hunt@rsts32.dec.com (Phil Hunt) (02/08/88)
I own both FONT/DA Juggler Plus and Suitcase. From my experience, Suitcase is more invisible to use, but once up, both function about the same. Suitcase opens certain named files found in the system (Boot) folder while Font/DA Juggler (FDAJ from now on...) allows you to specify files to be opened at startup from any mounted disk. Suicase allows only 10 files opened while FDAJ allows 12. Suitcase has a DA that allows viewing/execution of DA's in the opened files. FDAJ's DA item allows execution/viewing of DAs as well as Font display, FKEY display and execution and Sound resource files, where you can sample the sound. FDAJ also comes with a program called Font resolver that allows you to specify up to 12 files and resolves the Font ID numbers in these files to be unique. You can also specify files you want checked in the group but NOT modified. It also uses, but does not modify the FONTs in SYSTEM. FDAJ comes up at startup (INIT time) with a multicolor ICON!! showing it has loaded. FDAJ also comes with a files of PD fonts,DA,FKEYs and Sounds. There are 50 PD DAs there. The distribution disk has 1k free, 790+_K in use, so it is a hefty distribution. Suitcase allows a user to open othere files in the System folder by patching the program with a well-documented modification technique. I don't know if FDAJ can be modified in this manner, and I haven't tried this, but the FDAJ docs imply that ANY file may be made opened at startup implying any resource can be left openend automatically without patching. BTW, FDAJ plus V1.00 (Jan 10, 1988 version) works completely with Multifinder. I have not gotten the Suicase upgrade compatible with MF yet.... Hope my 2 cents worth helps the group. Phil Hunt