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Multimedia Systems

notes provide specialized packaging and run-time distribution for use with devices such as
CD-ROMs. Care must be taken when using run-time players for advanced authoring systems
that all specialized DLLs, run-time modules for other programs and non-system fonts used in the
presentation are packaged together when the final product is distributed.

Early script languages are called batch languages or job control languages.
Such early scripting languages were created to shorten the traditional
edit-compile-link-run process.
9.2.3 authoring tools

Authoring can be described as creating highly interactive applications in which the information can
flow in both the directions, i.e. from application to user and from user to application. Multimedia
authoring tools has helped in creating higher-quality audio and video applications with very
little expertise.

Authoring does not require a team of programmers, instructors, corporate communications and
content specialists with no previous programming experience should be able to learn and use
the authoring environment.
At last, authoring programs could be grouped into the following two distinct types:
1. Those that relied entirely on point and click and

2. Those that required simple scripting.
The advantage of using object-oriented programming has been inculcated in the authoring
products like Everest Authoring System offers object instancing, while Media Verse and Oracle
Media Objects allows to add new methods and events to existing objects.

Supplied templates in Authorware and Media Verse saves the time in implementing specific
functionality. In order to create effective multimedia, one need tools that can handle a wide range
of authoring tasks, including interactive title development, CBT, interactive catalogues/kiosks
and Web authoring.

The CD-ROM’s interactive title development task focuses on the flexibility and power of screen
design tools and support for managing memory requirements and playback data rates. Also the
ability to create cross-platform applications looked for.
Creation of CBT stresses wizards, templates and other tools designed to make it easier for non-
programmers to generate applications. Other features included the ability to interface with a
database either proprietary or via Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) for tracking student
performance, and special tools designed for creating exercises.
As the ultimate goal of interactive catalogues/kiosks is to sell things, so the products that offer
robust database-handling tools would be best suited for processing sales transactions.
The Web authoring task involves generating an application that can be played by a helper
application from within a Web browser, or something as complex as a standalone application
designed to stream data from the server over TCP/IP connections and onto the user’s browser
without making the user download the application.
The following subsections discuss a few important authoring tools:
authorware

Macromedia’s Authorware is a dependable industrial-strength environment that allows multiple
people to contribute to an application. Artists can load a library with media, programmers can
provide templates for complex interactions, and interface designers can put everything together.
And one non-programming designer can even do the entire job alone.

150 LoveLy professionaL University