[net.micro.mac] LW & RamDisk

cralle@lll-crg.ARPA (Bob Cralle) (08/06/85)

I can't seem to get the LaserWriter to work with a RamDisk. I use public
domain Ramstart. In MacWrite or MacPaint Mac says, "looking for LaserWriter"
and a split second later it quits back to application. I have sys, finder
4.1, laserprep, laserwriter, MacWrite & MacPaint in about 350K of ram disk.

Help!

cralle@ll-crg [Facts are no match for belief]

lsr@apple.UUCP (Larry Rosenstein) (08/08/85)

In article <764@lll-crg.ARPA> cralle@lll-crg.ARPA (Bob Cralle) writes:
>I can't seem to get the LaserWriter to work with a RamDisk. I use public
>domain Ramstart. In MacWrite or MacPaint Mac says, "looking for LaserWriter"
>and a split second later it quits back to application. I have sys, finder
>4.1, laserprep, laserwriter, MacWrite & MacPaint in about 350K of ram disk.

It sounds like a lack of memory.  The LaserWriter software does not
spool to the disk, which means that printing on the LaserWriter
requires more memory.  (That's why most applications cannot print on
the LaserWriter from a 128K Macintosh right now.)  You should try
reducing the RAMDisk size by about 20-30K and try printing again.




-- 
Larry Rosenstein
Apple Computer

UUCP:  {nsc, dual, voder, ios, mtxinu}!apple!lsr
CSNET: lsr@Apple.CSNET

rick@ut-ngp.UTEXAS (Rick Watson) (08/09/85)

>>In article <764@lll-crg.ARPA> cralle@lll-crg.ARPA (Bob Cralle) writes:
>>I can't seem to get the LaserWriter to work with a RamDisk. I use public
>>domain Ramstart. In MacWrite or MacPaint Mac says, "looking for LaserWriter"
>>and a split second later it quits back to application. I have sys, finder
>>4.1, laserprep, laserwriter, MacWrite & MacPaint in about 350K of ram disk.
>
>It sounds like a lack of memory.  The LaserWriter software does not
>spool to the disk, which means that printing on the LaserWriter
>requires more memory.  (That's why most applications cannot print on
>the LaserWriter from a 128K Macintosh right now.)  You should try
>reducing the RAMDisk size by about 20-30K and try printing again.

I believe that the problem with "RamStart" is that it uses the same
driver (volume?) reference number that AppleTalk does?  Has anyone
fixed/patched this?  Does anyone know where/if the source is available?

Rick Watson
University of Texas Computation Center
rick@ut-ngp.arpa
...ut-sally!ut-ngp!rick

vishniac@wanginst.UUCP (Ephraim Vishniac) (08/12/85)

> 
> >It sounds like a lack of memory.  The LaserWriter software does not
> >spool to the disk, which means that printing on the LaserWriter
> >requires more memory.  (That's why most applications cannot print on
> >the LaserWriter from a 128K Macintosh right now.)  You should try
> >reducing the RAMDisk size by about 20-30K and try printing again.
> 
> I believe that the problem with "RamStart" is that it uses the same
> driver (volume?) reference number that AppleTalk does?  Has anyone
> fixed/patched this?  Does anyone know where/if the source is available?
>
Ramdisks are described by the finder as being on AppleTalk (instead of
being "internal" or "external") because of their *drive* number.  So far
as I've tested, 1 = Internal, 2 = External, anything else = AppleTalk by
default.  The driver number is irrelevant - decently written drivers will
function with any driver number assigned.  Volume reference numbers are
assigned by the system when the volume is first mounted.  They are not
chosen by the driver.

I believe Larry's original diagnosis (lack of memory) is the correct one.
I recall a note from Stew Rubenstein in this newsgroup pointing out that
128K Macs cannot run a LaserWriter.

 
-- 
Ephraim Vishniac
  [apollo, bbncca, cadmus, decvax, harvard, linus, masscomp]!wanginst!vishniac
  vishniac%Wang-Inst@Csnet-Relay