[comp.sys.mac.digest] Info-Mac Digest V9 #75

info-mac-request@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (The Moderators) (03/30/91)

Info-Mac Digest             Fri, 29 Mar 91       Volume 9 : Issue 75  

Today's Topics:

      .pit
      6.0.7 vs. 6.0.5
      After Dark, Now Utilities Alarms Clock, and TrueType (TM)
      ANOTHER REQUEST FOR STANDARDIZATION OF TEXT FILES (2 msgs)
      Apple File Exch. and creator attribute
      archiving software
      Decoding a .LZH archive file
      Electronic Publishing & Mac & Fine Arts
      Flaky Mac+?
      FORTRAN compilers
      HD backup onto floppies
      HyperCard get the clickchunk
      ImageWriter II
      Info-Mac Digest V9 #73
      Info-Mac Digest V9 #74 (3 msgs)
      Inside Mac DA Author's change of address
      Looking for xgif application !
      Mac+ problem resolved
      NCSA Telnet, TN3270  vs. System 7
      Number Crunching - Help needed
      pict to eps conversion?
      Postscript to DEC Printserver 20 connected to VAX
      StyleWriter & FileMaker
      StyleWriter -- inital impressions
      Tracker program

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 08:22:47 EST
From: Murph Sewall <SEWALL%UCONNVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: .pit

On Wed, 27 Mar 91 11:38:47 gmt you said:
>What does the termination .pit mean on a binhexed file. how do you
>unstuff it?

A pre-StuffIT "packed" format.  Use "UnPack" under StuffIT's "Other"
menu item.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 08:40:25 +0800
From: bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu
Subject: 6.0.7 vs. 6.0.5

Michael A McGuire, UTCC writes:
>Everyone please be aware the Apple Computer has said that unless you have
>a Mac Classic, Mac LC, or Mac IIsi YOU SHOULD NOT USE 6.0.7.  It is known
>to be buggy.

This is in direct conflict with what I have been told by Apple.  I've been told 
that 6.0.7 fixes some problems in 6.0.5, and in addition is the recommended 
system for running TrueType.

I guess with System 7 on the horizon it doesn't really matter, but we've been 
running 6.0.7 here since shortly after it was released with no problems.

Bruce Carter, CW Dev Coord / Boise State University / bcarter@claven.idbsu.edu

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 23:05:30 PST
From: Edan Kabatchnik- <ekabatch@us.oracle.com>
Subject: After Dark, Now Utilities Alarms Clock, and TrueType (TM)

I just sucked TrueType (TM) over the net from Apple and am fairly please with
it; however, I have noticed an unusal interaction between it and After Dark
2.0s.  When TrueType (TM) is loaded, After Dark fails (or something fails) to
suppress things from being displayed on the screen.  The prime example of this
is the Alarms Clock INIT (part of the Now Utilities), which manages to keep the
time updated in the upper right hand corner of the screen.  I also notice
similar problems when NCSA/BYU Telnet 2.3.4 updates its display, for example
when my "NEW MAIL" lamp comes on.  Needless to say, this defeats the point of
the screen saver.  Has anyone else noticed this interaction?  Does anyone know
a solution?  The problem goes away if I turn off TrueType (TM).  Solve this
one, and I owe you big.

I experience the problem with my system stripped as follows:

	* Macintosh IIci, 8MB, System 6.0.5, Communications Toolbox
	* InitPicker 2.0 (to turn everything off)
	* Desktop Manager 2.0.1
	* After Dark 2.0s
	* TrueType 1.0
	* Alarms Clock 2.0

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 00:24:56 PST
From: Les_Ferch@mtsg.ubc.ca
Subject: ANOTHER REQUEST FOR STANDARDIZATION OF TEXT FILES

Although I am another one of those people who have complained about
the lack of a standard format for electronically distributed docs, I
can understand why someone would not use Teachtext for a
compatibility list. Teachtext does not let you set tab stops like a
word processor and it does not let you choose a mono-spaced font
like Monaco, so it is difficult to use for things like tables. As
for a McSink document (Note, it is "McSink", *not* "MacSink"), they
are just text files that can be read by anything including TeachText
(although I expect you won't like seeing a document meant for Monaco
or Courier displayed in Geneva).
 
The weaknesses of TeachText are so great that Apple distributes many
of its own documents in MacWrite format. Although the MacWrite 4.x
format has plenty of limitations, I could live with it as a standard
if a PD reader/printer was available. Until then, I don't think it
is appropriate to use. Yes, I know that virtually every word
processor can read MacWrite format, but I also know that the
translation is often slightly screwed up. Enough so that page breaks
change (yes even checking both ImageWriter and LaserWriter formats)
and margins and indents don't always come out right. When I receive
a MacWrite document, the only way I can be sure that I can print it
perfectly is to use MacWrite 4.6.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 08:24:17 EST
From: Murph Sewall <SEWALL%UCONNVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: ANOTHER REQUEST FOR STANDARDIZATION OF TEXT FILES

On 26 MAR 91 21:04:58 CDT you said:
>EXCEL.  The READ ME.TXT is in MacSink.
>]   I don't have MacSink and neither do any of the locals.

McSk (McSink) files are STRAIGHT ASCII (text) files.  Even your commware
program should be able to display them :-)  There are several text file
display/editing programs in the archives INCLUDING McSink.  If all else
fails, try opening with a word processor :-)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 13:28 MET
From: KRAALINGEN%CABO.AGRO.nl@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Subject: Apple File Exch. and creator attribute

Dear Net,

I am using Apple File Exchange quite frequently to convert text files to
and from MS-DOS machines. After conversion to the Mac the icons of the
file are just plain document icons because the creator attribute has
been set to nothing. Unfortunately, the Apple File Exchange program
does not allow the user to set this at his own will. Is it possible to
have AFE give the file a creator attribute ? If this involves editing
with RESEDIT or programs alike, where in the program should this be done ?
If everything fails what is a good DA to modify file types and
creators ?

Daniel van Kraalingen, kraalingen@cabo.agro.nl

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 09:01 MST
From: JBPowlesland%UNCAMULT.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: archiving software

We recently acquired an EOD and wish to archive our publishing
departments files (page layout, word processing, graphics files).  Does
anyone have any recommendations for archiving software?  I've seen some
reports on MarcoPolo from Mainstay Corp.  and it looks pretty good.

Jim Powlesland, University of Calgary

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 13:14 EST
From: Rhoadent King <G_WERNER@cc.brynmawr.edu>
Subject: Decoding a .LZH archive file

Hello there....


I was wondering if there was a program for the macintosh that would decode 
.lzh archive files (for the amiga I think) like UUncode does.

If there is one, could you please give me the name, and where it would be 
possible for me to obtain it.

Thank you,   Gordon Werner

G_WERNER@cc.brynmawr.edu

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 14:24:53 EST
From: "Joao C. Portinari" <PUCRJPP%BRLNCC.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Electronic Publishing & Mac & Fine Arts

Hello friends from the net:
I would appreciate if any of you publishing gurus could help
us on the following query.
I. We are engaged in the preparation of a Catalogue Raisonne
on the complete works of the Brazilian painter Candido
Portinari (1903-1962), which will include reproductions and
data about some 5,000 paintings, drawings and prints. Some of
these shall be reproduced in full color, but we have not yet
determined how many.
The estimated size of the complete edition is 8 volumes of
250 pages each.
These past 12 years were spent in locating, visiting (and
photographing, both in b&w and in color - mostly 2 1/4
transparencies, some 4x5 and a few odd sizes) and cataloging
the works, many times in far off places, such as Finland,
Checoslovaquia, Haiti, Canada, Israel, besides most countries
in the 3 Americas and in Europe, as well as in more than 20
states in Brazil.
We would like to prepare the publication in-house, as we have
a complete Mac IIfx platform, and we have recently received
an important grant to purchase a good typesetter, a scanner,
etc., that will allow us not only to publish what we have to
publish, but also to survive as an university-based cultural
project.
Our search has narrowed to two imagesetters: the Linotronic
330 and the Varityper 5300, and two color scanners: the
Barneyscan CIS 4520 and the Array Technologies AS-1.
But it is quite difficult to us from here to have access to
actual users, and to have direct info from hands-on
experienced people on the customer side of the equation.
Therefore, it would be of great significance to our work if
you could kindly give us any pointers that you might have on
our endeavour.
Another issue that we are facing is the decision whether to
use the color separation&selection capabilities of such
equipment in our catalogue . We have never seen or heard
about a Fine Arts publication, reproducing an artist's
paintings in full color ***and that was produced using, say,
the Linocolor package, or something equivalent***. Any
information on this would also be highly appreciated.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, we might choose to prepare
our plates in b&w only and, for the color reproductions, to
have them made the conventional way. At least until the
state-of-the-art becomes really available with the quality
required by an Art book (or would this be already possible?).
Of course this would be much more expensive, we would loose
control of the intermediate steps, etc.,  and, of course, it
might be hard to justify purchasing such an expensive setup
just to prepare b&w plates.
Any info on books, magazines, places and people would also be
of great help.
Please give us a hand to help us making the right choices!
Please reply directly to me as I am not a subscriber of this
list. (if you know of any other list that you feel might be
appropriate for a query such as ours, please inform its
address).
Thanking you in advance, I wish a Happy Easter to you all.
Joao Candido Portinari
Projeto Portinari - PUC University of Rio
Rua Marques Sao Vicente 225
Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22453 Brazil
Phones: 055-21-529-9364 or 055-21-529-9457
FAX: 055-21-259-9697

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 19:33:18 EST
From: Dieder Bylsma <UOG01162@vm.uoguelph.ca>
Subject: Flaky Mac+?

Okay, first, a big thanks to all those who responded. I did the following:

checked solder joints, and re-melted/re-sealed anything that looked different
>From the other shiny solder joints on the power supply board.

checked wires leading up to CRT. Nothing looked loose or was loose.

checked flyback transformer, seems to be goin ok...doesn't look worn out or
otherwise stressed.

Yet, once I take this Mac back home with me, she starts acting up again,
with a bad case of horizontal shivers. Right now, I have taken it to a friend
to show him the problem, and wouldn't you know it? The problem promptly
disappears! So, this leaves me with one option that is absurd to me:

Electro-Magnetic-Interference? Sounds kinda strange to me, but it sure isn't
acting up outside of my room. Strange thing is that nothing has changed in
my room, the problem just seemed to start up with no obvious reason.

Anybody got any clues?

Right now its running fine with its cover on and at someone else's place and
I feel like quite the fool. I sure wish problems were more reproducible!


Thanks for all the replies, they were quite helpful.

Dieder Bylsma

------------------------------

Date: 27 March 1991 22:36:21 CST
From: "Stephen Kawalko  " <U40857%UICVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: FORTRAN compilers

Any suggestions regarding FORTRAN compilers for the Mac?  I am
currently in the process of revising some large and poorly written
FORTRAN programs.  If it were my decision to make I would simply
translate the programs into Pascal.  Unfortunately, its not and
since I am without a FORTRAN compiler I am forced to fight with
the editor and FORTRAN compiler on the university mainframe.

The only information I have on FORTRAN compilers for the Mac
consists of a photo-copy of a review of MacFORTRAN
(Microsoft/Absoft), MACTRAN PLUS (DCM Data Products) and MPW
FORTRAN (Language Systems) which appeared in the November, 1988
issue of `Computer Language' and a brochure for MACTRAN PLUS.  Are
there any other FORTRAN compilers available?

I basically need FORTRAN 77 compatibility plus some common
extensions like double precision complex variables.  An integrated
editor and debugger would be nice but not essential.  Since I am
trying to keep the programs machine independent I do not have a
need for an interface to toolbox routines.

Stephen Kawalko ( u40857@uicvm )

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 19:20:39 CST
From: Marshall Carroll <NU163467@vm1.nodak.edu>
Subject: HD backup onto floppies

Hi. I would like to backup the contents of my 40 Mb Quantum hard disk
(on a IIsi) onto floppies such that the directory structure will remain
intact when (and if) I have to restore the contents from the floppies.
What are some good, simple, inexpensive programs that can do this?
They don't have to be super quick. Is HFS backup a good choice? What
does HFS stand for? Thank you very much for your help. Marsh
Internet: NU163467@VM1.NODAK.EDU
BITNET:   NU163467@NDSUVM1

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 15:03 EDT
From: <PJORGENS%COLGATEU.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> (Peter Jorgensen)
Subject: HyperCard get the clickchunk

Robert Gauthier writes:
>
>According to hypertalkreference the value returned by get the clickchunk
>should be  word posinteger of cd(bg) field posinteger
>in fact it seems unless i am mistaken that it always returns
>char posinteger to char posinteger of ........
>What is going on?
>how can I know the position of a word in a field?

According to "HyperCard 2.0: The Book" by Winkler and Kamins, the clickchunk
only returns the range of characters in the word or grouped text that the user
clicked on. The HyperTalk Ref stack apparently is wrong about returning the
word (it's a nice idea, too!).

All I can suggest is to write a handler that loops through the words from 1 to
number of words in value(the target) checking to see it word n is the
clicktext. (I know that this algorithm has problems, maybe I'll write an XFCN
to return the clickword.

Hope this helps - Peter Jorgensen - PJORGENSEN@COLGATEU.BITNET

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91  08:34:25 EST
From: ZAK@cu.nih.gov
Subject: ImageWriter II

Been fooling around with my ImageWriter II lately,
using the serial printer driver and typewriter
resource to access some of the ImageWriter's resident
fonts with escape codes.  That's some FAST printing.
Problem is, there's no pagination; i.e., the ImageWriter
will print right over the perfs onto the next page.
I haven't changed anything other than the printer in
Chooser.  What's happening?  Is this obvious to
everyone but me?  [I doubt anyone else would be
interested in this bit of esoterica; if you've got
an answer, please mail me privately.  Thanks!]


P.S.  Thanks to everyone who answered my question
      about the overprint character.  I'll be able
      to pass this info along to my associate on
      Thursday.

------------------------------

Date: 28 Mar 91 16:35 GMT
From: KURAS@applelink.apple.com (Kuras, Patrick)
Subject: Info-Mac Digest V9 #73

Bruce:
 
You can get TrueType fonts from Bitstream, Monotype, Linotype, Casady & Greene
and more companies to come. Prices should be around $30 per face, depending on
vendor.
 
Apple will release the LaserWriter Plus set sometime around System 7
introduction.
 
Thanks for your good comments about TrueType.
 
pat
apple

 

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 10:15:54 PST
From: Michael O'Henly <LUX@uvvm.uvic.ca>
Subject: Info-Mac Digest V9 #74

Michael McGuire says...

>Everyone please be aware that the Apple Computer has said that unless you have
>a Mac Classic, Mac LC, or Mac IIsi YOU SHOULD NOT USE 6.0.7.  It is know to be
>buggy.  6.0.5 is the system of choice (we have run it on all macs in many
>configs with NO problems since it came out.)  ONLY USE 6.0.7. IF YOU MUST
>otherwise use 6.0.5.  Apple knows about the problems but with 7.0 so close
>(May) they are not going to fix it.

  Where exactly does Apple say that 6.0.7 is buggy? Surely they're not thinking
that all those thousands of Classic purchasers with defective systems are going
to immediately upgrade to System 7.0?

  I've been using 6.0.7 on my IIci for months with no problems. Before I up-
grade the other Macs at our site, I'd really like to hear some FACTS...

   Michael O'Henly
   McPherson Library, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., Canada.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 10:40:54 PST
From: Michael O'Henly <LUX@uvvm.uvic.ca>
Subject: Info-Mac Digest V9 #74

   Re: Academic Pricing for Nisus word processor

   Academic pricing (US$99. plus shipping) is available for faculty, staff, and
students of Canadian and American universities (perhaps other countries as well
- I didn't ask) when you order directly from the publisher, Paragon Concepts.
This is a pretty decent discount from the typical mail-order price of US$250.

   I only found out about this by accident. Is there anywhere you can get this
sort of information short of calling up the publisher and asking? (Our campus
computer store only list academic prices for Claris and Microsoft products.)

   Michael O'Henly
   McPherson Library, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., Canada.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 10:53:51 PST
From: Michael O'Henly <LUX@uvvm.uvic.ca>
Subject: Info-Mac Digest V9 #74

   Re: dBASE Legal Issues

Kirke B. Lawton says...

>I read somewhere that the company that makes dBASE is having legal trouble
>because it allegedly based its trademark (or was it a patent) application
>on work that was in the public domain without revealing that fact. The
>article suggested that the courts could rule that dBASE is now in the public
>domain. Does anyone have any details about this? Is this why I have seen
>dBASE Mac advertised for $59.00?

   From what I've heard, Ashton-Tate is in trouble because what they were
attempting to establish as their property was derived from work done at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory and, as you say, they didn't acknowledge this. If
you look in Byte or PC Week over the last few months, you'll find all the
details. What may or may not wind up in the public domain is not dBASE - the
Ashton-Tate software product, but dBASE - the command language (on which dBASE
IV, dBASE Mac, FoxBase, Clipper, etc. are all based.)

   dBASE Mac has been sold by Ashton-Tate back to its original developer. I
would investigate very carefully before buying it (at any price).

   Michael O'Henly
   McPherson Library, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., Canada.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1991 3:30:30 CST
From: JWK4946@summa.tamu.edu (Jeff  Keys)
Subject: Inside Mac DA Author's change of address

Howdy netters,

According to my latest issue of BMUG's newsletter, Bernard Gallet, the author 
of the Inside Mac DA has moved.  The address listed in the about dialog of my 
copy of IM is in Cupertino.  The new address is:

Bernard Gallet
20052 Knollwood Dr.
Saratoga, CA 95070

If you're out there anywhere Bernard please instruct those of us who have sent 
in our shareware fees months ago with no response.  Thanks.

Jeff "X.O.C.C.T." Keys              President, Texas A&M Macintosh Users Group
INTERNET:  JWK4946.RIGEL.TAMU.EDU or JWK4946.128.194.3.91

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 MAR 91 16:16:57 GMT
From: AEIC0456%VAX1.CENTRE.QUEENS-BELFAST.AC.UK@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: Looking for xgif application !

Would someone please let me know where I could download the 'xgif'
application from - an X-Windows application to display gif images.

Thanks, George

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 13:58:30 GMT
From: Emmanuel CASTRO <CASTRO%FRMOP11.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Mac+ problem resolved

Hi from France

I think have found why certain Mac+ have screen problem.
(Surging, shrinking, warping...)

I had this problem before, but I could fix it up. It's very simple.
There's a false contact in the big four pins plug linked with the
cathodic tube (the sreen). So, you should:
  Open your Mac (It should be off-warranty)
  Find the plug
  Clean it and check it
    (you should see the problem: )
    (when you disturb the plug, the screen's shrinking)
CAUTION: there's VERY HI VOLTAGE near the cathodic tube,
	 so be VERY CAREFUL
         it may be DANGEROUS

I've no more problem since I've donne that.

Emmanuel CASTRO

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 11:41:37 SET
From: Norbert Mueller <K360171%EDVZ.UNI-Linz.AC.AT@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: NCSA Telnet, TN3270  vs. System 7

Has anybody managed to use NCSA telnet and TN3270 with 7.0b4. If this
major incompatibility is not resolved it may prevent many users here
(I suspect the majority) from ever using 7.0.
Thanks for any advice.


Norbert Mueller
Institute of Chemistry
Johannes Kepler University
A-4040 LINZ
AUSTRIA

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 15:30:19 SET
From: Alexander Falk <K360950%EDVZ.UNI-Linz.AC.AT@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Number Crunching - Help needed

Dear netfolk,

We are currently planning to buy a machine purely for number crunching
(simulation of x-ray diffraction profiles). What we need is at least
10 MFlops, but we don't have too much money to spend (<$20K)...

We would also like to use the machine for normal stuff (therefore I'd
love to see that this machine is a Mac!), so the question is: does
anyone have experience with add-on hardware for Macs that provides
this kind of number crunching power (i.e. transputer boards, RISC boards,
etc.). Or should we rather invest in a unix-box (Sun, HP, IBM, ...)?

Any help is appreciated. Please mail directly to me and I'll summarize to
the net if there is enough interest.

Thanks,

A
 L  exander
  F alk

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91  10:53:37 EDT
From: GPFRN@gnos.nist.gov (GLENN FORNEY, 301-975-6884 NBS/CFR)
Subject: pict to eps conversion?

i am interested in converting a PICT file to an encapsulated
postscript (EPS) file.  is anyone aware of any utility or
program for doing this?  the command f (or command k) method for
re-directing postscript output to a file is not suitable since
the generated postscript is not in the EPS format.

glenn forney
gpfrn@gnos.nist.gov

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 13:29 MET
From: KRAALINGEN%CABO.AGRO.nl@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Subject: Postscript to DEC Printserver 20 connected to VAX

Dear Net,

I want to print a Mac postscript file (captured with Laserfix)
on a non-Apple laserprinter (DEC Printserver 20) that is connected to a VAX
running VMS. Upload facilities are an IBM compatible PC
using kermit. I foresee at least one problem uploading the
postscript file because the VAX does not like long records very much.
I don't really want to find out all the ins and outs this time by
experience because so many people are using that machine and I don't
want to mess things up. What is the best way to get Mac postscript to
that printer ? Any help is greatly appreciated.


Daniel van Kraalingen, kraalingen@cabo.agro.nl

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 09:51:04 PLT
From: Paul Brians <HRC$04@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu>
Subject: StyleWriter & FileMaker

Has anybody had any experience using the new StyleWriter with FileMaker?
Specifically, does it print any faster/better than the Hewlett Packard
DeskWriter (which has serious problems with FM)?

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Mar 91 17:40 EST
From: NEUBURG@swat.swarthmore.edu
Subject: StyleWriter -- inital impressions

Well, encouraged by the help from various netters, who responded to my 
earlier query about the Stylewriter by telling me that I would be able
to use the included truetype fonts *and* take advantage of type 1 fonts
thru ATM, transparently, I went ahead and bought one of the things. A batch
of them *just* came in to the College here, and I was the first buyer.
Price, with the educational discount, only slightly more than the price of
an ImageWriter II with the educational discount (even with the tax it came
to less than $400).

Ease of Use: A+. I had it connected, up and running, and printing my first
document, a letter *and* the envelope, as fast I could flip thru the pages
of the manual. Takes up, as you no doubt know, very little space on the
desk, and you can make it take up even less space if you do not attach the
paper-feeder to it and do not unfold the paper-catch arms which receive each
page when it is printed. Has two manual feed slots, one in front and one in
back; the one in back is for envelopes, so that they don't go round a loop
in the process of being printed, and you can feed an envelope in thru the
back slot without removing or in any way touching the paper already sitting
in the automatic paper feed, so the process of alternating paper with 
envelopes is painless.

Speed: Well, this depends on your orientation towards life. There is obviously
a trade-off here. You can imagine how long it takes to print a page when I
describe the process for you. First, the computer thinks about the page for
a while (not terribly long); then, the printer initializes itself, with some
zooping and humming inside (I take it it is getting its ink ready and stuff
like that); then, it proceeds to print, about a line of text at a time. The
way a line of text prints is: you hear the head zoop to one side; then you hear
it zoop to the other side; then the paper feeds a line's-worth; then there
is a pause. Each these actions is about one second, so you may now imagine the
paper creeping slowly out of the slot at about 4 secs per line. I have not
tried it with background printing yet. -- However, I should just add (something
I had not realised before) that there is a second speed ("Faster", as opposed
to "Best"), which you set in the "Print" dialog; and it really is *quite*
fast (must faster than an ImageWriter at "Faster" speed) with really very
little loss in readability: the main difference is that it comes out fainter.
Thus, if what you wanted to do was print the text of a program you were 
writing, as opposed to generating a business letter, you could really do it
very quickly.

Type Quality: Great, BUT... I mean, I bought this thing to replace my old 
ImageWriter, and it definitely is better than *that*! But if what you want
to is generate camera-ready copy, you're going to want to want a real Laser-
Writer. Problem is the nature of ink-jetting itself, I think. I said before
that you hear the print head zoop one way, then the other way, and that I
thought each zoop was probably half a line of text or so. Well, at the point
where the two half-lines meet (that is to say, about half-way down each
character), you can see a little wiggle: the character sticks out an extra
dot or so on the right, and is indented a dot or so on the left. It's more
noticeable on some passes than others, but it leaves me with the impression,
while reading, of having a hair in my mouth: you know, that gnawing feeling
that things aren't quite right in the world. Maybe others aren't as sensitive
to this as I am. I tried different papers but it didn't seem to make a
different. I'm happy with it and will stick with it, and am very glad to have
a home printer that will reproduce graphics in as fine detail as a LaserWriter
and will handle text down to real small (like, 6 pt is no problem), but do
not expect the sort of crisp definition you get from a LaserWriter.

Disclaimer: all just the initial impressions, subject to change, of Matt
Neuburg = neuburg@campus.swarthmore.edu

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 11:38:18 EST
From: Tkelley@hel4.brl.mil
Subject: Tracker program

To whomever has the knowledge,

      I need a program, which would be an init I would 
imagine, that would continually create a text file of every 
key stroke and mouse movement a person makes no matter what 
the application. This is a daunting task, and the thought of 
doing such a progam myself, after 2 years of HyperCard 
development and some xcmd writing, is not an appealing idea. 
I know about MacInUse and Tempo II, but these do not do what 
I want. Any input would be helpful and appreciated...

--Troy Kelley

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End of Info-Mac Digest
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