MAXG@SUVM.BITNET (Gerry Greenberg) (06/26/89)
First of all, I'd like to thank Dan Moore for answering my previous question by explaining how DAs and Fonts take up and don't take up RAM on a MAC. (Thanks again Dan). Next, I'd like to apologize for asking these questions about the MAC here, but they're reallyfor Spectr/Magic Sac users, because true Mac users know whether a program will run on their machine, because they are told by the software manufacturer, i.e. 'will run on 512KE, +, SE, etc.'. Finally, I have another question to ask in this area: Back when I was using the MagicSac, I was using Finder5.4/System 3.2 (I think those were the numbers). I just had a Finder file and a System file on the disk, and that was all I needed. With the newer versions of Finder, i.e. 6.0 and above, I have seen system folders on various macs packed with files in addition to Finder and System files like: mouse, keyboard, general, sound, color, etc. Some of the icons for these files are iconic, i.e. there is a picture of a mounse, keyboard, sound, etc. I have two questions: Do these files take up RAM? and Are they necessary, i.e. does something weird happen if they aren't there? (Obviously, I think, if you're not using a MacII, then you don't need the color file, but what about the others?) Once again, thanks one and all in advance for your replies.--Gerry maxg@suvm (bitnet) ggreenbe@rodan.acs.syr.edu (internet)
dlm@druwy.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) (06/27/89)
in article <8906261231.AA03109@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, MAXG@SUVM.BITNET (Gerry Greenberg) says: > First of all, I'd like to thank Dan Moore for answering my previous Your welcome. > Next, I'd like to apologize for asking > these questions about the MAC here, but they're reallyfor Spectr/Magic > Sac users, I wouldn't worry about asking Spectre and/or Magic Sac questions here. Where else should you ask them? Comp.sys.mac would be of no use, they don't know what is or isn't different on the Spectre and Magic Sac. > With the newer versions of > Finder, i.e. 6.0 and above, I have seen system folders on various macs > packed with files in addition to Finder and System files like: mouse, > keyboard, general, sound, color, etc. Some of the icons for these files > are iconic, i.e. there is a picture of a mouse, keyboard, sound, etc. > I have two questions: Do these files take up RAM? and Are they > necessary, i.e. does something weird happen if they aren't there? Apple rewrote the Control Panel DA for the newer System releases so that it is a shell that loads modules to do the real work. This allows Apple and third party companies to expand the Control Panel for new hardware/software that is released. The new Control Panel has a icon strip with a scroll bar on the left side, as you select different icons different "controls" appear in the balance of the Control Panel. The various icons you are seeing in the System Folder are the actual working parts of the Control Panel, the mouse control, keyboard control, sound control, color control (for the Mac II and IIx), etc. Since they are only loaded by the Control Panel when the user requests them (by clicking on the correct icon) they normally don't take up any RAM. If they aren't in the System Folder then some or all of the Control Panel won't work. It's possible that some of the icons you see in the System Folder are INITs. INITs are somewhat like the programs in your AUTO folder on the ST or TSRs on PClones. They are loaded during boot time and if they stay resident will take up RAM. A good example is "Pyro" one of the nicer Mac screen blankers, instead of blank screen you get to watch a fireworks display. You also may have various sound and picture files in the System Folder. The Mac allows you to replace the desktop dither with a picture, to replace the various beeps and bells with your choice of sounds (eg. have your Mac play the "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that" message from 2001 instead of beeping when an error occurs, or the "To the batmobile" phrase and music from the old TV series when you turn the machine on). Since the sounds and pictures need to be resident in order to work they do take up RAM, a *LOT* of RAM. Some of the sound files take several hundered K, others may take 1K. Since the Magic Sac doesn't support sound on the Spectre only has limited support you may not be want to load any of the sound files. I kind of like them on real Macs, of course the Macs I've use had lots of RAM. Dan Moore AT&T Bell Labs Denver dlm@druwy.ATT.COM