info-mac@uw-beaver.UUCP (11/02/84)
From: Richard A. Cowan <COWAN@MIT-XX.ARPA>
This letter has 4 parts (but be glad there's only 1 header)
1. Finder Complaints
I use a 2-drive Mac with 512K at work, and the thing that bothers me most
about the machine is when it asks for disks at counterintuitive times.
I realize that it is needs to refer to the startup disk a lot, and to
the desktop file, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly what it's
doing, even after using it for a couple of months. I'm afraid that Apple
needs to teach the Finder about people; until they do so, could someone
please teach me about the Finder?
I usually keep a system disk in the internal drive with many fonts.
The external drive contains programs and data. Here are my complaints:
I want an option to set the startup disk to any system disk on the
desktop. I find myself rebooting just to prevent disk swaps caused
by unwanted startup disks.
Even with 512K, and 2 non-startup system disks in the drives, the system
cannot copy a file without going to the "startup disk."
The interface makes no mention of which clipboard is used in the Show
Clipboard command. If I have two applications on 2 data disks, I often
want to Cut things to a System Clipboard and paste them to a document
on a different disk; I rather not have to know about the Clipboard file
in order to do this.
So, could some kind sould tell me how the Finder:
Finds the Clipboard? Makes use of the System files when running an
application? Makes use of the desktop when running an application when
copying?
Does anyone know any details of planned Apple improvements?
2. Resonance fixed on 512K board?
I noticed that the mac doesn't resonate when playing the piano
in the Guided Tour, as it did on a certain note with only 128K. Has
anyone else experienced this improvement? (if so, send a note to me)
3. What Mactalk is:
Someone wanted to know what MacTalk was; the version I've seen uses a text
file called "QD.TEXT", and when you run it, recites part of a
Macintosh brochure. The QD.TEXT file contained words highlighted with
control-code-phonemes to adjust pronunciation. It wasn't as clear as
Smoothtalker, though, since it had no intonation.
4. Flame. . .
I'm glad to hear that Apple has reduced the price of
Inside Macintosh. But I think they have their priorities backwards.
Selling 100,000 Inside Macintoshes for $25/copy would be far cheaper,
and probably more effective for jumping the software hurdle, than
spending a few million on a Newsweek ad for their elite group of
developers. I hope the final document is released soon, at an
"incentive" price.
Rich Cowan (cowan%mit-xx@mit-mc)
Currently on co-op at GE Research & Development
Schenectady, NY
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