INFO-MAC@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU.UUCP (03/05/87)
INFO-MAC Digest Wednesday, 4 Mar 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 61
Today's Topics:
Vertical Retrace Tasks in Lightspeed C
MPW vs. TurboCharger 2.0
SCSI Manager in C...
Re: Shutdown (V5 #60)
Screen & Coatings & Dust...
Word 3.0 - Grrrr
AutoDialog
Chinese Text Processing, KanjiTalk, and Script Manager
Kanji and other non-Roman fonts
SE First Impression
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Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 13:39:18 est
From: rs4u#@andrew.cmu.edu (Richard Siegel)
Subject: Vertical Retrace Tasks in Lightspeed C
Does anyone have some Lightspeed C source that installs a simple task
in the vertical retrace queue? I know how it's done in Pascal,
but Lightspeed C's queue type is different, and I don't quite
have the hang of it yet.
Any help is appreciated.
Rich
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 18:12:33 PST
From: digiorgi@Jpl-VLSI.ARPA
Subject: MPW vs. TurboCharger 2.0
An odd problem:
I have been using a system including an early prerelease beta
of the MPW Shell in a 2Meg environment with Nevin's TurboCharger 2.0
cacheing software.
Now I have MPW release version 1. No matter how I set the TurboCharger,
when I execute a program from MPW, it attempts to return and dies with
a message "MPW must have 256K to operate". The only way I get the system
to function is to run the TurboInstall program and turn off the
TurboCharger entirely, and even then, quitting from a program started from
the shell sometimes goes to the Finder, not the shell.
Has anyone else had this problem? What would you suggest?
thanks,
Godfrey DiGiorgi
digiorgi@jpl-vlsi
March 3, 1987
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Date: Wed, 4 Mar 87 12:46:27 est
From: rs4u#@andrew.cmu.edu (Richard Siegel)
Subject: SCSI Manager in C...
Has anyone used Lightspeed C to drive the SCSI port on the Mac Plus?
I am looking for specific experience with the National Instruments
MacBus box, but anything will do; I'd appreciate it if someone
could post source.
Rich
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 13:27:24 PST
From: jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu (Joel West)
Subject: Re: Shutdown (V5 #60)
Jorg is right, shutdown is built-in with TMON. But it's
so trivially simple that you could also build it into
your Debug menu of your program under development.
jw
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 87 11:37:39 EST
From: JURGEN%UMASS.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
Subject: Screen & Coatings & Dust...
A couple of weeks ago I commited a big no-no... I cleaned my Mac screen
with isopropyl alcohol. Afterward I remembered that one is not supposed
to do that because it removes some kind of coating on the Mac screen (?).
Well, the result is that ever since my screen has been magically attracting
immense amounts of dust. About every 24 hours or so I have to wipe a thin
milky film off the screen that severly reduces my contrast. Yuck.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem/can anyone tell me more about
exactly what happened when I used isopropyl alcohol to clean the display?
Any info greatly appreciated, this is getting to be a real drag...
- Jurgen
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 22:47:01 est
From: Gavin Hemphill <hemphill@nrl-aic.ARPA>
Subject: Word 3.0 - Grrrr
A comment to add to Chuq's notes on word 3.0.
o Overall Word 3.0 is close to everything I've wanted in general
purpose word processing for the Mac. I still see use for my other
desktop publishing programs -- but not as much.
BUT!
o They Screwed up the font menu stuff. There appears to be no way to get
the available fonts to appear in alphabetical order -- either in the
"character" dialog or in the font menu. The font and fond resources in
my system are both in alphabetical order (i.e. when viewed with resedit)
and even if they weren't most other programs seem to be able to use the
menu manager stuff to get the font menu in order. This is a real pain
when you have 20 or 25 fonts in your system and you want to move groups
of them in and out of the font menu.
G++
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 14:26:17 PST
From: PUGH%CCC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: AutoDialog
To: John O'Neill
I am interested in this AutoDialog thing from JAM, could you please give us
more information?
You mentioned that you use a ResEdit template to create a 'DSta' resource.
Is this a normal ResEdit template or a code template (along the lines of
the window editor in ResEdit)? If it is a normal ResEdit template, can it
be freely distributed so that users can use it to change the DSta resource?
If it cannot be distributed, how can the users be expected to modify it?
Also, I assume that there is code that goes along with this so that you can
just initialize your dialog. Is this the case, and if so, what languages
are supported? Is source or object code included?
Could you please fill us in?
Jon
N L pugh@nmfecc.arpa
M A L National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center
F T N Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
E L PO Box 5509 L-561
C Livermore, California 94550
C (415) 423-4239
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 87 16:24:08 pst
From: apple!jordan@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Jordan Mattson)
Subject: Chinese Text Processing, KanjiTalk, and Script Manager
In Reply to requests about Chinese Text Processing:
Apple Computer has implemented a new part of the Toolbox known as the
Script Manager (described in Chapter 13 of "Inside Macintosh Volume V",
which is available from APDA (Apple Programmer's and Developer's
Assoication) in draft form). The Script Manager allows applictions to
function correctly with non-Roman writing systems such as Japanese, Arabic,
and Chinese, as well as the various Roman writing systems (English,
Spanish, German).
Quoting from "Inside Macintosh Volume V", Chapter 13:
"The Script Manager is the low-level software that enables Macintosh
applications to work with such different scripts. It includes utilities
and initialization code to create an environment in which scripts of all
kinds can be handled. In order for an application to use a particular
script, a SCRIPT INTERFACE SYSTEM to support that script must also be
present. The Macintosh normally uses the Roman script, so the Roman
Interface System (RIS) is in the system file and always present. On some
models it may be in ROM. Other Script Interface Systems are the Kanji
Interface System (KIS, also called KanjiTalk), which allows applications to
write in Japanese, the Arabic Interface System (AIS), and the Hanze
Interface System (HIS) for Chinese."
Since Text Edit supports the Script Manager, the only people who need to
worry about using the Script Manager are those that directly manipulate
text such as word processors (But that is what everyone is interested in,
is it not :-) ).
At present, the information and software you need to use the Script
Manager and various Script Interface Systems is a little scattered, though
it will soon all be available through APDA (Apple Programmer's and
Developer's Assoication).
The documentation that describes the Script Manager is in the draft
version of "Inside Macintosh Volume V", which is available from APDA.
The documentation that describes how to write applications that are
easily localizied is in the "Human Interface Guidelines: The Apple Desktop
Interface", which is available from APDA.
At present the only Script Interface System which is available to
outside developers is the Kanji Interface System (KIS or KanjiTalk). It is
available from Apple Software Licensing, for a fee of fifty dollars a year.
This entitles you to updates that occur during that year and allows you to
include KanjiTalk with applications which you are shipping. If you are
interested in licensing KanjiTalk, contact:
Donna Reed Tyacke
Software Licensing
Apple Computer, Inc.
20525 Mariani Avenue, MS: 28B
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-973-3053
In the near future, a package of information on the Script Manager
should be available through APDA. Also, the various Script Interface
Systems should be available though APDA in the near future.
At present, the only development system which supports the Script
Manager is MPW 2.0 (Macintosh Programmer's Workshop), though it is
accessable from MPW C, MPW Pascal, and MPW Assembly. MPW 2.0 will be
available from APDA as soon as it goes Beta.
If you have any questions about the Script Manager and the progress it
making information about it available from APDA, or about other development
tools feel free to contact me.
Jordan Mattson UUCP: ucbvax!mtxinu!apple!jordan
Apple Computer, Inc. CSNET: jordan@apple.CSNET
Tools & Languages Product Management
20525 Mariani Avenue, MS 27S
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-973-4601
------------------------------
From: jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu (Joel West)
Date: 5 Mar 87 04:48:05 GMT
Subject: Kanji and other non-Roman fonts
The Macintosh II includes the Script Manager and I believe it's also in the
Macintosh SE.
The Script Manager supports fonts that don't fit the standard Indo-European
mold. For example, Arabic is written (please correct me if I'm wrong) by
indicating vowels as accents on consonants, right to left. Hebrew is
similar (but omits the vowels?)
The Script Manager now supports Kanji and Arabic. The Kanji font is built
into the two new machines' ROM. Character sets with > 256 characters use
16-bit encoding, except for a few standard roman chars.
The Script Manager now supports
Roman Interface System
Kanji Interface System (aka KanjiTalk)
Arabic Interface System
I was under the impression something was being done with Hebrew,
but no confirmation of that yet.
The Script Manager includes new routines to associate a pixel position with
a character in the string, to set word breaks (not everyone uses a space)
and to justify text (ditto). The new TextEdit automatically calls the
Script Manager. AIS, for example, allows you to mix Arabic and English on
the same line, in the proper order. (As I recall, a Hebrew word processor
had to go to a lot of work to do the same thing.)
AIS has been available for several months, so it might work without a Mac
II. KanjiTalk, as I recall, required a specially modified Plus with extra
ROM. No word yet from Apple as to whether RAM-based versions of the Script
Manager will be available (as in HD20 Startup for HFS) but my guess would
be no, which means buy a Mac SE.
Joel West
{ucbvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww (ihnp4!gould9!joel once I fix news)
jww@sdcsvax.ucsd.edu if you must
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 87 08:25 EST
From: Tom Dowdy <CML5A9%IRISHMVS.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: SE First Impression
I'm sure that everyone is running around with speculation about the newly
annouced products and how much they will cost and this and that and on and
on. However, we have sitting here a Mac SE, so I'd like instead to share
some solid comments.
o "Evolutionary, not revolutionary", where have we heard THAT before?
Remember how when you looked at the Mac Plus a year ago you
kept saying "boy, that's really nice" and "wish it was like that
from day one"? Well, same thing here.
o Interal drive (20 megs here), nice, fast, quiet.
o slot, can't say
as nothing is sitting in it.
o Fan, well its not silent, but i dont notice it any more than
the XT, LaserWriter or AT&T 7300, they all contribute to a
make a pretty loud room though.
o New finder stuff. More nicities. I like the new control panel,
chooser, and the shutdown that gives you a chance to turn off
the machine so you don't have to play "beat the clock" with
the hard disk. "hand spinning" is now built into the finder,
but only on copies (so far as i can tell), not launches,
and not within applications (like saves)...A good comprimise,
it's nice to know that things are happening when the copies
are going on, but on the other hand, i hate the spinning watch
within applications themselves, i keep thinking, what a waste
of time.
o Speed. I do notice a slight improvment, although I havent had
a chance to run benchmarks or anything. In and out of write
or other applications seems peppy, most notably returns to the
finder. May be the scsi drive which is supposed to be much
faster than the externals. RAM stuff could have a factor here
too. JamSession demo runs, and the menu response is much
faster, maybe one of the few times you'll see DIRECT speed
responses. I haven't run complex videoworks yet, but i'd
expect smoother stuff in some cases there as well.
o Compatibility. Everything runs. So far at least. Notice that
Jam Session doesnt run on my plus, yet runs on the SE. 256K ROMs
I think are mostly just rewritten supports for SCSI plus the
new apple desktop keyboard and mouse. No major new routines.
Things with alternate screen/sound buffer blow up (of course),
since the SE doesnt have them. If you didnt see that one
coming you were under a rock.
While I havent had a chance to test EVERYTHING, if i had to
guess if package X runs, I'd lean towards the "yes" side
at this point.
o Speaker is more clear sounding, louder.
o New keyboard is NICE, real escape key, control key (II GS keyboard)
you can generate the command and check symbols using the control
key now. Take THAT John Dvorak. I like the feel of it, no
doubt others won't.
o New mouse is very smooth, teflon on the bottom, nice response,
Continues to track during disk accesses (yeah!), new control
panel settings for "ultra-fast" and "ultra-slow". The former
being for those "power users" and the later for graphics tablets.
o New desktop interface for the keyboard and mouse is pretty good.
We tried multiple keyboards and it recognizes both, very transparent,
apparently software can be written to read independantly from
multiple keyboards, which could make some nice games.
Overall, I like the little machine. The ability to just pick up and go
with the internal drive is very nice. Upgrades, if they are offered, would
have to be debated seriously, as you really dont gain THAT much, with the
exception of the slot. People in the market for an HD machine would
probably look here. I used to be down on the pro internal drive people,
but like i said, it is VERY nice not to have an extra box.
I'm amazed that the only thing I've found wrong so far is the color. (the
case)...I'm sorry, i just dont like platinum.
Tom Dowdy
CML5A9@IRISHMVS.BITNET
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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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