QuarkImmedia

QuarkImmedia was an author system within QuarkXPress, which allowed designers to create interactive multimedia presentations within and to export them for CD -ROM and - with limitations - even for the web.

Authoring Tool

The first version of QuarkImmedia was delivered in 1996 by the company Quark Inc..

QuarkImmedia was technically an XTension, so a plug -in for the DTP layout software QuarkXPress, which enabled designers, directly in the program that they already knew to create interactive presentations.

The idea was that, instead of programming languages ​​such as Lingo (Macromedia Director) or ActionScript (Flash) to learn the user defines elements such as animations, buttons, sounds, videos, etc. directly in QuarkXPress and animated by means of prefabricated actions and inter- active. That way, designers could interactivity on the web or offline create without programming or codes to have to learn.

The author tool, it was only for QuarkXPress for Mac OS (Classic), never for Windows. Could be played IMD on both platforms.

QuarkImmedia then cost about DM 2,000 (about 1,023 euros ), so as much as QuarkXPress itself

1999, set curd the program. In 2006, Quark introduced a conceptually similar program QuarkImmedia with Quark Interactive Designer, which, however, instead of IMD now exported SWF ( Flash ) or a projector.

Export format

After completion of the interactive layout with QuarkXPress in a proprietary format (IMD ) was exported, which was then played by QuarkImmedia player. There were various export formats, CD- ROM and the Internet. While the CD -ROM format produced an IMD file consisted Internet format of a small IMD file, the loader and many resource files that were dynamically loaded on demand.

QuarkImmedia Player

The player needed one to play exported presentations ( IMDs ). Optionally you could also embed the player in the IMD and generate applications ( APPs, EXEs ), similar to flash that allows for projectors.

The players there were initially only for Mac OS Classic ( 68k and PPC), and later for Windows ( 16 - and 32- bit), and was allowed to be freely distributed.

The player IMD won either locally from the file system or via TCP / IP ( eg over the Internet ). The player was not a browser plug-in and was called by MIME types from the browser.

Applications

Best-known applications created with QuarkImmedia were:

  • The British Spice Girls website
  • ZDF CD -ROM Yearbook 1996
  • The game " writings recognize " the College of Printing and Media, Stuttgart

Revision history

  • QuarkImmedia 1.0 (1996 ) compatible with QuarkXPress 3.32, authoring tools ( XTension ) and player for Mac OS.
  • QuarkImmedia 1:01 (1997) Player now available for Windows (16 - bit)
  • QuarkImmedia 1:02 (1998)
  • QuarkImmedia 1:03 (1998) only for the Asian market?
  • QuarkImmedia 1.5 ( 1998) last version, which brought many additional enhancements, including web actions, formulas, support for AppleScript, Windows Player now 32- bit support for QuarkXPress 4
  • The end of 1999 - set product
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