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Apple acquires Curvus Pro X to power new Mac OS X Tiger application

post #1 of 36
9/15/04 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
In need of a modern graphing calculator application for its Mac OS X distributions, Apple stopped coding and went shopping overseas.

Apple Computer has purchased the rights to Arizona Software's Curvus Pro X, a powerful and user-friendly equation graphing application designed for MacÂ*OSÂ*X, AppleInsider has confirmed.

According to tipsters, Apple bought the software from the Switzerland-based company late this summer and immediately began re-interfacing the application for inclusion in future releases of Mac OS X.

Screenshots: Graphing Calculator 1; Graphing Calculator 2; Graphing Calculator 3; Graphing Calculator 4

A message on Arizona's website confirms the sale of Curvus Pro X, but does not single out a buyer: "On July 22, 2004 Curvus Pro X was bought by an international company and its distribution has been discontinued."

Since acquiring the software less than two months ago, Apple has adorned Curvus Pro X in its traditional brushed aluminum theme, and renamed it "Graphing Calculator." Source close to Apple have noted that the company is already distributing the revised application in private seedings of its next-generation "Tiger" operating system.

Apple is expected to release Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger in the first half of 2005.
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post #2 of 36
9/15/04 at 9:18am
This is one story we can truly say was created in-house!
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post #3 of 36
9/15/04 at 10:06am
Quote:
Originally posted by AppleInsider
Apple Computer has purchased the rights to Arizona Software's Curvus Pro X, a powerful and user-friendly equation graphing application designed for Mac_OS_X, AppleInsider has confirmed.

This is good news. I have been a user of Curvus Pro since it first came out, and weathered the update to the X version. This is by far the best choice for general-purpose, easy-to-use graphing functionality, and goes considerably beyond calculator-style features. Looking forward to seeing the Tiger version!
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post #4 of 36
9/15/04 at 10:36am
Does this application produce plots/curves from individual data points or only from equations?
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post #5 of 36
9/15/04 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally posted by Carson O'Genic
Does this application produce plots/curves from individual data points or only from equations?

I would just download an archived version of Curvus Pro X and check it out. It has to be the same exact application as the one in the new Tiger builds, other than the interface. They are probably still bringing it up to their code of standards and most likely have not added features yet. It was purchased just over a month ago...

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Questions and comments to : kasper@appleinsider.com
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post #6 of 36
9/15/04 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally posted by Gavriel
This is one story we can truly say was created in-house!

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post #7 of 36
9/15/04 at 11:36am
Ah... the return of Graphing Calculator ten years on.
"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them" -Isaac Asimov
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"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them" -Isaac Asimov
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post #8 of 36
9/15/04 at 2:06pm
I have to say that this move stuns me.

Apple has been demonstrating recently that it would rather code their own imitations rather than buy the rights to an existing software produc (Watson, Konfabulator).

This is also quite amazing given the fact that Apple already had the rights to the OS7+ Graphing Calculator. Couldn't they have just reworked and recompiled that app from the existing codebase?
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post #9 of 36
9/15/04 at 2:14pm
My only question: Does it do RPN stack operations?
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post #10 of 36
9/15/04 at 2:21pm
Quite the contrary, JamesG. For a while Apple was shopping like mad. iTunes, Final Cut Pro, on and on apps were derived through acquisition.

Watson/Sherlock I'll give you but concerning Dashboard/Konfabulator, there is a great article out there that explains that Dashboard is a far more integrated tecnology than the Javascript hack that is Konfabulator.

Screed
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MWSF '07: Steve Jobs hates my wallet and my mobile carrier.
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post #11 of 36
9/15/04 at 2:24pm
From who was the iTunes technology acquired?
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post #12 of 36
9/15/04 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally posted by CatharticFlux
From who was the iTunes technology acquired?

SoundJamMP, Casady & Greene (RIP).
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post #13 of 36
9/15/04 at 3:39pm
Does anyone know how Curvus compares to Graphing Calculator that Apple bundled with earlier versions of MacOS? Graphing Calculator 3.1 was already a powerful tool.
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post #14 of 36
9/15/04 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Towel
SoundJamMP, Casady & Greene (RIP).

Not 100% correct, iTunes was developed by an Apple engineer in his own time and only distributed by Casady & Greene. When Apple brought it in house that developer continued to work on it, I believe he is some big cheese in charge of the iTMS now (that last bit's just a vague memory).
a flirt with mediocrity comes with heavy penalty
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a flirt with mediocrity comes with heavy penalty
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post #15 of 36
9/15/04 at 4:09pm
Again, it seems like most of the software I use now is made by Apple. I'm still not sure whether that's good or not. Man imagine if they surpass MS one day. They would be insane. A benevolent dictator perhaps? But wow would I hate to cross them especially if it is still headed by Jobs. I mean sure OS X is based on open source but most stuff that average users use that runs on it now is made by them!
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"Overpopulation and climate change are serious shit." Gilsch
"I was really curious how they had managed such fine granularity of alienation." addabox
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post #16 of 36
9/15/04 at 5:11pm
Quote:
Originally posted by PB
Does anyone know how Curvus compares to Graphing Calculator that Apple bundled with earlier versions of MacOS? Graphing Calculator 3.1 was already a powerful tool.

Graphing Calculator 3.2 is the latest release of the commercial version of Graphing Calculator. The latest free version that ships with MacOS 9.2 is Graphing Calculator 1.3. The Windows version is NuCalc. You may find them at Pacific Tech's web site. The latest available version of Curvus Pro does curves in 2-D and surfaces in 3-D. These are major functions in Graphing Calculator. Curvus Pro also does vector fields, which Graphing Calculator cannot do. Graphing Calculator is a much better numeric calculator. It also does simple symbolic algebra and calculus, both differential and integral. Curvus Pro appears stronger in numerical evaluation of calculus-based expressions. The take-away message is that Graphing Calculator is a better calculator. Curvus Pro is a better grapher. However, your mileage may vary. By the time MacOS X 10.4 is released, I expect that the holes in Curvus Pro's functionality will have been plugged. However, it is still an fantastic aaplication as it is.
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post #17 of 36
9/15/04 at 7:58pm
The non-free version of Graphing Calculator could do vector fields and a whole slew of things as seen in the version 2 demo that comes with the free version.
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post #18 of 36
9/15/04 at 11:41pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Code Master
The non-free version of Graphing Calculator could do vector fields and a whole slew of things as seen in the version 2 demo that comes with the free version.

Yep, it's kind of odd that Apple went with CurvusPro given that it was somewhat behind GraphingCalculator featurewise. However, the PacificTech folks seemed a bit obstinate about not porting to native OS X (although they now say they have an OS X native version in the works and are in testing).
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post #19 of 36
9/16/04 at 2:43am
Quote:
Originally posted by irobot2004
Yep, it's kind of odd that Apple went with CurvusPro given that it was somewhat behind GraphingCalculator featurewise. However, the PacificTech folks seemed a bit obstinate about not porting to native OS X (although they now say they have an OS X native version in the works and are in testing).

Although buying Graphing Calculator from PacificTech would have solved the OS X obstinacy problem.

Maybe they didn't want to sell.
Proud member of AppleInsider since before the World Wide Web existed.
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Proud member of AppleInsider since before the World Wide Web existed.
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post #20 of 36
9/16/04 at 3:55am
From what I gather going with Curvus Pro X makes more sence because that was already a native Mac OS X application, whilst Graphing Calculator still needed to be ported. We don't know how far Pacific Tech had gotten and it is quite possible that the lion's share of work porting it remained to be done.
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post #21 of 36
9/16/04 at 5:56am
Quote:
Originally posted by CharlesS
Although buying Graphing Calculator from PacificTech would have solved the OS X obstinacy problem.

Maybe they didn't want to sell.

Exactly how does Pacific Tech expect to stay in business without Apple's business? I almost forgot that Graphing Calculator 1.3 ships with each new Mac. The company's core business is providing a Classic app that virtually no one will use anymore. Sounds like a winner to me.
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post #22 of 36
9/16/04 at 3:35pm
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Quote:
Originally posted by JamesG
I have to say that this move stuns me.

Apple has been demonstrating recently that it would rather code their own imitations rather than buy the rights to an existing software produc (Watson, Konfabulator).

This is also quite amazing given the fact that Apple already had the rights to the OS7+ Graphing Calculator. Couldn't they have just reworked and recompiled that app from the existing codebase?

i forgot where i read it, but apple's philosophy can be summed up by the following (and i believe this came from an internal rep or engineer or something... at least someone who had some knowledge of their policies):

"apple buys technologies they can't - or won't - develop themselves. they don't buy ideas."
When you're lovers in a dangerous time,
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Gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight.

-...
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When you're lovers in a dangerous time,
You're made to feel as if your love's a crime.
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight.
Gotta kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight.

-...
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post #23 of 36
9/16/04 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Me
Exactly how does Pacific Tech expect to stay in business without Apple's business?

As in the other thread about graphing calculators, you seem to assume that Pacific Tech is intended to be a business venture. This is not the guy's primary occupation. Think of it more as he's providing a service or working on a hobby and sharing the results with whomever wants to use his product.
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post #24 of 36
9/16/04 at 9:02pm
Can I make arcane posts about i**2 now?
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post #25 of 36
9/21/04 at 7:56am
Quote:
Originally posted by sCreeD
Quite the contrary, JamesG. For a while Apple was shopping like mad. iTunes, Final Cut Pro, on and on apps were derived through acquisition.

Watson/Sherlock I'll give you but concerning Dashboard/Konfabulator, there is a great article out there that explains that Dashboard is a far more integrated tecnology than the Javascript hack that is Konfabulator.

Screed

The article, at least the only really good one I found, i at http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/da...s_konfabulator
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post #26 of 36
10/25/04 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally posted by AppleInsider

Screenshots: Graphing Calculator 1; Graphing Calculator 2; Graphing Calculator 3; Graphing Calculator 4

Here are a couple of new screenshots of the new calculator in action:

2D
3D
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post #27 of 36
11/13/04 at 8:32am
Sorry to be digging up this old thread! But I have a few comments I wanted to make.

Judging from the screenshots it seems that Apple has renamed 'Curvus Pro X' into 'Graphing Calculator' despite the fact that there already exists a product with that name coming from Pacific Tech. Anyone care to comment on the legality of this?

It seems that if PT will ever port its product to Mac OS X they would have to rename it, something most companies don't want to do.

Also, I hope that Apple takes the time to visually polish this app in time for its release. As it stands now it still sports the old icons carried over from the time it was still an aqua-application. I always felt that aqua buttons has no place in the textured windows and that they should instead sport custom brushed metal-buttons, like The Finder, Safari and many others.
Ready for Power Macintosh
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post #28 of 36
11/13/04 at 5:16pm
I'm guessing that "Graphing Calculator" or "Graphic Calculator" is generic enough that it would be hard to claim rights to it, especially if it's not a well-established product.

I'm sure that, if they get anything done with this app, it will be the appearance of it. Might still act like a beta though.
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post #29 of 36
11/13/04 at 5:30pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Gavriel
Sorry to be digging up this old thread! But I have a few comments I wanted to make.

Judging from the screenshots it seems that Apple has renamed 'Curvus Pro X' into 'Graphing Calculator' despite the fact that there already exists a product with that name coming from Pacific Tech. Anyone care to comment on the legality of this?

It seems that if PT will ever port its product to Mac OS X they would have to rename it, something most companies don't want to do.

Also, I hope that Apple takes the time to visually polish this app in time for its release. As it stands now it still sports the old icons carried over from the time it was still an aqua-application. I always felt that aqua buttons has no place in the textured windows and that they should instead sport custom brushed metal-buttons, like The Finder, Safari and many others.

That is an interesting observation. However, I have no doubt that this issue has been resolved for quite some time. The Graphing Calculator was not a commercial product prior to the introduction of the Power Macintosh. Except for Pacific Tech's website, I have never seen Graphing Calculator offered for sale as a standalone product. I also note that the product has an alternate name, NuCalc. I suspect that one of two things is true. One, it may be that Apple has already purchased the rights to use the name Graphing Calculator from Pacific Tech. The second possibility is that Graphing Calculator was always an Apple-owned product name and that Pacific Tech was allowed to use the name on the commercial version of its product. I take the product's alternate name as an indication that the latter may be true. Of course, Graphing Calculator may have been too generic for a product name in certain international markets.
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post #30 of 36
11/23/04 at 11:12am
Pacific Tech's Graphing Calculator is now available as a native Mac OS X application.
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post #31 of 36
11/23/04 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally posted by avitzur
Pacific Tech's Graphing Calculator is now available as a native Mac OS X application.

This is old news, but it is very good news. I have already paid the fee and downloaded the app. Welcome back, old friend
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post #32 of 36
11/23/04 at 12:14pm
So now we have *two* apps named Graphing Calculator for the Mac. Unless Apple chooses another name for its software prior to its release; this is gonna create some confusion. \
Ready for Power Macintosh
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post #33 of 36
11/24/04 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Me
This is old news, but it is very good news. I have already paid the fee and downloaded the app. Welcome back, old friend

Could you make some comments on how is the OS X version interface of GC? Or better, post some screenshots?

Thanks,
PB
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post #34 of 36
12/15/04 at 3:24pm
There's a screenshot and a link to the free demo at http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...torviewer.html

Another screenshot at http://www.PacificT.com/MacOSX.html
and at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25146

More images generated by the software are at http://www.pacifict.com/Shaders.html
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post #35 of 36
5/9/05 at 1:02am
So what became of this? Did the CurvusPro-based version make it into the final product?
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post #36 of 36
5/9/05 at 1:55am
Quote:
Originally posted by ScienceMan
So what became of this? Did the CurvusPro-based version make it into the final product?

Yes, it's called Grapher.
JLL

95% percent of the boat is owned by Microsoft, but the 5% Apple controls happens to be the rudder!
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95% percent of the boat is owned by Microsoft, but the 5% Apple controls happens to be the rudder!
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