SHULMAN@slb-test.CSNET.UUCP (03/22/87)
Delphi Mac Digest Sunday, March 22, 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 19
Today's Topics:
Project mgmt (7 messages)
Mac SE keyboard
passwords for folders? (3 messages)
interrupts (3 messages)
Word 3.0 bug
Beware of POLYACT (2 messages)
RE: MAC SE 120 TO 230 VOLTS
De-Clipper FKEY?
Script Manager??
RE: A LaserWriter quest or two & microsoft word
Transfer help-SE stuff
DiskExpress/Sys 4.0 (3 messages)
RE: MacApp "PD" Software
RE: Noise on my modem
MPW C "Style" definition bug
RE: Stresed Nodes
RE: serial hard disk problem
RE: How the keyboard maps to the font?
RE: MacXL (Lisa) to LaserWriter
RE: Anyone use WriteNow regularly?
APPLETALK
RE: BMUG Mtg 3/19/87 (long)
potential problem in lightspeed DAs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: JOSEF
Subject: Project mgmt
Date: 17-MAR 01:38 Business Mac
Are there any project management packagers available for the Mac that
are more powerful than MacProject? I think my boss is about to
recommend the purchase of an IBM PC because he claims that MacProject
wont do the trick. I think he's full of it and is just lookin for an
excuse, but I would love to shut him up again. So far I've countered
every argument he's presented for getting one of the "other" machines.
Joe
------------------------------
From: MOUSEKETEER
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18293)
Date: 17-MAR 02:17 Business Mac
While I ahaven't seen their stuff, you might contact Micro Planning
Software USA, 235 Montgomery St., Ste. 840, San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 788-3324. They publish MicroPlanner and Micro Planner Plus ($395 &
$495) & Micro Planner Project Exchange, an add-on module to the above.
From descriptions, it appears to have many features lacking in
MacProject (including swapping files between the same company's IBM
version and the Mac version...;-)).
You might even ask your boss if he'd like to purchase the Mac version
for you, and get the IBM version and a clone for himself and see who
sets it all up first! (hehe)
Alf
------------------------------
From: JIMH
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18293)
Date: 17-MAR 23:02 Business Mac
Joe, we use microplanner+ at work. While i have only played with it a
little, several of our people use it all the time. It gives everuthing
the expensive PC packages do. Check it out. best jim
------------------------------
From: JIMH
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18326)
Date: 17-MAR 23:06 Business Mac
Joe, also while macproject lacks a lot i did use it extensivly in
managing my last project. the management team used it exlusivly to
manage and track a 100, 000 line flight simulator effort and we were
pretty happy with it overall. Though we bought micr oplanner becuase it
offers much better cost predictiona nd tracking data. jim
------------------------------
From: JIMH
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18327)
Date: 17-MAR 23:09 Business Mac
Joe, PPS... I got the same flack from our IBM guys when we bought
planner. Howver they bought a $3000 PC package and the tech managment
staff bought planner. Guess what, not evan the PC guys ever learned to
use their "one of a kind, golden albatross"! w hile we put 14 hours or
more a day on planner during the planning stages of the program! best
jim
------------------------------
From: JOSEF
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18295)
Date: 18-MAR 02:24 Business Mac
I have several times offered to perform an Excel/Lotus runoff of this
type-- so far no takers. I'm not even sure what it would prove. There
are certain people who are so stuck in the IBM camp that even facts are
irrelevant!
Thanks for the info--I need all the ammo I can round up. I'{m
absolutely { determined to get some Macs at work.
Joe
------------------------------
From: JOSEF
Subject: RE: Project mgmt (Re: Msg 18326)
Date: 18-MAR 02:26 Business Mac
Thanks for the info--do you perhaps know where I might find a review of
this package?
Joe
------------------------------
From: MACINTOUCH
Subject: Mac SE keyboard
Date: 18-MAR 10:41 Telecommunicating
The Mac SE keyboard sends a real CTRL code when you use the Control key
- I typed Control-H, for instance, and it worked as a backspace. The
Control key is not the same as the Command key. I no longer have the SE
to play with; does anyone know how the Control key works in
Telecommunications programs? Does it let you bypass the Microsoft
problems of not letting MockTerminal get the Command-Z combo you're
trying to send a CTRL-Z with?
Ric
------------------------------
From: VINDICATOR
Subject: passwords for folders?
Date: 19-MAR 19:34 Mousing Around
I have a friend whose lab has a couple of Mac Plus's, a Laserwriter,
shared hard disk, etc. What he wants to know is whether it is possible
to have password protection for folders. That way, each student in the
lab would only be able to access his particular folder on the hard disk
and not screw around with anyone else's stuff. Does anyone know if there
is some way, or some product, that lets you do this? Any help will be
appreciated.
------------------------------
From: MOUSEKETEER
Subject: RE: passwords for folders? (Re: Msg 18376)
Date: 19-MAR 20:52 Mousing Around
A place called Ken Marsh Limited, Inc. here in Houston sells a thing
called MacSafe which allows password protection on docs and
applications. The don't mention in their ads how many different folders,
etc. may be so "protected", so you might want to write or call for more
info.
Kent Marsh Limited, Inc.
1200 Post Oak Blvd. Suite 210
Houston, TX 77056 1-800-325-3587
P.S. List price is $69.95...it may be available mail order from the
discount houses.
Alf
------------------------------
From: MACINTOUCH
Subject: RE: passwords for folders? (Re: Msg 18376)
Date: 20-MAR 10:22 Mousing Around
I heard one complaint about MacSafe, probably on one of the networks,
but I'm sorry I can't remember exactly where it was. This is one
program you *don't* want bugs in. Alternatives are Hard Disk Partition
from FWB software, which provides low-level password protection, and
MacServe from Infosphere, which provides good password protection along
with the networking functions. TOPS also provides password protection,
on a folder basis, unlike the others, which do it on a logical volume
basis.
Ric Ford
------------------------------
From: JOSEF
Subject: interrupts
Date: 19-MAR 03:05 Programming Techniques
I just recently reviewed the chapter in IM on interrupts for a project
that i'm working on and ran across something I found rather mystifying.
The SCC and VIA are tied to the 68000 interrupt pins such that the SCC
generates a priority level 1 interrupt, and the VIA a level 2 interrupt.
If both are interrupting at the same time this generates a level 3
interrupt. According to IM the Mac responds to a level 3 interrupt by
merely executing an RTE. I checked it, and sure enuf, that's what it
does!
Now it seems to me than since the RTE instruction does nothing about
removing the source of the interrupt, the processor will just get
interrupted again right away and be caught in this loop forever. Is it
possible that either the SCC, the VIA, or both are removing their
interrupts after some short time interval, or is there something else
going on that i'm overlooking?
Joe
------------------------------
From: PEABO
Subject: RE: interrupts (Re: Msg 1350)
Date: 19-MAR 12:31 Programming Techniques
I don't have a VIA data sheet handy, but the way priority interrupt
decoders usually work, the levels don't get ORed. Instead, the highest
priority signal going into the decoder causes all the lower priority
signals to be temporarily blocked until the high priority signal goes
away.
peter
------------------------------
From: JOSEF
Subject: RE: interrupts (Re: Msg 1351)
Date: 19-MAR 23:25 Programming Techniques
yes, that's the way it usually works, but in this case, there's no
decoder. The SCC interrupt is tied direrctly to IPL0 and the VIA
interrupt is tied directly to IPL1, and sooner or later, both of these
are bound to get activated simultaneiously.
Joe
------------------------------
From: MCOHEN
Subject: Word 3.0 bug
Date: 20-MAR 00:49 Bugs & Features
Word 3.0 has some major problems saving large documents in Word 1.0
format, ( which happens to be necessary for interchanging documents with
PageMaker, Scriptor, and other applications that read word files). Large
documents will often get scrambled in the process. The cure seems to be
(other than using small documents only) to save in RTF (Interchange)
format, close the original document, open the newly saved document, and
save it in 1.0 format ... yecch! Some help may be on the way, as
microsoft _finally_ agreed to release the details of word 3.0 format to
other developers (although MS admits it's a very bad mess).
- Mike
------------------------------
From: RMUHA
Subject: Beware of POLYACT
Date: 20-MAR 04:12 Games and Entertainment
Polyact crashed on a Hyperdirve machine at work, while we were rotating
a six-dimensional cube. No real disk damage but the system file was
trashed. Hmm, hypercubes on a hyperdrive...
------------------------------
From: MACINTOUCH
Subject: RE: Beware of POLYACT (Re: Msg 18399)
Date: 20-MAR 10:32 Games and Entertainment
What system and finder were you using? (and what HyperDrive versions?)
Ric
------------------------------
From: MCOHEN
Subject: RE: MAC SE 120 TO 230 VOLTS (Re: Msg 1346)
Date: 20-MAR 00:55 SIG Business
According to an Apple representative who demonstrated the SE at the Mac
Valley User's Group meeting a few days ago, the SE's power supply will
automatically recognize and adjust itself to most voltages and 50 OR
60Hz.
- Mike
------------------------------
From: MACINTOUCH
Subject: De-Clipper FKEY? (Re: Msg 18418)
Date: 20-MAR 19:20 Network Digests
To: cpd@CS.UCLA.EDU (Charles Dolan)
Subject: De-Clipper FKEY?
Lofty Becker, author of Clipper, added just that feature in the most
recent version of Clipper. It's invoked by hitting the Option key, just
after hitting the FKEY combination. At that point, an extra dialog box
comes up giving you a number of options, including the ability to
*remove* Returns.
Ric Ford
------------------------------
From: MACINTOUCH
Subject: Script Manager?? (Re: Msg 18418)
Date: 20-MAR 19:22 Network Digests
To: <bouldin@ceee-sed.arpa>
Subject: Script Manager??
A quick look at Inside Mac volume V (available from A.P.D.A.) indicates
that the Script Manager is a facility for handing languages such as
Hebrew and Arabic, which have vastly different requirements from English
in terms of typesetting/editing.
Ric Ford
------------------------------
From: DSACHS
Subject: RE: A LaserWriter quest or two & microsoft word
Date: 20-MAR 20:34 Network Digests
RE: A LaserWriter quest or two ... PLawal%UMASS.BITNET... Fontographer
will generate composite LaserWriter fonts such as you desire. It is
expensive though and it has (expletive deleted).
RE: microsoft word - Geoff Mulligan (USAFA) ... If you upgrade to Word
3.0 you will be able to change the default font by simply changing the
"normal" style in the default style sheet.
------------------------------
From: FMBBS
Subject: Transfer help-SE stuff
Date: 20-MAR 19:55 Hardware & Peripherals
I have a friend that just bought a MAC and wants to be able to read some
APPLE IIE disk on his MAC. He has the 3/1/2 "" drives for the IIE and
has Dollars and Sence and PF file files on that format. Is there any
utility to allow the MAC to read those disk?? PS: have a new MAC SE and
many pieces of software do not run properly and get a lot of bombs on
others. One problem is the inability to save very large clip boards. Try
a 100K save and BOMB. I am looking for fellow suffers. Bill Taylor Fort
Mill ME BBS(MouseExchange runs great on the SE!) 803- 548-0900
------------------------------
From: RICKLEPAGE
Subject: DiskExpress/Sys 4.0
Date: 20-MAR 20:29 Business Mac
Has anyone had any problems using DiskExpress with the new Sys/Finder
combo? Everytime I try to run it from a floppy or companion hard disk on
my main drive, it stops in the middle of the optimization process...or
hangs, I should say.
I rebooted by pressing the programmer's switch, and surprisingly didn't
lose anything or have any problems as a result (after my problems of a
few months ago, I don't do anything like express without an up to the
minute backup, so I wasn't worried about losing anything).
So this might be a bug report, as DiskExpress works fine when I replace
the System/Finder with the 3.0/5.3 set...but any clues as to why it
might cause a problem?
Rick
------------------------------
From: DWB
Subject: RE: DiskExpress/Sys 4.0 (Re: Msg 18423)
Date: 21-MAR 04:35 Business Mac
I've used it several times on my SE at apple. Seems to work fine there.
I haven't tried real extensvie tests since I haven't backed the drive up
yet (my tape drive won't work and I don't do floopies... :-)
David
------------------------------
From: WITTY
Subject: RE: DiskExpress/Sys 4.0 (Re: Msg 18423)
Date: 21-MAR 20:26 Business Mac
Nope, no problems. Used DE this week with Sys 4.0/Fin 5.4 and didn't get
a hang or anythung. Which, of course, worries me. I mean, if it works
for me...
- Witty -
------------------------------
From: FRIED
Subject: RE: MacApp "PD" Software (Re: Msg 18099)
Date: 20-MAR 20:49 Programming
If I distributed their libraries, I would be happy to display a
copyright notice. If I link MY code using the software I bought from
them, they would have to sue me first. Their product is sold for the
purpose of being linked with other code to produce a NEW product. If
your/their argument prevails, then the copyright/patent owner of
anything used as a component has rights to the whole, even when the
product doesn't resemble the component. Nonsense. DuPont has no rights
concerning clothing made of orlon; the manufacturer bought the orlon and
made cloth.
What they are looking for is advertising, not protection; and I doubt
that a court would recognize my obligation to advertise the component
any more than it would force me to include the name Kodak that appears
on my negatives on every print I make.
They are entitled to an internal copyright notice if it's part of their
code. I'm not even sure if they could legally prevent me from removing
THAT during the process that creates my product. Does anyone know of a
precedent (in the software industry)?
Bob
------------------------------
From: GBERKOWITZ
Subject: RE: Noise on my modem
Date: 21-MAR 02:19 MUGS Online
To: T. Chang <CHANGT@A.ISI.EDU>
Subject: Noise on my modem
Welcome to the fun and exciting world of 2400 baud telecommunications.
The problem is probably NOT your modem. I get the same interference
when using non- local (intra-state) phone service. Since there is no
error correction protocol in these "affordable " 2400 baud modems, you
are operating under extreme conditions for a telephone system virtually
unchanged in fifty years. Your mainframe can probably connect at either
8 bits, no parity, one stop bit, OR 7 bits, even parity, 1 stop bit. Try
both protocol s. Fortunately, you can usually backspace the offending
character away.
Good luck, Gene Berkowitz
------------------------------
From: JEFFS
Subject: MPW C "Style" definition bug
Date: 21-MAR 13:07 Tools for Developers
The Types.h file defines "Style" as a "short". If you use this
definition, accessing fields like TERec.txFace don't work. You should
change the definition of "Style" to be "unsigned char" (or perhaps an
enum) for it to work correctly.
Jeff
------------------------------
From: JSTIFF
Subject: RE: Stresed Nodes (Re: Msg 18118)
Date: 21-MAR 16:01 Business Mac
You commented on a press release from MacNeal-Schwendler Corp concerning
a new stress and vibration analysis program for the Mac, called MSC/pal.
We received a demo copy at the San Francisco MacWorld Expo, and were
VERY disappointed with it. The program has been ported over from some
other computer and absolutely DOES NOT use the Mac user interface. You
have to type in everything you need to enter just like you were
operating on one of those other computers. No matter how good the
technical computational capability of the program is, we simply _will
not use it_. The MSC people told us last week that they would be
releasing a new version with "some of the Mac interface implemented"
later this spring, but for the prices they are charging ($1000+), they
should implement (and fully test) a _full_ Mac user interface.
------------------------------
From: AESOP
Subject: RE: serial hard disk problem
Date: 21-MAR 16:26 Network Digests
>To: kautz@allegra.UUCP (Henry Kautz)
>Subject: serial hard disk problem
You indicated earlier that you did not always read the digests. Lucky
for you I speed-read them (not quite up to 1200 baud). Another reader
instantly mailed me SASE/disk writing 'Santa Clara Systems who are
"supporting" (their word, not mine) Davong products said "Yup, it's
broke. We're not going to fix it."'
I sent you a long reply which I will not repeat here. The Davong is a
fast and robust implementation of the serial port hard drive, which
leaves you with a whole another port to choose printing, modeming, or
AppleTalking from.
I forget the patch now - a bunch of NOPs (4 or 6) instead of dividing
and multiplying by a global that changed with the new ROMs. I may post
it if I find it, but I'll USnail you what you need. I'm a sucker for a
sob story sometimes.
Laird J. Heal
Delphi: MacLaird
MCIMail: LJHEAL
Sorry, no UUCP: anyone desiring to pay me for the privilege is invited to!
------------------------------
From: DSACHS
Subject: RE: How the keyboard maps to the font?
Date: 21-MAR 20:36 Network Digests
>To: jmm@thoth28.BERKELEY.EDU
>Re: How the keyboard maps to the font?
You will have to build your own font. You might try adding a zero width
circumflex character - This will work for ImageWriter fonts, but the
Princeton font which uses this trick does not work to well for such
usage on a LaserWriter.
------------------------------
From: AESOP
Subject: RE: MacXL (Lisa) to LaserWriter
Date: 21-MAR 16:30 Network Digests
>To: richa@tekred.TEK.COM (Rich Amber )
>Subject: MacXL (Lisa) to LaserWriter
First, there is a AppleTalk Connector XL kit available. Surprised your
dealer couldn't help.
Second, the pinouts are different, I believe, from the null-modem. Only
four wires are used. To make your own cables, (referring to "Inside
AppleTalk" Appendix A "DRAWING NUMBER 062-0190-B SHEET 4 OF 10") [July
14, 1986 mailing]
DB-9 DB-25
Pins Pins
RXD+ 8 19
TXD+ 4 20
RXD- 9 3
RXD- 5 2
I've been using a converter cable under MacWorks without incident.
Laird J. Heal
Delphi: MacLaird
MCIMail: LJHeal
Sorry no UUCP: anyone desiring to pay me for the privilege is invited to!
P.S. Be sure to use the current (3.2) System and Finder when booting the Lisa.
That one should have the correct AppleTalk software already included.
------------------------------
From: DDUNHAM
Subject: RE: Anyone use WriteNow regularly?
Date: 21-MAR 22:21 Network Digests
>From: MARYOTT@EDWARDS-2060.ARPA
>Subject: Anyone use WriteNow regularly?
Yes, I use WriteNow for just about everything. It's got the ease of use
of MacWrite, but several additional features (like multiple columns and
footnotes). Currently, exchanging data with other programs can be
somewhat of a pain ( clipboard or TEXT only), but the next releases of
Acta and PageMaker should know about WriteNow format.
David Dunham "If it has syntax, it isn't user-friendly."
Maitreya Design
------------------------------
From: JIMH
Subject: APPLETALK
Date: 22-MAR 00:36 Programming
I am trying to talk between two mac+s with appletalk from a program,
however when i call MPPOpen i get a resource manager error that indictes
it cant find the .MPP resource. Is there something i need to call
before MPPOpen? jim
------------------------------
From: NWOLF
Subject: RE: BMUG Mtg 3/19/87 (long) (Re: Msg 18433)
Date: 22-MAR 01:56 MUGS Online
Raines, I notice your special interest in the surge-suppression issue. I
too have been particularly interested in this. Normally, the power here
is relatively clean, free of major anomalies, and is not prone to
disturbance from outside influences . At one of our meetings a year or
so ago, we had a fellow come in from Clark County power co., who had run
LOTS of tests on power conditions in the SW Wahsington, NW Oregon area.
In addition, there were quite a few tests of surge protection and power
line conditioning equipment. Results of tests showed that the TrippLite
Isobar units were among the best (No.2). I don't remember the #1 unit,
but it was a lot more expensive. The 2 "Extra Protected" sockets on the
top of the line DataShield also rated well. One of our more technically
oriented members steadfastly maintains that surge protection is pretty
much unnecessary for the Mac. I can't say that I agree. Statistics show
there are too many power anomalies which affect microchips in unknown
ways. However, it does seem to be true that most so-called surge
protectors do not provide much protection - certainly not on all three
wires - and few offer adequate shielding from noise. Along similar lines
is the need(?) to protect phone lines from surges and noise. I read an
article from somewhere in the midwest (where they have lots of
electrical storms) that outlined a host of problems associated with
phone-line surges. Since the serial ports have _NO_ protection
whatsoever, a surge of this type can permanently fry your Macs innards.
Fortunately, most of us on the west coast do not experience such things.
Nevertheless, a good protector is cheap insurance, as far as I'm
concerned. Anyone who uses a computer in a large office building, in
which the power is subject to wide fluctuations, ought to have some
protection. But I have not seen any studies done which might support
this hypothesis. It would be good to see some research showing just what
environments merited what kind of protection - and to what degree. Short
of doing any research, which would put the matter in its proper
perspective, there are just too many scare stories and wild theories to
substantiate manufacturers' claims of the necessity for various kinds of
protection. Keep me posted - and let me know if I can help gather info.
Neil.
------------------------------
From: RMUHA
Subject: potential problem in lightspeed DAs
Date: 22-MAR 04:33 Programming Techniques
After about 48 hours in the twilight zone, I discovered a potential
problem which can occur in DAs written in Lightspeed C (and possibly any
DA, for that matter).
background: DAs written in LSC can have global variables. The compiler
generates references off of A4, which is loaded by the glue routine
before it calls main(). The area itself is initialized from the DAs
DATA resource at the open call (also by the glue). If the data area is
present, the glue locks it before each call to the driver. The LSC
manual (chpt 9) states that you can unlock the handle between calls if
you want to be nice to the rest of the system (and you can live with a
floating data area,ie-no stored pointers across calls).
Anyway, I was doing this in a new DA I'm working on and was experiencing
all sorts of bizarre behavior that seemed to be related to using
dialogs. I finally traced it down to the fact that somehow, both the
DATA and DRVR segments were being unlocked somewhere in the middle of a
call to the DA! More tracing revealed that unlocking was happening when
I called ModalDialog.
After more than a bit of thought, I realized what had happened.
ModalDialog calls SystemTask, which calls the DA with update events.
This second, recursive entry was unlocking the DATA area and worse,
since I was running without dNeedLock, the DRVR's code segment.
The solution was to use an up-down counter. On each entry to main(), I
increment the counter and set the dNeedLock bit (which inhibits the glue
from unlocking the code segment after main() returns). And just before
exiting, I decrement the counter and, when it hits zero, unlock the DATA
seg and clear the dNeedLock flag.
I've never run across anything that mentiions the possibility of this
kind of recursive entry into a DA. Could be a source of problems
elsewhere.
ralph
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End of Delphi Mac Digest
************************