cohen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Alexander Cohen) (12/05/88)
Desktop Manager...what the @*%$#! is it?
Ok, so I know this may have been hashed out
before on the net, but I don't recall any definitive answers
either from Apple nor from anyone on the net as to what,
precisely, does the Desktop Manager do?
Once this init is placed in the system file,
rebooting you mac and rebuilding the desktop you get two new
hidden, locked files: Desktop DB and Desktop DF. They contain no
resources (at least according to ResEdit).
My own subjective tests indicate a speed up of many times
when the Finder attempts to switch views in a window, say from
'small icon' to 'by name,' although this isn't too apparent on a
MacII until you have over fifty some-odd files. And the general
word is that people with Hard Drives of over 80 megabytes, who
suffer the most with Finder, find tremendous speed improvements
in Finder operation.
So here are the questions:
My Desktop file (the old one) is not replaced by
rebuilding the desktop, what will happen if I remove it? I tried
installing the Desktop Manager on a floppy to find the answer to
this question but it did not create its unique files.
Where have all the icons gone? and how about the
comments? since the old desktop is no longer in use?
Why hasn't Apple said anything about the Desktop
Manager even to its developers? i.e. you won't find a single
tech note about it.
Why doesn't Apple simply put this init into its system
software??? It doesn't seem to do any harm, after all.
Apple...are you listening?
Alex Cohen
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) (12/06/88)
In article <3102@cs.Buffalo.EDU> cohen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Alexander Cohen) writes: > Ok, so I know this may have been hashed out >before on the net, but I don't recall any definitive answers >either from Apple nor from anyone on the net as to what, >precisely, does the Desktop Manager do? Replaces calls that the Finder makes using the Resource Manager with calls to specialized B-tree management for Desktop manipulation. > Once this init is placed in the system file, >rebooting you mac and rebuilding the desktop you get two new >hidden, locked files: Desktop DB and Desktop DF. They contain no >resources (at least according to ResEdit). That's right. They are data files containing the equivalent information to that contained in the old Desktop file. > My Desktop file (the old one) is not replaced by >rebuilding the desktop, what will happen if I remove it? Since you're only booting from a system with the Desktop manager installed, it will work. The first time that you access this disk from a system without the Desktop Manager installed, the Desktop file will be rebuilt. >I tried >installing the Desktop Manager on a floppy to find the answer to >this question but it did not create its unique files. Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. > Where have all the icons gone? and how about the >comments? since the old desktop is no longer in use? They are in the B-tree. > Why hasn't Apple said anything about the Desktop >Manager even to its developers? i.e. you won't find a single >tech note about it. The Desktop Manager is part of the AppleShare server software. It has never been tested by Apple outside of that area. There are known problems with using the Desktop Manager on a stand-alone system. > Why doesn't Apple simply put this init into its system >software??? It doesn't seem to do any harm, after all. Because it does harm. You can't unmount removable media (floppies, CDs, hard disks) when using the Desktop Manager. You can crash rather easily under some circumstances. When you crash, you lose all comments. It isn't robust on a stand-alone system; it was never designed to be general enough for a stand-alone system. > Apple...are you listening? Yes. We are also correcting the problems with the Finder's manipulation of the desktop in a future release of the system. --Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "My opinions, not Apple's"
ecs175f037@deneb.ucdavis.edu (Greg DeMichillie) (12/07/88)
In article <21758@apple.Apple.COM> blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) writes: [... discussion of Desktop Manager deleted ...] >Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. Ahem, some floppies use HFS. How does Dekstop Manager interact with them? I have tried using it on a Mac II HD 40 and had no problem using HFS floppies. I subsequently removed it from my system, since it's hard enough tracking down system crashes without an unsupported, possibly dangerous INIT floating around. ----- Greg DeMichillie Apple Student Rep - UC Davis lgdemichillie@ucdavis.edu AppleLink: ST0178 Disclaimer: If you've seen one disclaimer, you've seen them all.
blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) (12/07/88)
In article <21758@apple.Apple.COM> blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) miswrites: >Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. Oops. 400K floppies use MFS. 800K and 1440K floppies use HFS. --Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "Still my opinions, not Apple's"
jmwheele@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (John Mcgehee Wheeler) (12/08/88)
In article <21815@apple.Apple.COM> blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) writes: >In article <21758@apple.Apple.COM> blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) miswrites: >>Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. > >Oops. 400K floppies use MFS. 800K and 1440K floppies use HFS. Sorry, but that is still not correct. 400K floppies may be initialized to use the heirarchical filing system (HFS). > >--Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "Still my opinions, not Apple's" ^ | \__ I hope so...Apple specially put in the ability to make 400K floppies with HFS for those of us with some 400Ks still lying around. >------------------------------------------------------------------------------< > "Gossip is the last refuge of the bored." < > jmwheele@phoenix.princeton.edu < >------------------------------------------------------------------------------<
ecs175f037@deneb.ucdavis.edu (Greg DeMichillie) (12/08/88)
>>>Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. >> >>Oops. 400K floppies use MFS. 800K and 1440K floppies use HFS. > >Sorry, but that is still not correct. 400K floppies may be initialized to use >the heirarchical filing system (HFS). >>--Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "Still my opinions, not Apple's" > jmwheele@phoenix.princeton.edu < Okay, so now we know that floppies DO use HFS... what about the original question. How does the desktop manager interact with floppies (MFS, HFS or any-other-FS)? ----- Greg DeMichillie Apple Student Rep - UC Davis INTERNET: lgdemichillie@ucdavis.edu UUCP : {...} ucbvax!ucdavis!lgdemichillie BITNET : lgdemichillie@ucdavis.BITNET AppleLink: ST0178 Disclaimer: If you've seen one disclaimer, you've seen them all.
cyosta@taux01.UUCP (Yossie Silverman) (12/17/88)
. .Because it does harm. You can't unmount removable media (floppies, CDs, .hard disks) when using the Desktop Manager. You can crash rather easily .under some circumstances. When you crash, you lose all comments. It .isn't robust on a stand-alone system; it was never designed to be .general enough for a stand-alone system. . Well, I have been using Desktop Manager (from AppleShare 3.1 I think, latest version as far as I know) and I seem to be able to unmount diskettes with no problems at all. In fact, my HFS diskettes don't even have the DB and DF files on them, even after I rebuild their desktop. I do many dirty things with my mac and crash it often, I don't have to reqbuild my desktop at all (except for the first time, after puttig Desktop Manager in the system folder) and so never lose comments. I have noticed a REMARKABLE improvement in appl launching speed since I started using it. I am happy, so far. I used an older version of Desktop Manager once and had problems. So far these problems don't seem to have appeared using the newer one. If you can get it, I would say try it out, I doubt you will be disapointed. I am waiting for an APPLE fix to Finder to remove the need for this "buggy" software. -- Yossie Silverman What did the Caspian sea? National Semiconductor Ltd. (Israel) - Saki UUCP: taux01!yossie@nsc.UUCP NSA LSD FBI KGB PCP CIA MOSAD NUCLEAR MI5 SPY ASSASSINATE SDI -- OOCLAY ITAY