info-mac@uw-beaver (08/08/85)
From: Moderator John Mark Agosta <INFO-MAC-REQUEST@SUMEX-AIM.arpa>
INFO-MAC Digest Friday, 2 Aug 1985 Volume 3 : Issue 28
Today's Topics:
New Mock DA's
Macs as multi-media workstations?
Apple clues on next year's Mac
"Macintosh Revealed"
thunderscan/laserwriter software from Willam Bates
Mac*Tracks bugs
Printer Access Protocol/AppleTalk interface ?
Anyone used "Mac Disk Catalog" ?
Macwrite --> word ??
Programmer's Blues
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Date: Wed 24 Jul 85 17:33:39-PDT
From: Jean-Luc Brouillet <BROUILLET@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Mock DA
Here are the latest versions of the mock desk acc. They include
MockWrite
MockPrint
MockTerminal
Please note that these are distributed on an honor system, so if you
use them, pay for them. Also note, posted in a separate file is a
program to set the baud rate and other stuff for mockterminal, be sure
to grab that too.
George Erhart
PS. They are in the new DA/Font mover format.
[ This all is one file. It has been put in the file DA-MOCK.HQX -jma ]
------------------------------
Date: 25 Jul 1985 0842-PDT (Thursday)
From: Keith Lantz <lantz@Gregorio>
Subject: Macs as multi-media workstations?
The ARPA Applications Task Force has adopted multimedia conferencing as
its "strawman" application -- one that will best stress the Internet
(protocols) and be of great potential benefit to the world at large,
etc., etc. One step in the development of such applications is the
"definition" of what constitutes a multi-media workstation. For the
moment, we are assuming the following minimal configuration:
- Internet-based access to the ARPANET, an Ethernet, et al.
- bitmap display -- at least Mac-sized
- mouse
- >= 512K memory
- fast access to files (as if local disk)
- multi-tasking support
- access to C development environment
- C !
- windows and graphics
additional "desirable" attributes:
- hardcopy capability
With such workstations it is intended that researchers could carry on
long-distance interactive conferences in support of such things as:
- paper writing
- program development
- graphics design aids
- meetings!
- etc.
Text and graphics interaction would occur via the workstation(s).
Voice, in the beginning, would be via normal telephone connections --
even though voice hardware is currently available in limited quantities.
To the point: I have been asked to solicit opinions as to the current
and/or future suitability of Macintoshes as multi-media workstations.
What think ye?
Please respond directly to me. I am not on INFO-MAC.
Keith A. Lantz
<Lantz@su-gregorio.arpa>
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 85 23:20:41 pdt
From: jww@SDCSVAX (Joel West @ CACI) (ttyd5)
Subject: Apple clues on next year's Mac
(This is a copy of an article posted to net.micro.mac for those who
don't read it.)
> The "May" supplement finally arrived today (posted July 22 via
> UPS). It was about 250 pages and 13 disks (7 Mac, 6 Lisa).
There are several things in the "May" software supplement that hint at
future products. One talks about using Quickdraw so that the Laserwriter
works right; another refers to how to use printer drivers so that the
Imagewriter II will work right.
But the most interesting thing is "Future Macintosh Architectures", which
is what we all want to hear. I'd like to paraphrase highlights for the
benefits of those who don't get the supplement. (The parenthetic
comments contain opinions not directly correlated to Apple's).
If the answer to any question is "YES", you may be in trouble
with a future product. I'm skipping some boring ones.
1. Do you use any 68000 supervisor mode instructions, including
changing the interrupt level? Location $12F has 00 for a
68000, $01 for a 68010, or $02 for 68020.
3. Do you twiddle low-memory (0x00 to 0xFF), except as documented?
4. Do you assume:
a. The size of an File Control Block? It will get bigger
for "a more sophisticated file system". The 30 existing
bytes won't move.
b. The layout of a directory or allocation map? (same reason)
c. Customer code in boot blocks? Use INIT resources instead.
5. Do you allocate system heap, particularly large stuff? The size
of this will change on the 128 and 512, so don't count on much space...
6. Don't count on using instructions that work within 1st 32k...
(more globals and stack space are planned.)
8. Access VIA, SCC or IWM directly? A MMU (may) map such direct
hardware addresses and force you to use a subroutine
call to get at them. For god's sake, at least load their address
indirect from global memory.
9. Assume anything about screen bit map? it will move and get bigger.
28. Depend on a second screen buffer? "The machine may not support
a second screen at all".
10. Do you work on a Mac XL? If not do you know why? (If you can't
support a known Mac product, your chance on an unknown one are slim.)
12. Do you check explicitly for 128k, 512k, or 1M? Don't count on it.
An address could be up to 16M.
13. Do you fail with non-Apple hardware or desk accessories? You might
have a problem with future Apple stuff. Please call us.
14. Do you expect to free memory by purging system resources from
RAM? (They are moving to ROM.)
15. Is your code timing sensitive? Future machines "will run at a faster
clock rate." Try the VIA timer 2 or Tick Count instead.
16. Do you have writable data blocks in your code?
17. Do you read the keymap instead of ASCII? (All bets are off.)
21. Do you depend on existing side effects (bugs) in:
RectInRgn
PinRect
Cursor with hot spot outside cursor?
Use HLock, HPurge, etc. on non-handles?
22. Use Command-Shift 5,6,7,8,9,0?
24. Place text outside resources? Assume ascii is only 32-127?
Use time, currency, etc. without using international utilities?
(You might as well write off France, the #2 Mac market...)
26. Assume anything about disk driver? "Apple's announced hard disk
drive for the Mac as well as an enhanced 3 1/2" disk drive
will allow more and larger drives to be available to the user."
27. Use copy-protection scheme changing the disk speed? The enhanced
3 1/2" has an internal motor speed control.
29. Do you write to the serial printer directly? You screw up
Appletalk and won't work with the new Imagewriter
30. Does it fail as a startup application? You probably screwed
up in your initialization calls.
It doesn't say anything about making assumptions about color, although
QuickDraw and other places do. Hmmmmm. VERRRRRRY interesting.
Joel West CACI, Inc. - Federal (c/o UC San Diego)
{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww
jww@SDCSVAX.ARPA
------------------------------
Date: 26 Jul 1985 01:19:00-EDT
From: James.Fisher@cmu-ee-gauss
Subject: "Macintosh Revealed"
In response to the query of dm@BBN-VAX:
"Macintosh Revealed" is a $25 softcover book written by Stephen
Chernicoff and pubished by the Hayden Book Company. Quoting from the
back cover: "Volume One, 'Unlocking the Toolbox,' presents the
foundation on which the Toolbox is built. Learn how to call Toolbox
routines from your application programs, how to manage the Macintosh's
memory, how to use QuickDraw graphics routines, and how to display
character text. ... [In] Volume Two,
'Programming with the Toolbox' ... you'll learn about the highlevel parts of
the Toolbox that implement the features of the Macintosh user
interface, such as overlapping windows, pulldown menus, scroll bars,
and dialog boxes." The book assumes you know Pascal, and occasionally
supplies assembler code. It is nicely organized. I picked up my
Volume One at the local B. Dalton Book Store. [All disclaimers and
disassociations apply.]
Jim Fisher
Carnegie-Mellon University
jlf@cmu-ee-gauss
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1985 13:51 EDT
From: LEVITT%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA
Subject: thunderscan/laserwriter software from Willam Bates
In answer to David Gelphman's query about Bill Bates' Laserwriter
software:
You can contact Bill via his company,
Knowledge Engineering
G.P.O. Box 2139
New York, NY 10116
I met him recently in NYC. Apparently he's done various hacks for
the Laserwriter, although he didn't mention the Thunderscan converter.
He has other hacks, like "Puzzle Buster" for $12.95, which grabs the
Puzzle desk accessory and solves it.
David Levitt
------------------------------
From: <crash!rak@Nosc>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 85 22:04:03 PDT
Subject: Mac*Tracks bugs
[Don't panic!]
I have had occasional "bomb" errors when running Mac*Tracks
by Assimilation. I found a pattern of behaviour that can
reproduce the error, but not consistantly:
1. Boot the disk with Mac*Tracks installed.
2. Start an application that Mac*Tracks has a track recorded for.
3. Type the command key that would perform the macro. (Nothing
happens.)
4. Pull down the desk accessory, "Mac*Tracks".
5. El bomba, usually code=10.
I am using a HyperDrive and Finder 4.1, but this error seems to
also occur under 2.2g and also off floppies. What I do to
avoid this is:
Follow steps 1 and 2, above.
3. Pull down to the desk accessory, "Mac*Tracks".
4. Click QUIT on the Mac*Tracks dialog box.
5. Type the macro key.
All seems to work when I remember to do this. Usually I need
only to QUIT Mac*Tracks once per boot; subsequent launchings of
applications seem not to need steps 3 and 4, immediately above.
Comments and related experiences and stories welcome.
Richard Kaapke
noscvax!crash!rak
"A good tool that works only part of the time is worse than a
bad tool that works every time." - R. Kaapke
------------------------------
From: stew%lhasa@harvard.ARPA
Date: 27 Jul 85 16:41 EDT
Subject: Printer Access Protocol/AppleTalk interface ?
Does anyone know anything about the non-pascal interface for the AppleTalk
routines? In particular, I need the Printer Access Protocol, so that I
can send PostScript to my LaserWriter without having to use that stupid
little downloading program that comes with Inside LW. Help!
Thanx
Stew
rubenstein@harvard.edu
{seismo, ihnp4!ut-sally, decvax!genrad!wjh12} ! harvard ! rubenstein
------------------------------
Date: Friday, 28 Jun 85 15:10:58 EDT
From: hastings (gene hastings) @ cmu-psy-a
Subject: Anyone used "Mac Disk Catalog" ?
Does anyone have any experience with or rumors about Mac Disk Catalog
from New Canaan Microcode, or any other flexible cataloggers/managers?
For the record, Mac Disk Catalog runs on 128k or 512k Mac, understands
external hard disks and Hyperdrive, will handle 500 volumes per
"catalog", can have 500-800 files per catalog on 128k, 1092 files per
catalog on 512k. Will display listings of volumes, files, files per
volume, files of given category (categories may be defined), will
print disk labels, "3x5 cards", or general listings on printer.
Written in Lisa Pascal, $39.95 from New Canaan Microcode, 136 Beech
Rd, New Canaan CT 06840, (203) 966-6969.
Gene
------------------------------
Date: Thu 1 Aug 85 10:13:20-EDT
From: Terry "Thunder" Boult <TBOULT@COLUMBIA-20.ARPA>
Subject: Macwrite --> word ??
Has anyone out there written a program to translate from a macwrite
document to a word document. (keeping at least the sub/super scripts,
and the font changes??) Terry Boult
------------------------------
Date: Sun 30 Jun 85 05:18:49-EDT
From: Robert Woodhead <Y.AJAJ-WOODHEAD-ROBERT%CRNL20A.BITNET@Berkeley>
Subject: Programmer's Blues
Hi there.. Thanks for "printing" my stuff. As you can see by
the timestamp on this message, it's been a long night of tracking down
minor glitches.. Frustrating enough, in fact, that at one point
I gave up and turned on MTV, and to my delight, one of my favorite songs
was about to come up. Cranking up the VTR, I taped it, and it occurred to
me that a little modification was in order. Therefore, without further ado...
********************
The Programmers Blues - with apologies to Glenn Frye!
There's trouble in the data now, I can feel it in my bones,
I had a premonition that I should'nt program alone,
I had the new rev loaded but I didn't think it'd fry,
then everything exploded and 2 weeks work blew sky-high!
So baby here's a printout and a keyboard in your hand,
and here's a little floppy now do it just the way we planned,
you debug for 20 days and I'll pay you 20 grand!
Im sorry it went down like this, but some chip just had to fuse,
It's the typing of the language, it's the Programmer's Blues..
Programmer's Blues..
Coder's and the Analyst's, Hacker's and Sysop's
bad comments and strange bomboffs, and the bugs nobody copped,
No matter if it's Pascal, Basic or Cobol,
You've got to carry manuals, there's no online help at all!
It's lots of rotten coffee, and lot's of dirty food,
every variable name is dangerous, it might have be pre-used,
It's the lure of relaxed typing, it's so easy to be crude!
Perhaps you'll understand it better, when you see my tools,
it's the ultimate enhancement, it's the Programmer's Blues..
Programmer's Blues..
You see it in the memos, you read them every day,
they say you have to fix those bugs, but they don't go away,
No matter how hard you work, it just won't run ok,
You bury them in subroutines, but you know they're here to stay!
You hope that none'll notice them, but they always seem to do,
You beg for Beta-testing, maybe one will give a clue,
Down from the office of your manager, you learn the heat's on you..
Heat's on you..
It's a losing proposition, but one you can't refuse,
It's policies of debugging, it's the Programmer's Blues..
Programmer's Blues..
-Robert J Woodhead Y.AJAJ-WOODHEAD-ROBERT@CRNL20A.BITNET
(607) 257-2792 PLATO : ROBERT J WOOODHEAD/ORANGE07/PCA
"There are two types of people in this world, Those that
divide the world into two types of people, and those who dont..."
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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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