dlyons@Apple.COM (David Lyons) (09/29/89)
In article <12066@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Todd P. Whitesel) writes: >[...] >Matt, Dave, or anyone else at Apple who reads this, what can I do to get a >patched version of Finder that does something like this? I don't want to grovel >and I shouldn't have to, but isn't there something I can do? Life isn't as bad as you think, Todd...there is a mechanism the Finder recognizes for setting the desktop pattern or picture. Just create a message in the MessageCenter with type 2, containing a $0001 and 32000 (not 32K) bytes of picture data. (Alternatively, you can use a $0000 followed by 32 bytes of pattern data.) The Window Manager supports this automatically, and the Finder supports it too. [...] >It's this move from "let the third parties write all the software around our >standard and _published_ interface" to "this will be unspecified and only >Apple will release more abilities in the future" that really bugs me. I don't exactly see FSTs an a change in policy: No information is published on how to make ProDOS 8 or ProDOS 16 work with foreign file systems. FSTs seem different because it *looks* like there's a way to add FSTs without changing anything else in the OS, the way you can add device drivers. It's an illusion. So FSTs might as well be hidden someplace where you don't have to look at them right? The advantage to having them as separate files is being able to remove or inactivate the ones you don't want taking up disk space or RAM space. >The bottom line is that I'm sincerely interested in improving the GS system SW >(we all are) but Apple seems to be making things _real_hard_ with no way to >call in. [...] Gee...*I'm* listening. If you want my whole group to see your comments, write to Apple II Developer Technical Support, Apple Computer Inc, 20525 Mariani Ave MS:75-3T, Cupertino CA 95014. If you're not an Apple Partner, we can't guarantee you a response, but we'll at least read what you have to say. -- --Dave Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc. | DAL Systems AppleLink--Apple Edition: DAVE.LYONS | P.O. Box 875 America Online: Dave Lyons | Cupertino, CA 95015-0875 GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS CompuServe: 72177,3233 Internet/BITNET: dlyons@apple.com UUCP: ...!ames!apple!dlyons My opinions are my own, not Apple's.