[comp.sys.mac] New Minor Finder Bug

sarrel@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Marc Sarrel) (09/22/88)

I have two minor Finder (system?) bugs that have persisted through
many versions of system software.  The first was corrected in one
version only to reappear in the next release.  I, of course, am
speaking of the famous "ragged edges" on the desktop.  As you're all
probably aware, the cursos will "bounce" on the right and bottom edges
of the screen.  The second bug is more subtle.  The first character
that I type after a reboot will always be eaten, no matter which
program I'm using.  It just goes into the bit bucket, never to be
heard from again.

I'm sure Apple knows about these things.  Does anyone know when/if
these "features" will be eradicated?
-- 
 Marc Sarrel, Department of Computer and Information Science
 The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH USA 43210-1277
 sarrel@cis.ohio-state.edu
 "If you wanna have fun, go to Washington.  Spokane!"  -- Cleric Apton

werner@utastro.UUCP (Werner Uhrig) (09/22/88)

	 sarrel@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Marc Sarrel) writes:
 
> ...I am speaking of the famous "ragged edges" on the desktop....
> ...the cursors will "bounce" on the right and bottom edges of the screen.

	this is Apple's way to tell the "rest of them" that this is a NO-NO
	operation;  if nothing would happen, they would not get the idea...
	remember, there is a difference between a NOP (or NOOP) operation
	and a NONO-operation;  we must protect the rest of them from ambiguity!

	fixed in the "professional" version ...

			((-:

> The second bug is more subtle.  The first character
> that I type after a reboot will always be eaten, no matter which

	SUBTLE?  you are kind ...!!  but I'll add that to my list as 
		"another reason not to turn off your machine" ....

	the "professional" version, of course, will have the advanced
	AI-feature DWIM, which will, without user-action being required,
	install a ROM feature, which writes out the first character
	entered into parameter-RAM, and then echos it back as the second
	character after the "user-friendly" operating system has "safely"
	ignored the first character.

	A member of the design team remarked:  "It was our observation that 
	the novice user had the tendency to believe a computer infallible,
	so we decided to put in this feature originally in an attempt
	to make 'the rest of them' aware that you should never trust a
	computer to 'Do What I Mean' it to do; however, marketing studies
	have shown us that this lesson is lost on most of them as it is
	too subtle - it might have been more realistic to have the OS
	ignore every second or third character entered, across the board,
	as this would keep the users *really* alert"

> I'm sure Apple knows about these things.  Does anyone know when/if
> these "features" will be eradicated?

	as I said in the Summary-header: look out for the Tech-Note that
	declares these to be "features" ...

PS: a recent rumour that has reached me from inside Abble:

	Management has had several weekend retreats with the "Tough Love"
	people;  However, rumours that recent marketing and pricing decisions 
	are designed to make the goo-goo eyed Apple-loving kids from the late
	'70s and '80s grow up to face the "real world" have been belittled
	by "knowlegable sources" who claim to have overheard an unnamed high
	official say:  "Merde! oui ah oanli aut fo oan ohneast buckg!"

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