As one of the most venerable utilities on the Mac platform, MacLink Plus commands
a large base of users who rely on the software to translate documents created
Microsoft Office and other applications, as well as across platforms. Thus, when
DataViz introduced MacLink
Plus 13 for Mac OS X, it rendered another step toward making Apple's modern
operating system usable for everyday operations.
Fortunately, DataViz has done an excellent job of taking a successful Classic
application and adapting it to Mac OS X. The simple interface manages to display
lots of relevant information about a document (or several documents for that matter),
without cluttering the screen with multiple windows or requiring users to run
through extraneous menus and dialog boxes to access functions.
For instance, there is a "More Info" box in the bottom corner of MacLink's main
window that provides instant access to properties regarding a given document,
as well as tips for handling the translation. Likewise, there is clearly visible
information about the file's type, creator, creation date, and size.
To translate documents, users simply drag and drop to the main interface window,
which lists all of the current files in an organized list. Once files are contained
in this window, they can be translated to different formats and saved to pre-set
or custom locations. You can also set the creator and type for a document through
the "File" menu.
In terms of translatation capabilities, MacLink Plus is as comprehensive as
they come. The tool sports support for dozens of application file types, including
ClarisWorks, Word, WordPerfect, Nisus, FrameMaker, MS Works, Excel, and more.
There is also support for generic text and rich text formats.
DataViz took customization seriously when they built the OS X-compatible version
of MacLink Plus, allowing users to specify settings for individual application
types, as well as preferences for destination folders, and file naming. For
example, users can choose to save a file in DOS 8.3 file names or Windows 95
long file names when working with PC documents. Users can also specify whether
or not to add an application identifier, e.g TextDocument (Word 98), to file
names.
Unfortunately, MacLink Plus 13 does not offer the tight integration with Mac
OS X that previous versions offer with the Classic Mac OS. MacLink Plus 12 combined
with OS 8 or above allowed users to translate documents simply by using the
control-click access contextual menu commands. There is no such comparable function
in the OS X flavor of MacLink Plus.
Performance is sufficient in MacLink Plus 13, although it falls victim to the
slow menu re-draws, long launch time, and window opening stagger problems that
plague most Carbonized apps. DataViz officials tell MacNN that some of these
issues should be resolved when Apple releases Mac OS X 10.1 this Fall.
The street price for MacLinkPlus
Deluxe is $99.95. The upgrade price from any previous version of MacLinkPlus,
including versions that came free with Mac OS 7.5, 8.0 and 8.1, is $39.95 and
available direct from DataViz. Those who have purchased MacLinkPlus Deluxe within
90 days of the release of MacLinkPlus Deluxe 13 can contact DataViz for discounted
upgrade pricing.
