info-mac@uw-beaver (08/30/85)
From: (Temporary) Moderator John Mark Agosta <INFO-MAC-REQUEST@SUMEX-AIM.arpa>
INFO-MAC Digest Friday, 30 Aug 1985 Volume 3 : Issue 36
Today's Topics:
PostScript books
Scribepic.shar
Macintosh to QMS lasterwriter
Modula Compiler
Mockchart (tm) desk accessory
re: MacBreeze
help--vertical retrace sync?
MS-File exit problems
Power Supply Problems - A Query
external sync on serial ports
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: John Mark Agosta <info-mac-request@sumex>
Subject: Program postings adminstration
Every now and again suggestions come across my inbox about program
etiquette, some which I have collected here.
I think it is unnecessary to keep two copies of everything, on in hcx
form and one in hqx form. Why not just have a copy of the latest binhex
in hcx form. Then anyone who can only convert hcx files can get it and
convert it and gain hqx capability.
-agreed. hqx is the "official" format.
Writers in Megamax C are free to ignore the capitalization conventions
that SUMACC and other C compilers use. In the interest of making
code compatible among the different compilers out there it would be
nice if everyone followed the SUMACC conventions of capitalizing
ROM call procedure and function names.
I'd like to know the authors of the code people submit (and if possible
post the sources: info-mac originated as a developer's bboard). Further
those who can add a directory entry for their submission like I
write for the "00DIR" file might include it in their announcment. It
looks alittle like the "verbose directory" entry, for example:
SUMACC.MS.3 19150(7) 15-Nov-84
Bill Croft <Croft@Sumex>
Stanford UNIX Mac C cross development system.
Documentation in troff -ms format.
I'll just paste it in. Note that it gives ftp`ers an indication of
the number of characters, so that they can check if the whole item
has been received.
Finally, You'll notice old and obselete entries in 00DIR are now
marked with a "D" or "?" I plan to delete these. For those who have
an historical interest in them they are all on the dump tape. If there
are any you think I should keep, please let me know. Or if there is
other chaff, let me know also.
I hope to catch up with the backlog of info-mac-request mail now that
vacations, etc are over. My apologies to those with unanswered messages.
-jma
------------------------------
From: adobe!shore@Glacier (Andrew Shore)
Date: 27 Aug 1985 1335-PDT (Tuesday)
Subject: PostScript books
Adobe Systems is pleased and proud to announce the publication of
two books on the PostScript language.
The "PostScript Language Reference Manual" (ISBN 0-201-10174-2), and
the "PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook" (ISBN 0-201-10179-3),
are published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company of Reading, Mass.
PostScript, a device-independent page description language, is
quickly becoming the industry standard for printing high-quality
integrated text and graphics. PostScript has been incorporated into
laser printers manufactured by Apple Computer, Allied Linotype, QMS
Incorporated, and Dataproducts Corporation.
PostScript Language Reference Manual
------------------------------------
This book is the complete definitive reference guide to the
PostScript language. It begins with a discussion of the basic ideas
that underlie PostScript, followed by comprehensive presentations of
the language and its graphics and font facilities. The precise
semantics of every PostScript operator is detailed in a convenient
dictionary-like format. The manual concludes with four useful
appendices on the standard fonts, implementation limits, structuring
conventions, and the Apple LaserWriter.
The PostScript Language Reference Manual represents substantial
rewritting, reorganization, and additions to the information
previously available as the PostScript Language Manual.
The book is 336 pages, fully illustrated, and is available for $22.95.
PostScript Language Tutorial and Cookbook
-----------------------------------------
This book provides a thorough, clearly written guide to PostScript
that outlines the features and capabilities of the language and
shows practical ways to create useful PostScript programs. Using
numerous annotated examples and short programs, the tutorial
provides a step-by-step guided tour of PostScript, highlighting
those qualities that make it such a unique and powerful language.
The cookbook offers a collection of some of the most useful
techniques and procedures available to PostScript programmers.
The book is 256 pages, fully illustrated, and is available for $16.95.
Both books were typeset entirely with PostScript (on the Linotype
Linotronic 300 and Linotron 101 respectively), with no paste-up of
any kind. The books, utilizing a complex book design, were
formatted with the Scribe document production system and proofed on
an Apple LaserWriter before final typesetting of camera-ready
copy at Adobe Systems.
These books should be available in bookstores soon. Most bookstores
will accept orders using the ISBN (International Standard Book
Number) codes given above. Adobe Systems will discontinue
distribution of our older (3-hole bound) documentation, and begin
distribution of these new books at list price plus shipping and
handling.
-----
Adobe Systems Incorporated
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 85 12:57:02 MDT
From: peterson@utah-cs.arpa (John W Peterson)
Subject: Scribepic.shar
[Here is the source of the shar archive mentioned in John's July 14th message,
info-mac archive v3 #23. It lets you insert macpaint (also Apollo bitmap
conversions are done!) type bitmap pictures into scribe @picture fields,
converting it to postscipt code. Find it in UNIX-SCRIBEPIC.SHAR -jma]
------------------------------
Date: Mon 26 Aug 85 16:57:59-EDT
From: WEINSTEIN@BBNG.ARPA
Subject: Macintosh to QMS lasterwriter
We have succesfully used a QMS postscript-equipped laserwriter instead of the
Apple laserwriter. No special utilities are required, beyond the postscript
driver for the QMS. The following is the procedure to use:
1. Install the Apple Laser Printer Driver on your Macintosh disk
and select it as the desired printer driver using CHoose Printer or whatever.
2. Prepare the document to print as usual. As soon as you click "OK"
in the print dialog, press down the ^F key. This will cause a file containing
the postscript commands to be created, instead of sending them directly to
a laserwriter (which need not even be hooked up).
3. Using MacTerminal or another file transfer program, send the
Postscript file (it will be called PostScript) to whatever mainframe you
have the QMS printer hooked up to. WE use the SUMACC MACGET program to
do this (remember, under VMS, you must increase the SYSGEN parameter
controlling the terminal look-ahead buffer size to something > 140 or so
to get MACGET to work reliably).
4. Pre-pend the Laserwriter Postscript header file to this one.
Copies of this file can be downloaded by FTP from SUMEX-AIM on the ArpaNet,
where it is called something like Laserwriter.header. If that doesn't work,
you might be able to try recovering it directly from the LaserPrep file on
a laserized macintosh disk.
5. Send the combined file (header + your postscript print file) to
the QMS printer in Postscript mode, using your normal spooler.
I don't guarantee this procedure is bug free, but it does seem
to work.
Good luck
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 85 17:08:25 PDT
From: wirth.pa@Xerox.ARPA
Subject: Modula Compiler
INFO-MAC Digest V3 #27
Thank you for forwarding the message about the Modula compiler to me.
The original compiler was designed in 1969/70 under my direction by
Geissmann, Jacobi, Knudsen. It had then been translated by H.Seiler
into Pascal for the CDC Cyber. Then a code generator was written for
the 68000, cross-compiled on the Cyber, then ported onto the 68000 by
some people at ETH under Burkhart. The compiler mentioned here is most
likely that compiler, further adapted to the Mac by Peter Fink. (The
latter is my guess, I am not sure).
How did you get the compiler?
How good is it?
Niklaus Wirth
------------------------------
Sender: Platt@HIS-PHOENIX-MULTICS.ARPA
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 85 11:52 MST
From: <@CISL-SERVICE-MULTICS.ARPA:Dave-Platt@LADC>
Subject: Mockchart (tm) desk accessory
This is another shareware desk utility from CE Software (authors
of MockPrinter et al). MockChart (tm) accepts numeric data from
the keyboard (or cut&paste) in tabular form, and turns it into one
of several different chart formats (line or bargraph). The resulting
charts can be adjusted in size via the resize box in the MockChart
window, and can be copied onto the clipboard and then pasted (as
standard PICTures) into the scrapbook or into other Mac applications.
Up to three different columns of dependent variable can be charted.
[ Find this in DA-MOCKCHART.HQX, then Convert with BinHex 4.0
-jma ]
------------------------------
From: crash!bwebster@SDCSVAX.ARPA
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 85 12:06:23 PDT
Subject: re: MacBreeze
A previous posting talked about the MacBreeze fan and wondered what Levco's
address/phone is. [ If I recall this was the piezoelectric type, selling for
$40 -jma ]
Here it is:
Levco
6160 Lusk Blvd, #C-203
San Diego, CA 92121
(619) 457-2011
I bought their 2MB "Monster Mac" upgrade and have so far been very happy
with it, though I've been too busy to really wring it out with a lot of
different software and appRAM/RAMdisk configurations. The usual disclaimers
apply.
..bruce..
Bruce F. Webster/BYTE Magazine
ARPA: crash!bwebster@ucsd
uucp: {ihnp4, cbosgd, sdcsvax, noscvax}!crash!bwebster
CIS: 75166,1717
USPS: c/o BYTE, 425 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
------------------------------
Subject: help--vertical retrace sync?
Date: 24 Aug 85 22:41:58 EDT (Sat)
From: zim@mitre.ARPA
Can someone suggest a simple way to get drawing-to-the-screen synchronized
with the display refresh? My specific problem is in a little MacFORTH
animation I'm doing, which involves inverting many regions sequentially;
on the larger ones, there is frequently a flicker problem. Presumably there
is some memory location I could watch, or some interrupt I could set up,
to get my screen manipulations in sync with the vertical retrace of the
display ... I see some cryptic references in INSIDE MACINTOSH but they are
not helpful ... could I do something as simple as loop until the tickcount
changes? I'm happy to use a little in-line assembler if necessary....
tnx -z
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 85 23:46:13 pdt
From: barry@playfair (Barrett P. Eynon)
Subject: MS-File exit problems
When MS-File is run with a System on an external drive (e.g.ramdisk or hard
disk) and File and the System are on different disks, File gets confused on
exiting and asks for a "disk with a finder" in an internal drive. Does anyone
know of a patch to fix this problem? I thought I remembered a comment about
this being fixed as a side effect of some downloadable resource, but I can't
find it anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.
-Barry Eynon
------------------------------
Date: Wed 28 Aug 85 00:39:02-CDT
From: CMP.BARC@UTEXAS-20.ARPA
Subject: Power Supply Problems - A Query
A member of one of our local Apple clubs has been asked to write aan article
for the club newsletter about power supply problems with the Mac. So far, he
can only go on his own experience (Both he and a coworker had their Macs blow
up. ), some comments in INFO-MAC, and a few rumors. If anyone out there has
any experiences or other information worth relating, please address them to
me. I will forward them on the the prospective author, Peter Van Overen,
and send a summary to the net.
Dallas Webster
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 85 08:59:09 edt
From: Velu Sinha <velu@maryland>
Subject: external sync on serial ports
Has anyone successfully been able to get high speed data into the
Mac via serial ports by using the external sync feature?
Any ideas on how this could be done?
Thanks.
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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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