toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (09/27/89)
Sorry that this is a real long one, but I think some of this had to be said. This is all really a call to discussion to find someone at Apple who will listen to gripes/suggestions/ideas/etc. about the new System 5.0 which in spite of everything else I say is a quantum leap for the Apple //, even my Mac friends say they like it and that it's comparable to an SE. *** A few days ago I posted an admittedly exasperated article about the gs finder not allowing for custom desktops (case in point: I want a background picture under finder) like all of my other applications. Since then I have received some mail on the subject and did a bit of research in Toolbox Ref 2; the explanation of why finder doesn't let Mural (the background NDA) work goes like this: The Window Manager call Desktop (forgot the number, oops) takes a bunch of opcodes (subcalls really), two of which are GetDeskPat and SetDeskPat. DeskPat is a Long, the first byte of which determines whether the desktop is drawn as a pattern, color or predefined something (see the book for details) or is drawn by a subroutine, in which case the last three bytes are the address of the subroutine. That's all I know so far. What it tells me, though, is that finder is either: (a) simply drawing its own desktop, assuming (shame shame if so) that the DeskPat is always blue (I doubt this), or (b) installing its own desktop redraw subroutine (makes sense if the icons are redrawn as part of the desktop by the custom subroutine), or (c) clearing the DeskPat to blue when it starts up, or (d) something weirder. In any case, it would be simply more robust and true to Apple's new programming philosophy for finder to check DeskPat on startup and react accordingly, i.e. if it's a pattern, fine, but if it's a custom routine call that and _then_ draw the icons. == warning: possible flame misinterpretation follows == 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? I can't believe there's nobody at Apple we can talk to to ask for new features (like an HFS FST) or is it really true that Apple blows all its money on its employees and its next great innovations without listening to its customers griping _now_. (If that's rude, I'm sorry, but I have heard that from too many places and frankly I'm beginning to wonder; or is that totally out of line because the Apple // SSW group is overworked/understaffed as it is?) ===== Honestly, though, I'm truly intent on bring this about, but I don't want to violate the finder because I'd be hacking it every step of the way (I know how unbelievably dangerous this is). I also don't want to attempt an HFS FST (which is worse because it requires a lot that I don't know and which is Apple Confidential) because I would have _no_ way of ever being sure that it was safe unless Apple checked it over thoroughly. (i.e. good luck!) == (hop on the soap box) == 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. When I was hacking the //+ for fun, Apple told us everything. The original Super Serial Card manual had schematics, firmware listings, as well as a tutorial. The current Super Serial Card manual tells you how to install it, how to set the Dip switches, and how to program it in basic. And that's it. Many of Apple's manuals that come with the things you buy now are so watered down that one bay area programmer I know calls them "Hello manuals" because he actually skims through them once and throws them away. I know this is to keep from scaring "the rest of us" with techno-jargon, and the technical data is available, how? Via your local Encyclopedia salesman from Addison-Wesley. (Seriously now- The Apple Technical Library is a really good idea, though I guess what gets me is the price; forgive me if Apple has no real control over that. Anyways, I'm going to be ordering a bunch of Toolbox/GS/OS references from APDA later this month anyway, and I guess I'm just getting this out of my system.) == (end of soap box, I feel a bit better now) == Matt, Dave, anyone at Apple, could you please comment on all of this. 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. Is there someone at Apple I could write mail to who could at least tell me why things are the way they are (on the Desktop problem) and possibly, hopefully, help me find a patch or at least get it put in the next release? Everybody, mail or post your comments, whatever they may be. Let's get some honest discussion going; after all, it's one of the reasons comp.sys.apple is here. Todd P Whitesel toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu toddpw @ CITROMEO (bitnet)