chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (05/08/85)
I picked up the new software release from a local dealer today. It comes on
two disks (one for finder/system related stuff, one for macwrite/macpaint).
Details are: finder4.1, macwrite4.5, and macpaint1.5. There was also a
macdraw1.7 on the second disk, but since I don't have macdraw I didn't get
a copy. It comes with a few other things -- a macwrite document describing
the macwrite changes, a macwrite document describing the other changes,
features of the new finder, and installation instructions. It includes a
new program to replace font mover that does both fonts and DA's, a new
Imagewriter file, the new Choose Printer DA, and a font called Taliesin (I
like the man that named it that... *grin*) that is Apple's version of Cairo
(pictoral, not text, with interesting things in it. It is NOT Cairo,
though...).
It is very well thought out. I've been able to update my system files in
place, which is nice because they are hacked and burned into submission,
including lots of DA's, fonts, and Ramdisk's installed. No problems at all,
everything went in first time -- kudo's to Apple on this one, especially
since I didn't relish starting over and re-updating all of that stuff into
new system files. Fortunately, you don't have to.
MacPaint1.5 is functionally the same as the earlier version, as far as I
can tell. There is no documentation as what is fixed or changed, so I
assume it was mainly minor fixing and tweaking.
MacWrite4.5 is the disk based MacWrite. Seems fast, converts (one direction
only) old format MacWrite files. The only file I've converted yet grew a
bit, but I don't know if this is typical yet.
I'm glad to see that Apple recognizes that DA's need to be moved around by
users -- not everyone can get DAMover, now they don't need it.
The new finder is fast. Quite fast. Until I played with this one, I never
really realized how the old one dragged (maybe I did, but didn't care). The
mac now acts much more like a racehorse instead of farm hors. Even better,
they've figured out how to get rid of a lot of the annoying disk swaps --
these were particularly annoying for me when doing complete disk copies,
and they're gone. If you eject the startup disk, it doesn't ask for it back
nearly as often as it used to, which is quite nice (this is a 512K mac, so
it may be different for a smaller one). Absolutely amazing what a bit of
tuning can do for you. Directories aren't heirarchical, as the open file
box acts the same as before, but the empty folder doesn't sit on the
desktop anymore -- there is a new menu item to create them.
Other new features: the shutdown menu item that replaces the public domain
DA Eject&Reset; a Minifinder feature that looks like it will replace the
public domain DA SkipFinder (I haven't played with it yet, so I'm not
exactly sure); dragging a disk icon to the trash ejects the disk (the old
way, of forcing you to eject first, was a pain.. huzzah!), and you can now
move in any show file mode on the desktop like you could when you were
showing icons, including renaming files and starting applications.
It's fast, too....
The new imagewriter looks to be the previously posted (from the software
tools disks) Imagewriter15 or some update of it. The new macwrite/macpaint
don't seem to require Imagewriter on their disk like before, either, so if
you are like me and load it into a ramdisk with the system file, you don't
need to keep it on the other disks as well anymore.
It's obvious to me that Apple listened to what was said out there -- the
new features are things picked up from PD implementations of missing
things, the problems seem to be fixed, and the performance seems to be
tuned. Apple put a good bit of work into it to make it easy to upgrade,
too, and that's at least as important as getting it working.
Now, if I could only get MacTerminal2.0.... *grin* And may it quit whirring
my disk... *hint..*
Please check with your local dealer for the disks. To my knowledge, Apple
hasn't approved distribution of this stuff over the net so I won't ship
copies to people who ask or post it. If Apple DOES want to make it
available over the net (*hint, hint, Apple*) I'll be happy to do so for
them, but only if they let me know...
chuq
--
:From the offices of Pagans for Cthulhu: Chuq Von Rospach
{cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA
Who shall forgive the unrepentant?