INFO-MAC-REQUEST@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU.UUCP (12/18/86)
INFO-MAC Digest Wednesday, 17 Dec 1986 Volume 5 : Issue 28
Today's Topics:
Direct Transfer from Fortran to Qued
New MacMan DA in progress
The new Turbo Pascal
MPW Question
MacPlus, Aladdin and Paris.
Re: RISC Mac
UEMACS.HQX
Shareware MacIntosh C compiler,assembler, and linker
miniWRITER 1.3
Layout Editor
Disk Insertion Ignored! (OK)
RE: RE: Audio Digitizers
Clone Wars and Rumors of Clone Wars (MacDepartment
Re: SS vs. DS discs
Re: using singe/double sided disks
PostScript Dump
Logo from Microsoft
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 86 21:35:00 EST
From: <bouldin@ceee-sed.ARPA>
Subject: Direct Transfer from Fortran to Qued
Reply-to: <bouldin@ceee-sed.ARPA>
If you are programming with Fortran, you have probably discovered that Qued is
a much nicer programming editor than Edit. It is annoying that the
Fortran "Transfer" menu contains an explicit reference to Edit, and no
provision for Editing the transfer entries (although it does have a
"Select Application" choice).
The code can be changed with ReEdit to allow a direct branch into Qued.
1. Start ReEdit and open the MS Fortran file. Find the Menu Resource, id
#6, locate the string "Edit", and change it to Qued.
2. You must also look at the code resource, id #01, and search for the
string "Edit" and change it to Qued, since MS Fortran looks at the
string in the _code_ resource to really determine the program to branch
to.
3. Note that this assumes that Qued and MS Fortran are in the same
directory.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 04:10:48 EST
From: Walter.Smith@K.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: New MacMan DA in progress
I have written a much-improved version of the MacMan DA. This is really
much safer than the original--I use it constantly while writing it in
Lightspeed C with no problems. The interface is more friendly (a little
pop-up scrolling list of topics selectable by typing as in Standard File),
and the file format makes more sense (one file with 611 TEXT resources in
it, along with some other stuff). Bruce Horn is helping to fix up the typos
and bad formatting in the database in his spare time, and I am working on
compressing the file so people with floppy drives will have a chance to use
the thing. We will probably add the missing things from Vols. 1-3 and stuff
from Vol. 4 as well.
Unfortunately, there are two problems. Firstly, my Mac is dead (good old
analog board...), so I won't be able to release the thing until after
Christmas vacation (not that we'd have the new database done by then
anyway!). Secondly, I'm not sure how to handle distribution. Since the
original was shareware, it's kind of a strange case. Any ideas? Perhaps
the original authors should contact me (in case I can't find their address).
If we get the distribution problem settled, I could make the current
un-detypoed version available as an interim measure -- is anyone interested?
- Walt
---
Walter Smith, Math/CS undergraduate, Carnegie-Mellon University
uucp: ...!seismo!cmu-cs-k!wrs arpa: wrs@wb1.cs.cmu.edu
usps: 5139 Forbes Ave.; Pittsburgh, PA 15213
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 08:02:07 EST
From: "Collins, Herman"
Subject: The new Turbo Pascal
There might be a few people who are interested in my experiences with
the new Turbo Pascal. I've been looking for an easy development system,
so I can learn something about how the Mac works inside. I've been
_using_ a Mac for quite some time, and I've been a systems programmer
for years, but I just haven't had the time or the opportunity to really dig
into the Mac. It works so well processing words and drawing pictures and
playing games, that I haven't really _needed_ to dig into it yet. I chose
Pascal over C because I'm more familiar with Pascal, and because the
compilers were much cheaper. I chose the Turbo Pascal because I'm
familiar with the IBM PC version (sorry), because it's reputed to be very
well integrated, and because it's new. I would have bought the package
that has the best sample library, but I couldn't find a review that
compared this feature.
I called MacConnection's 800 number from home Monday evening, and asked
about the new Turbo Pascal. The guy said that it had just come in that day,
and he would send me one right out. The price was about two thirds of
list. (Can I say that here?) The University has an account with them, so I
charged it to a Purchase Order number. It arrived Thursday afternoon,
which seems pretty good to me.
I got a thick book and two diskettes. The first thing I did was write
protect the diskettes and drag copy everything into a folder on my hard
disk. Then I double clicked on the READ ME application. It came up, and
displayed a window with a scroll bar, but _surprise_, there was no text in
it! I put the diskette back in & tried it from there, and it showed me a
screen of text. Horrible thoughts ran through my head. What if this
system doesn't work with HFS? I put READ ME out on the desktop, but it
still wouldn't work (please Borland -- don't do this to me).
Fortunately, everything else seems to work OK from the hard disk, even the
example programs. The compiler is very fast. The sample programs of a
few hundred lines compile, link, and load so fast that I miss it if I look
away. Turbo Pascal will compile to memory, compile to disk making a
double-clickable application, or just do a syntax check. I can just pull
down COMPILE to RUN, and it will compile to memory, link, open any
resource files, and run the current program. This seems to be just what I
was looking for!
There are a number of sample programs. The sample DA is a nice analog
clock. There is a listing program that shows how to send things to a
LaserWriter or other printer, but it puts up a large window with no
apparent purpose. There are a couple of turtle graphics programs, a sound
program, an example of modal and modeless dialogs, a Macintalk program,
some Appletalk stuff, a DA "template," an application "template," and
probably some other stuff that I've forgotten.
There are copies of RMaker, Font/DA Mover, the Macintalk driver, and
MACSBUG -- seems to be everything that I might need. The creation dates
on these are the same as the copies that I already had, which are more or
less up to date. Does anybody have a utility that will do a byte by byte
comparison of both forks of a Mac file? I threw away the new copies.
The editor seems pretty good, given that I've only played with it for a
couple of hours. It allows me to work on several files at once, and the
windows for them can be "stacked" or "tiled." You do have to run RMaker
separately to compile a resource file, but once that is done the compiler
will open the file or load it into the application each time the program is
compiled. The TRANSFER function seems to work only if TURBO and
RMAKER are in the same folder. I keep my RMAKER in a separate UTILITIES
folder, and transfer can't find it there.
Well, OK, I broke down and opened the manual. It's large: about 460 pages,
plus about 20 pages of ads for Borland products at the end. There is a good
introduction to the Mac interface, and a good Pascal reference. I only
skimmed it, but my first impression is very good. I'm going to try to
write a game and a DA over Christmas, and I'll find out how good it really
is then ...
Herman Collins
SYSHERM@UKCC (BITNET)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 11:15 EST
From: CML5A9%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Subject: MPW Question
Okay all you MPW hackers, ready for a challage?
We all know that MPW's grep-style search and replace
functions are very powerful, but here's one I haven't
been able to figure out.
Problem: Write a MPW replace command to delete all of
the characters in position one from EVERY line, no matter
what they are.
Challenge 2: Expand the above example to include any character
position.
Challange 3: Describe a general method for doing
character based search/replace (ie, change all of the
characters in position number 4 to a percent sign, etc)
I've gotten MPW to delete the character in postion one,
provided that ALL of the lines begin with the same character...
But...can't do any better...how about you?
-Tom Dowdy
CML5A9@IRISHMVS.BITNET
"I am increasingly of the opinion that a vast majority of
wrong thinking people are right."
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 16:50 EDT
From: SELF%UMass.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU (Steve Elfenbein - Hampshire
Subject: MacPlus, Aladdin and Paris.
I read this on the Hampshire College Notes system:
> Msg # 5908 Dated 12-10-86 11:49:03
> From: THOMAS SCHARDT
> To: ALL
> Re: RUMORS TO DROOL OVER!
>
> I read the following in the USENET digest today:
>
>> From: rjs@trwrb.UUCP (Robert J. Suyehara)
>> Subject: 1987 Macs According to MacUnderground
>> Date: 30 Nov 86 06:12:52 GMT
>> Organization: TRW EDS, Redondo Beach, CA
>>
>> [ note from moderator: old rumor clipped out of msg DAVEG ]
>>
> { Comments from me: Unless the VME-bus claim is a mistake, everything
> here is suspect. That the new machines will use the NuBUS is one of the few
> things one can be fairly certain of. Apart from that one glaring flaw, most
> of this matches other things I've seen.
> The owner of a ComputerLand here told me that although the Mac 512E is
> still on his price list, he would not be surprised if it is phased out soon,
> because "why support two motherboards for one product?...that's why the LISA
> was killed."
> The 1.6M floppy drives may be standard on the Aladdin instead of
> optional. Now that the bugs have been worked out of those drives, they are
> proving compatible with and little more expensive than the 800k drives.
> What may be the Aladdin was described elsewhere as a "slotted Mac
> case". The same source also saw "a IIGS color monitor connected to a bare
> motherboard with 8 slots and 4 circular connectors" that may well be an
> uncased Paris.
> I'm not sure why multi-tasking requires that a machine be open and
> standardized more than anything else does, but if Apple is moving in that
> direction I'm not complaining too loudly.
> This information is worth what you paid for it. }
Anyone out there know any different? Any confirmations? This is the most
I've heard about it yet, so I don't know how much is accurate as I have
nothing to compare to. Just thought I'd let you see it.
_______________
./Steve-Elfenbein\____________________________
' \_______________/ `.
: : DISCLAIMER: I do not represent
: BITNET: self@umass : my employer, since I do not
: CSNET: self%hamp@umass-cs : have an employer. I also do
: INTERNET: self%umass.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu : not represent anyone else's
: UUCP: ...seismo!UMASS.BITNET!self : employer, whether they have
: USMail: Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002 : one or not.
: :
`-----------------------------------------------'
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 19:39 EST
From: CML5A9%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Subject: Re: RISC Mac
The rumor concerning the RISC based Mac may be coming
from the fact that motorola is talking about going to
a RISC type structure for their chips after the 68030.
I can't say what this all involves, as I read it in
MacWorld, and don't know the tech stuff of it (what can
you expect from macworld anyways)...but just as a
guess I would think that motorola is probably thinking
about streamlining the actual instruction set of the
68xxx series (I think they are planning on calling this
new one 78000) down so that it can be run in a RISC type
engine, with emulation for some of the more complex
instructions. That's just a guess. Noone knows exactly
how to define RISC anyway, someone was saying that the
MicroVAXII was RISC based...
-Tom Dowdy
CML5A9@IRISHMVS.BITNET
"I am increasingly of the opinion that a vast majority
of wrong thinking people are right."
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 09:38:39 PST
From: David Burnard <burnard@lll-lcc.ARPA>
Subject: UEMACS.HQX
Here is a VERY PRELIMINARY version of MicroEMACS for the Macintosh. Note
that this is a completely different implementation than the
"beta-release" which appeared many months ago, and has not been
updated since. I got tired of waiting, so I did it myself. I am
co-conspiring with Daniel Lawrence (who writes and maintains
MicroEMACS 3.x) to get a Mac version up and running. Let me know what
you think of this version. There is currently no documentation, but a
list of commands can be obtained by typing M-x describe-bindings. Use
ESC as the META prefix or OPTION as a true META key.
I currently call it uEmacs, to avoid confusion with the other
MicroEMACS that is floating around...
Have fun. Send your comments to: burnard@lll-lcc.ARPA
Dave Burnard
P.S. MicroEMACS and its source code is in the public domain. The
source will be made available as soon as we settle on a Mac interface.
And get the code moved to a couple of compiler systems...
[ archived as
[SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>UEMACS.HQX
DAVEG
]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 14:46:17 EST
From: David D'Souza <djdsouza@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Shareware MacIntosh C compiler,assembler, and linker
Reply-to: Djdsouza@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Sesame is a shareware C compiler for the Mac. It includes a subset of
the complete documentation. Send in the shareware fee and you will
receive the complete documentation.
This C compile supports a subset of the complete language. It only
supports 4 byte integers and 1 byte characters. It doesn't support
structures. It allows you to access the MacIntosh toolbox traps and
you can generate stand-alone code. The authors promise to include
structs and other enhancements in future versions of the compiler.
Send in any ideas you have.
This is a good compiler to try out C if you don't feel like paying
$200+ for a commercial product.
Enjoy.
[ archived as
[SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>SESAME-C-COMPILER.HQX
DAVEG
]
------------------------------
Date: 13 Dec 86 13:38:16 EST
From: Jeffrey Shulman <SHULMAN@RED.RUTGERS.EDU>
Subject: miniWRITER 1.3
[ Uploaded from Delphi by Jeff Shulman ]
Name: MINIWRITER PACKAGE
Date: 13-DEC-1986 11:00 by DDUNHAM
[ Updated 13-DEC-1986 05:52 by DDUNHAM. This miniWRITER update (version 1.3)
adds ImageWriter styling, and a choice of LaserWriter fonts.]
miniWRITER(tm) is a TEXT-processor desk accessory with Undo and deluxe
printing at draft speed. In addition to the desk accessory itself,
this package contains the following files:
miniWRITER.doc describes the miniWRITER desk accessory. It's in MacWrite 2.2
format. miniWRITER.appendix goes into detail on ImageWriter printing. Part of
the miniWRITER(tm) package.
imageWRITER font. Use with miniWRITER desk accessory for what-you-see-is-what-
you-get printing at draft speed.
Two templates for printing envelopes with miniWRITER. For best
results, install the imageWRITER font before using them. These
templates work with the ImageWriter printer.
A ResEdit TMPL (template) resource useful for customizing the miniWRITER desk
accessory is included in the "suitecase file."
Copyright (C) 1986 Maitreya Design. SHAREWARE.
[ archived as
[SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>DA-MINIWRITER-13.HQX
DAVEG
]
------------------------------
Date: 17 Dec 86 09:52:30 EST
From: Jeffrey Shulman <SHULMAN@RED.RUTGERS.EDU>
Subject: Layout Editor
[ Uploaded from Delphi by Jeff Shulman ]
Name: LAYOUT EDITOR
Date: 17-DEC-1986 01:19 by LEPTONICSYS
This application allows you to easily adjust the way the Finder displays the
desktop. The font and size of the text drawn on the desktop can be adjusted, as
can the icon spacing and many other parameters.
Your custom display specifications are saved within the Finder itself and from
then on they will be used whenever that Finder is in control.
This copyrighted program is free, useful, and fun!
[ archived as
[SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU]<INFO-MAC>UTILITY-LAYOUT-EDIT.HQX
DAVEG
]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 17:01 EDT
From: SELF%UMass.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU (Steve Elfenbein - Hampshire
Subject: Disk Insertion Ignored! (OK)
I, too, have encountered the wierd disk-insertion-not-recognized *critter*,
but, unlike Mike Wirth (V5#25) do not have any odd system mucking DA's. (I
stripped them ALL and it still happened!)
However, I have found that (in my case at least) that if the disk is not
recognized, clicking on the HFS Disk/Folder Position gadget (above the files
scroll area on the generic OPEN window) often (almost always) causes the drive
to read!
I have no idea why, but it works! Hope this helps someone! I'd be really
interested to hear any explanations of this phenomenon.
_/Steve Elfenbein\
[ note from moderator: This bug is a bug in system 3.2 and will be fixed in the
next system file from Apple. This information is from the latest batch of
technotes from Apple. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 13:46:10 pst
From: Bernard Aboba <bernard@ararat>
Subject: RE: RE: Audio Digitizers
The BMUG MacRecorder + is available assembled from Farallon Computing for
$100, including shipping, etc. The MacRecorder + samples at 22K samples/sec,
as opposed to the MacRecorder //, which sampled at a 9.6K rate.
While these high sampling rates would seem to imply inordinately large file
sizes for even small recording times, this need not be the case. For
example, quite a few compression schemes are available (some capable of
real time compression) which will encode voice at data rates as low as
9600 BITS/second. This is 1.2 K/second! So on a Mac + you could record
for much longer times, although you would only be able to handle voice, not
music. Of course, you'd have to write the software yourself. Several
books on Digital Communication, including a book on that name by Proakis,
have descriptions of such algorithms.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 86 08:18:16 pst
From: Wm. L. Brown <wbrown@lbl-ux4>
Subject: Clone Wars and Rumors of Clone Wars (MacDepartment
The following is from the December 8, 1986 issue of ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
TIMES.
Quote
SHARP READIES INTRODUCTION OF MACINTOSH COMPATIBLE
TOKYO - Sharp Corp. is set to introduce a Macintosh-compatible computer.
A Sharp spokesman said the computer will be formally introduced soon but
declined to discuss it further. However, Steve Bellamy, a Tokyo-based
computer consultant said he saw the machine and " it runs Macintosh
software." Equipped with a Mac-compatible operating system, the X68000
will include 1 Mbyte of main memory, a 512 x 512-pixel graphics monitor
with a pallette of 65,536 colorsand kanji conversion software.
End of Qoute
Still unknown -
Will it be available in the U.S.?
What will it cost?
How compatible is compatible?
If real, this could have a number of interesting effects (not to mention
the fact that it should enrich a whole bunch of lawyers). A little
competition never hurt anyone. Comments?
-Bill
------------------------------
Date: 16 Dec 1986 22:21-EST
From: Tom.Lane@zog.cs.cmu.edu
Subject: Re: SS vs. DS discs
I have one piece of relevant personal experience: once I tried to
transfer a bunch of files to another machine using single-sided
microfloppies as double-sided. There were about 10 of these discs;
I got no errors in formatting the discs or copying data onto them, but
when I got to the other machine, some of the discs had read errors on
sectors that corresponded to the "back" side. The discs still had read
errors when I later checked them back at the source machine. It's
possible that the discs were damaged by airport X-ray equipment, but I
don't think so.
This was with Hewlett-Packard disc drives and Sony microfloppy discs.
I have never once had any other problem in several years of using the
equipment; needless to say, I have never again tried to use the "flip"
side of a disc marked single-sided.
I think your report that different drive vendors consider different
sides of the disc to be the "front" side is bogus. Firstly, they all
buy the physical drive unit from the same Japanese manufacturers (in
particular, HP and Apple both use Sony drives); secondly, media
physical characteristics are specified to a gnat's eyelash to ensure
that one vendor's disc will fit into another vendor's drive, and they
sure as hell wouldn't have overlooked so obvious a point as which side
of the disc is the front side.
It is true that "single sided" discs sometimes are good on the second
side; the whole issue is whether they are *guaranteed* to be good on
the second side. They ain't. With a given disc in a given disc drive,
you might get away with it; personally, I would never trust any crucial
data to an SS disc used as DS. (and there is no other kind of data :-)
tom lane
-----
ARPA: lane@ZOG.CS.CMU.EDU
UUCP: ...!seismo!zog.cs.cmu.edu!lane
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 86 21:45:28 PST
From: USER=QULU%SFU.Mailnet%UBC.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: Re: using singe/double sided disks
The way the testing works, double sided disks are checked on both sides.
Those that fail either side are trashed.
Single sided disks are checked on one side. If that side fails, the other
side is checked. If both fail, the disk is trashed.
So, you're *fairly* safe in double-siding disks. Your error rate will be
just the same as the original failure rate in testing, which isn't too high.
I'd use real double-siders for anything really important, though...
------------------------------
From: root@cbosgd.mis.oh.att.com (Kunte Kinte)
Date: 17 Dec 86 23:14:21 GMT
From: boris@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Boris Altman)
Subject: PostScript Dump
Date: 17 Dec 86 16:27:08 GMT
I was using suggestion of Macworld to type <cmd><shift>F right after
clicking OK in the print dialog box. I got a Postscript file.
When I uploaded the file to UNIX and tried to print it on the Apple
LaserWriter connected to our Unix machine I got an error message
about some illegal command.
When a local Postscript expert looked at the file he said that there
are some commands (macros?) that are used, but there are no definitions.
He claimed that I am missing a header file. Does anyone know
how to get the "full" dump out of MacDraw, MacWrite, MacPaint?
Printing Postscript files from Unix is no problem.
Many people do that here.
I was usign MacDraw 1.9 System 3.2 Finder 5.3. Regular Mac+ with no other
hardware.
Please mail replies to
{ucbvax,ihnp4}!ulysses!boris
Thanks in advance.
Boris
[ note from moderator: using COMMAND-K instead of COMMAND-F will generate
the file you need, including the LaserPrep file at the beginning. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 86 09:18:53 est
From: anderson@ll-vlsi (Allan H. Anderson)
Subject: Logo from Microsoft
MacConnection (mail order house) says that Microsoft is no longer
distributing LSCI Logo. Is it available some other way?
Allan Anderson
anderson@ll-vlsi.arpa
------------------------------
End of INFO-MAC Digest
**********************