, where it was one of the “Ten on X” applications shown during Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote address. On the show floor, the software was on display (and available for purchase) at the booth manned by Software MacKiev, whose development work made this stunning edition of World Book possible. 100 Percent Aqua “This past year, we were able to get early seeds of Mac OS X,” explains MacKiev President Jack Minsky. “As soon as we saw how rich and beautiful this operating system was, we knew immediately that World Book, with its rich content, could be gorgeous.” “We wanted customers to have a 100 percent Aqua Mac OS X experience,” adds Vice-President Zinna Alekseeva. World Book’s opening screen sets the stage for that experience, with a series of beautiful windows that seem to float on rippling water currents. The top two windows provide Search and Browse functions, while the bottom four offer a series of images and QuickTime movies that are different every time you start World Book 2002. Strains of classical or world music also play as you decide how to begin your explorations. “All that happening at the same time is only possible with the advanced multithreading technology that’s available in Mac OS X,” Minsky says of the opening screen. Rich Content World Book 2002 comes on two CDs that provide the full 22 volumes of the hardcover edition of the encyclopedia. Of course, the electronic version can do some things that paper can’t, such as use video and audio to supplement the articles. “We have all this rich multimedia content that you can’t get just by looking at the pages in the book,” explains Minsky. “Every article has a related info button, and you can click on any of those links and see websites selected by the World Book editorial board. “Plus, you can click on the Update Now button at any time and get your World Book updated. In that way, even something that happened a few weeks ago can be integrated into the database on your hard drive.” |
Everything a Student Needs Those who simply want to explore the World Book can do so in a variety of ways. They can click on any of the random images that appear on the bottom of the opening screen and be whisked away to that entry, or they can browse the voluminous list of entries the World Book provides and click one that strikes their fancy. Students (well, at least their parents) will be happy to hear MacKiev has also enhanced the Homework Wizards that have been a popular component of past editions of the World Book. The Report Wizard helps students to write research papers while the Quiz Wizard can be used to prepare study materials, such as flash cards or true/false tests. There’s even a “Search the Millennium” section that offers simulated websites for each century beginning with the year 1000. For example, during Jobs’ keynote, a Joan of Arc website was shown. Students can use these sites to research history papers or look for ideas to write or learn more about. And if you don’t have any word processing software, don’t worry: World Book contains a completely redesigned Notepad that allows anyone to put together professional-looking documents. You can even take advantage of World Book's built-in 220,000 word dictionary to help you with any unfamiliar words you encounter. Just double-click on any word in an article, and the dictionary will automatically display its definition. An Excuse to Upgrade Alekseeva says that even though the new edition of World Book is for Mac OS X only, that fact didn’t stop Macworld attendees from snapping up copies. “While many of the people who visited our booth already owned and were running Mac OS X, quite a few hadn’t upgraded yet but ran from our booth straight to the resellers here on the show floor to get a copy of it,” she says. “And many say they are planning to buy Mac OS X v10.1 when it comes out in September.” “I think the whole world will be using Mac OS X in six months,” adds Minsky, “but some people need a little push and were waiting for something important enough that it’s worth going out and upgrading their system. We’re really happy if World Book 2002 is an excuse to get people to upgrade to Mac OS X.” |
|
