HP NewWave is yet another alternate desktop shell for Windows 3.1. What is shown here is what they called the "working model". this is just a fancy name for a scaled down freeware demo version of the full commercial HP NewWave 4.

This is the splash screen that appears as the program starts.

This demo version of NewWave has the same features as the commercial version except for the following that are not available:

• Printing from the NewWave Desktop
• NewWave Agent task editor interface design tool
• Automatic bridges to more applications
• Expanded On-line Help
• DOS file Attach/Detach
• Workgroup Library (Object Storage)
• NewWave Control Panel
• Object Finder
• Password security
• NewWave Text Note (ASCII text editor)

When you create a new object this window appears allowing you to select from a list of document types.

The HP NewWave desktop supports folders that open in new windows. Files can be dragged and dropped between folders. Each folder can be viewed as large icons or as a list sorted by selected attributes. The "File Drawer" is a place to store files that are not on the desktop. Files can be deleted by dragging them to the "Waste Basket".

The desktop hides the actual file system from the user. What you see on the desktop and in the folders are what NewWave calls "objects". These objects can have names longer than the DOS 8.3 filename limitation. These names are stored in a special database and the actual files on the hard drive are given a truncated DOS short file name. These files are stored on the hard drive in a special NewWave folder. The actual DOS name and location of the file on the hard drive are not visible to the user unless they look at the attributes for that file.

NewWave can store other attributes for each object.

The full version of HP NewWave can store "objects" on a network server rather than just on the local hard drive.

The downside to this method of extending the functionality of the file system is that external applications can not make use of any of this. For example if a typical user were to try and locate the "New Card File" shown above with another application they may be surprised and confused by the fact that it is not actually stored in a folder called "File Drawer" and that the actual file name is "newcardf".

NewWave also comes with a task scripting and scheduling utility called the "agent". Its scripting can be used to automate a number of tasks in a variety of external applications. These tasks can, if so desired, be scheduled to run at specific times.

Of course there is also a built in tour.

Finally, exiting HP NewWave.