INFO-MAC@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU.UUCP (01/30/87)
INFO-MAC Digest Friday, 30 Jan 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 46
Today's Topics:
DB9 power from DB19
Scientific writing on the Mac
Re: Single sided drive grinding noise.
RE: DISK GRINDING
Re: Broken Key
Another stupid posting about INITs
One last thing on LSP INITs
Re: SFGetFile, Putfile improvements
Disk Icons ala Feb. MacUser article
INIT-RANDOMIZER.HQX (Randomizer, the INIT that changes everything!)
UTILITY-SHOWSIZES.HQX
Printing PostScript files
Common Lisp for the Macintosh
Mac-to-Data General
Re: Wanted. Structured Analysis and Design tools
Ready,Set,Go3 -- Further notes
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Date: Thu 29 Jan 1987 13:19 CST
From: Samir Kaleem <XSAK@ECNCDC.BITNET>
Subject: DB9 power from DB19
Okay folks... I have a couple of questions...
Could someone post the DB19 pinout? I would also like to know if I used the
+5 and +12 volts from the DB19 and also made a straight connection also to
another DB19 (for the external drive), would it make a difference if both
the DB9 and DB19 were using the power? I like to do my own fixes for such
things (and besides, even though the one by Andy Hertzfeld is not
expensive, it still doesn't yet fit in my budget).
That brings me to my second question. Everyone talks about Disk Timers,
Disk Testers etc. etc., but no one has yet come out with something for a
Drive Tester. Such beasts do exist for the Apple ][ so why not for the Mac?
Yesterday, my Mac went haywire on me (methinks the EPROMS have been zapped
somehow. We had problems with the CDC and the IBM here related to
electrical problems). First the internal drive wouldn't work (the external
one did, but gave some funny noises). Then I couldn't create a ram disk
without getting a wierd error (some- thing to the effect of "ERROR IN
COPY-UTIL" according to MACSBUG). Then WORD didn't recognize the printer
and wouldn't save anything because "This disk is locked" (it wasn't) etc.
etc. etc. My poor sick Mac is right now at the dealer.
-- Samir Kaleem
Educational Computing Network
<XSAK@ECNCDC.BITNET>
<XSAK%ECNCDC.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
"Huda Hafiz"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 87 11:13:51 PST
From: <K3TDS@scfvm.bitnet>
Reply-to: K3TDS%SCFVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: Scientific writing on the Mac
Weather and work have prevented me from posting the responses to
the following question I ask of the Info-Mac community at the
beginning of the year:
>Does anyone have recommendations for someone who wants to write
>scientific papers on the Mac in the "what-you-see-is-what-you-get"
>fashion? A paper might include text, formulae, tables, footnotes
>(both at the bottom of a page or at the end of the paper), bibliography,
>and/or possibly graphics (PICT format must likely). The paper might
>be printed on the ImageWriter I, II or the LaserWriter/+.
>
>Is there an intergrated package for this? If not, what pieces seem
>to work well together?
[
the following comprehensive summary of the responses is archived as
[SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>SCIENTIFIC-WRITING-SUGGESTIONS.DOC
DoD
]
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 09:48:33 PST
From: <KNIGHT@maine.bitnet>
Reply-to: KNIGHT%MAINE.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: Re: Single sided drive grinding noise.
Check that the disk is seating properly. I just had a drive come
into my shop that made TERRIBLE grinding noises and wouldn't read most
of the time. The problem turned out to be a staple that had fallen
into the drive somehow and attached itself to the spindle motor so that
the disk was a hair/staple higher than it should have been, which
caused the terrible noise because the disk was being pressed upward
inside it's plastic jacket as it was spun. Removing the staple cured
the problem. You shouldn't have any troubles with head alignment if
this is the problem.
Hope this helps.
--Michael Knight
Knight@maine.bitnet
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 15:32 EST
From: ADIAS%HERC%rca.com@RELAY.CS.NET
Subject: RE: DISK GRINDING
PLEASE SEND TO WILSON@HUSC4.HARVARD.EDU
RANDY THE PROBLEM IS A THAT LITTLE DISK PAD. I HAD TO TAKE MINE TO
A MAC DEALER TO REPAIR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT IS WARPED ON ONE SIDE AND IT
COST ABOUT $50 -75 TO REPAIR IT
TONY
RCA BURLINGTON
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 10:45:54 PST
From: MIKK%PPC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: Re: Broken Key
I successfully repaired a broken key on my keypad and it hasn't come
loose yet (it has held for six months now). The trick is in devising
a way to position the key and keep it in place while the glue sets.
I wouldn't use instant glue because you can't see what the key will
touch first. I wrapped aluminum foil around the key to provide a handle
which could be removed after the glue has set. The handle made it
easy to position the key. To hold it in place I made a little fence
around it with paper; the fence holds the broken key away from its
neighbors. After the glue is set the aluminum foil can be gently
peeled off the key. It is VERY important to put just a little foil
on the underside of the key so it can be easily removed later. One
layer of foil all around with a few millimeters turned under the
bottom is plenty to hold the key firmly. Good luck.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 17:10:35 PST
From: PUGH%CCC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: Another stupid posting about INITs
Ok, here I go again. Yes, I refuse to let well enough alone. Now I am trying
to write to the screen during an INIT. It ain't easy. A5 is screwed and so
are all the initialization routines. That means I can't use the window
manager to create a grafport to draw in. Everything just hangs.
I know it can be done since TOPS does it. Do you guys at Centram have any
advice. Does anyone know anything about it? I promise not to keep bashing
away at this one. My girlfriend is demanding equal time and I aim to see
that she gets it (wink wink nudge nudge).
Jon
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 09:50:46 PST
From: PUGH%CCC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: One last thing on LSP INITs
Well, here are some more notes of interest that I learned while doing an INIT
in LSP.
There is a check box in ResEdit's INIT GetInfo box that tells the system to
lock the code while running. Check this and you won't need to lock your code
yourself. LSP provides no way of setting this, so you must use ResEdit.
If you have several INITs in a file, they are NOT run in numeric order. The
numbers seem to be pretty useless. Instead, they are run in the reverse order
that ResEdit lists them. You can use Cut and Paste to reorder them since
Paste puts them at the top of the list, or last in execution.
Don't you think that ResEdit needs a disassembler built in? Why doesn't
someone write one? It could be used for INIT, CODE, FKEY, DRVR, MDEF, and
CDEF resources (are there any I missed?). I'm just plain not interested in it
and I suspect that is other people's reaction too. Such a shame as it would
be very handy.
Jon
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 14:32:08 pst
From: oster%lapis.Berkeley.EDU@BERKELEY.EDU (David Phillip Oster)
Subject: Re: SFGetFile, Putfile improvements
I want to be able to paste into SFGetFile and SFPutFile with <command>-V.
Many's the time I've had the name I want on the clipboard and had to type it
over, just because SFGetFile and SFPutFile DON'T properly handle paste.
Less useful, but a good idea, would be to have Copy implemented too, so I could
get a name onto the clipboard by clicking on it.
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jan 87 11:21 EST
From: HALLETT JEFFREY A <HALLETT@ge-crd.arpa>
Subject: Disk Icons ala Feb. MacUser article
Hello!
For those of you who receive Macuser here is a note concerning the article
on jazzing up your desktop. The author showed a procedure that allows you to
create icons for each of your disks. However, there was a problem with that.
If you noticed his bubble icon and then noticed the picture he took of this
screen after installing "this" icon, then you might have been tempted to try
it yourself because it looked really cool. Unfortunately, I am now forced to
think that the icon he installed is not the same one he showed in his ResEdit
dump and here's why. If anything I say is wrong or inadequately explained
PLEASE respond. This is just what appears to be wrong:
1. I duplicated his icon and mask exactly and installed it as per the
instructions. An Icon came up, but it was a hopeless jumble of the mask and
original (using the 50% gray desktop pattern). I re-installed it, but with
similar results.
2. After some playing around, it seemed that what the finder really does is
use the mask first to "white-out" the background pattern to provide a clean
slate for drawing the unselected icon, then when the icon is selected, finder
XORs the icon with the mask.
3. To test this theory, I changed the desktop background patterns and
examined the icon. Sure enough on any pattern but solid white, the hopeless
jumble appeared. Also, I remembered reading that when making an icon,
whereever the icon AND mask are white, the icon is transparent (ie. the
mask fails to blot out the background and ORing in the icon then lets the
background seep through).
4. Moral: Apparently, when the Finder was designed, the prospect of having
icons that look totally different when selected from when unselected did not
come up. Otherwise, icon drawing would be a straight bit copy thus using the
white portions of the icon to white-out the background. Icons should be
opaque, I think. Therefore, if you are making icons for your disks, just
use the ICON->MASK in ResEdit to get your mask and it will look fine on ANY
background pattern. If you change the mask to white, wherever the icon is
white, you will get the background showing through, but changing the mask
to white wherever the icon is black, makes no difference.
I hope this is both helpful and somewhat correct. If anyone cares to add
anything, please do so.
Happy Icon-ning!
JAH
"The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many."
- Kirk (STIII)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 10:31:05 PST
From: PUGH%CCC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: INIT-RANDOMIZER.HQX (Randomizer, the INIT that changes
Subject: everything!)
Well, here it is. This INIT file randomizes your StartUpScreen, your
StartUpSound, and your BeepSound. It contains things you have probably
seen before, like the Backdrop INIT that makes your StartUpScreen file
become the desktop and the two INITs from MacNifty that play a sound file
on startup and replace your beep with a digitized sound file. I replaced
the SwitchStart INIT from Backdrop with my own version after determining
that SwitchStart could do what I wanted but would take hacking. Instead I
wrote my own. This way I was able to add some features too. This INIT
file comes complete with everything you need to have a tricked out startup.
It includes documentation and source code (Pascal and project files).
These INITs copy StartUpScreen onto the desktop, then play StartUpSound, and
then copy BeepSound into memory and hook it to SysBeep. Then my stuff comes
into play. It looks to see if the Option key is down and skips all this if it
is. Then it looks in the folder Screens and copies one of those into
StartUpScreen, then it does the same from Sounds to StartUpSound, and from
Beeps to BeepSound.
Pass this along to your favorite BBS.
I wanna be famous since I ain't gonna be rich.
Jon
Are INITs moving us toward a LOGIN.COM?
[
archived as [SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>INIT-RANDOMIZER.HQX
DoD
]
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 11:04:57 PST
From: PUGH%CCC.MFENET@nmfecc.arpa
Subject: UTILITY-SHOWSIZES.HQX
Here is the first release of my first real program, ShowSizes.
It is a simple program that displays, in a Finder-like way, the
sizes of the various folders on an HFS volume by filling the
folders with a percentage bar chart. There are several obvious
options and a help page.
This program is not bullet proof. It crashes every now and again.
I attribute this to my dimwitted method of memory allocation.
If nothing is relocatable then the heap can't fragment, right?
Wrong. Anyhow, it won't hurt anything since it only reads from
the volume and doesn't write anything.
I decided to release this since I will not be doing anything with
it until APDA gets my MacApp to me and that could be awhile. I
feel that this is a useful enough tool to warrent it's unpolished
release (although it looks polished).
Let me know if you enjoy it and if you have any suggestions.
Jon
[
archived as [SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>UTILITY-SHOWSIZES.HQX
DoD
]
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 10:19:13 PST
From: Tom Wadlow <spar!taw@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Subject: Printing PostScript files
I have a bunch of PostScript files, generated via LaTeX and dvi2ps, that
I would like to send cross-country. It seems to me that the ideal way
to do this is to place the files on Mac disks, since the receiver will
have a Mac and a LaserWriter. Ideally, what I want is for that person
to select a file, and then PRINT it from the system menus. Unfortunately,
that will require some application to start, in order to actually do the
printing (i.e. if you print a MacWrite file in this fashion, MacWrite must
actually be present on the disk, since it will be run in order to print
the file). These files don't have an application, they were generated
on a Sun. Is there some way to do this? --Tom
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 13:30:29 PST
From: Viral Tolat <tolat@scotty.stanford.edu>
Subject: Common Lisp for the Macintosh
Does anybody know of a good implementation of Common Lisp for the mac ??
Thanks in advance
-vip tolat
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 13:01:08 PST
From: <MNGSJ@brownvm.bitnet>
Reply-to: MNGSJ%BROWNVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: Mac-to-Data General
Has anyone found and/or used software which allows a Macintosh to emulate a
Data General D200 terminal? We'd like to use our Mac to do work on a Data
General MV/10000 running AOS/VS. We've heard of a program called MacDasher.
Does it work well? Are there others?
Also, since we use WordPerfect for WP on the Data General, we'd be interested
in any news of WordPerfect for the Macintosh. PCs can download, edit, and
upload WordPerfect files, after all. Macs should be able to do that too, no?
Thanks in advance for any information.
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Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 09:19:54 PST
From: <DAVEG@slacvm.bitnet>
Reply-to: DAVEG%SLACVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: Re: Wanted. Structured Analysis and Design tools
Recently someone wrote in and asked for a product with the following
features:
Dataflow Diagram editors, Structure Charts editors, Data Structures editors
Entity-Relationships editors, Data Dictionary management,
Reporting Capabilities, Modeling Analysis programs, and
Apple Laserwriter interface
The program DESIGN offers some of these features, mainly the first
few. It is worth a look to see if it does enough of the stuff you want.
DESIGN is produced by META SOFTWARE in Cambridge. There is a demo of the
program posted in multiple parts I believe (look for something like
DEMO-DESIGN-PARTn...). Unfortunately the demo does not indicate the most
recent features of the program which include a user definable palate.
The program is ~$200 and has a *very* expensive (in the tens of thousands
I believe) option to give you an OPEN version which gives you access to
the design datastructures for your own manipulation. The drawback I have
seen so far is that they use a relatively non-standard user interface
(different than MacDraw/MacDraft, etc.) that I personally found a bit
clumsy. The program has enough sophistication to make it interesting in
spite of this factor however.
David Gelphman BITNET address: DAVEG@SLACVM
Bin #88 SLAC ARPANET address: DAVEG@SLACVM.BITNET
Stanford, Calif. 94305 UUCP address: ...psuvax1!daveg%slacvm.bitnet
415-854-3300 x2538
usual disclaimer #432 applies: my employer apologizes for the fact
that I have access to this net.
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Subject: Ready,Set,Go3 -- Further notes
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 87 13:16:15 -0500
From: meltsner@athena.MIT.EDU
My wife and I have been putting together the latest issue of the
MIT SF Society's magazine with RSG3. So far, in about 10 hours
of work, the program has crashed several times. It appears that
after about an hour of serious work, it is no longer able to paste in
text. Soon after, the program will decide to crash. This happend
on a Mac+ with System 3.2/Finder 5.3. The program just freezes (in
different spots each time), and although the mouse still tracks, the
computer no longer responds to any keyboard commands or mouse clicks.
If this is a garbage collection, its an awfully long one, and there's
no indication the machine ran out of memory (about 450K free).
The program also has a huge number of minor redraw bugs, and the
cut and paste is very clumsy. Objects are pasted back to where they
were cut, making it possible to stack things quite deep if you don't
realize the rule you've dupe'd is actually three or four deep.
The program is also almost entirely w/o cut and paste, the guttering
feature is okay, but should also be available as a feature of the
page-setup command. Strange things happen when one views at double
size the 'thin' rules, and search and replace are inordinately slow.
All in all, this program needs a good cleanup. The features are nice,
but there are quite a few bugs, some even fatal. For a $180 discount
price, this may be a good deal, but be prepared to save early and often,
and periodically restart RSG3 (every hour or so, I'd guess). The output
is nice, but the program is not all there yet.
Ken
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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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