Info-Mac-Request@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (The Moderators) (02/14/89)
Info-Mac Digest Mon, 13 Feb 89 Volume 7 : Issue 31
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
AppleLink/BITNET relay
ApplicationMenu 3.3
Canvas 2.0 "short" review...
File checksums
Hypercard problems
Imagewriter II spooler
Info-Mac <=> Delphi
LaserJet driver software
Looking for TurboPASCAL code for MBLs
LSC 301p4 (Third Try)
Mac graphing
System Error 42
Virtual - some praise, some problems
Your Info-Mac Moderators are Lance Nakata, Jon Pugh, and Bill Lipa.
The Info-Mac archives are available (by using FTP, account anonymous, any
password) in the info-mac directory on sumex-aim.stanford.edu [36.44.0.6].
Please send articles and binaries to info-mac@sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
Send administrative mail to info-mac-request@sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 14:27:25 CST
From: "Mark R. Williamson" <MARK%RICE@icsa.rice.edu>
Subject: Administrivia
[The postmaster at RICE] has run into a problem. He is getting hundreds of
pieces of bounced mail per day, caused by non-BITNET, non-Internet sites asking
our server for files. Unfortunately, our gateway to the Internet and
beyond does not know how to reach sites represented by MX records in the
Internet Domain Name Servers. The gateway function is performed by IBM's
TCP/IP for VM product, 5798-FAL, which does not understand MX records.
The IBM development team understands the problem, but has not yet issued
changes to correct it.
Until the gateway can handle MX records, I have to ask that use of our
server be restricted to sites on, or directly addressible from, BITNET.
Since users directly on the Internet should be able to FTP from Stanford,
this should affect only users on "the far side" of the Internet as
viewed from BITNET, primarily USENET sites. Some sites are behind
gateways smart enough to provide usable return addresses, via the %
kludge or source routing, but since we cannot determine which sites
those are, we must ask even them to stop using our server for a while.
Our postmaster has been kind enough to forward as much of the bounced
mail as he could (that for which he could find a gateway). After this
message appears in an Info-Mac digest, I will let him know that he may
switch to telling users at non-addressible sites to stop using us. If
they continue, we may have to add code to our server to ignore requests
>From those sites.
We both are sorry to have to take this step, but he does have other
work to do besides forwarding errant Macintosh archive files.
Mark R. Williamson, Rice University, Houston, TX; MARK@ICSA.RICE.EDU
Coordinating BITNET redistribution of Info-Mac archive files from Rice.
[We are trying to work out a path which will have greater success. Until
then, please refrain from using the e-mail server unless you are on Bitnet.
Stay tuned. -Bill]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 15:50 EDT
From: <PJORGENS%COLGATEU.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: AppleLink/BITNET relay
Several people expressed a need to know how to communicate from AppleLink TO
BITNET, so here goes.
In AppleLink's memo addressing dialog box:
In "To:" field enter
"DASNET" (without the quotes)
in "Subject:" field enter
userid@node.BITNET
For example:
TO: DASNET
SUBJECT: pjorgensen@colgateu.bitnet
AppleLink users should note the restrictions and limitations of this relay as
described in appropriate AppleLink documents (check Apple Progs. folder etc.)
AppleLink users may even have to be "authorized" to use this service, if so,
contact Tony Wong (AppleLink WONG8) for information.
Peter Jorgensen Microcomputer Specialist
Computer Center Colgate University
BITNET PJORGENSEN@COLGATEU
APPLELINK U0523
CompuServe 74010,1353
Phone (315) 824-1000 ext 742
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 10:15:48 -0800
From: lsr@apple.com
Subject: ApplicationMenu 3.3
Enclosed is the latest version of ApplicationMenu (3.3). This is a
cdev/INIT that provides a popup menu of all the applications you have
running under MultiFinder. You can switch applications by choosing from
this popup menu.
This version has a number of improvements over 2.0:
* Works with MultiFinder 6.1a2 (with Set Aside).
* Works with Suitcase & FullWrite Professional.
* You can popup the menu anywhere.
The enclosed documentation describes the software in more detail.
Larry Rosenstein, Object Specialist
Apple Computer, Inc. 20525 Mariani Ave, MS 46-B Cupertino, CA 95014
AppleLink:Rosenstein1 domain:lsr@Apple.COM
UUCP:{sun,voder,nsc,decwrl}!apple!lsr
[Archived as /info-mac/cdev/applicationmenu-33.hqx; 16K]
------------------------------
Date: Mon 13 Feb 89 01:40:09-PDT
From: Elliot Bennett <ELLIOT@star3.stanford.edu>
Subject: Canvas 2.0 "short" review...
A number of people have been curious about Canvas 2.0 (or at least what graphics
packages are "out there") and I thought I would help out with my impressions of
Canvas 2.0 now that I've had some time to play with it.
Very simply, Canvas is (in my opinion) simply the BEST (non-CAD) graphics
package in ANY software market. In fact, read this review, and if anyone knows
of something better ON ANY MACHINE, I'd like to know.
A "short" list of Canvas' features include:
GENERAL
-------
o ABSOLUTELY the BEST user-interface I have ever seen on the Mac (and I
studied user-interface design at Stanford [I could talk a LOT about
this if anyone's interested]).
o supports 16 mill. colors (using the color wheel and/or saved sets of color
tables to set the current color palete). It uses a great pop-up color
palate to access the colors. You can set fore- and background colors.
o unlimited layers (memory permitting). Different layers can be saved to a
separate file or printed (e.g., print layers 3,8, and 23). Layers are
easily reordered, hidden, or greyed (for tracing bitmaps, for example).
Easy transfer of objects between layers.
o Tons of well placed and useful pop-up menus (as alternates to the pull-down/
heirarchical menus under the menu bar)
o Zoom in/out by up to 64 times using a brilliat pop-up menu, a magnifying
glass, or the keyboard.
o Custom editable fill/pen patterns (patterned sets can be saved to disk.
"Only" 60 or so patterns can be seen/used at once).
o Fill/Pen patterns can be a postscript gray scale (from 1-100% @1 deg. incr.).
o Tear-off rulers let you measure anything anywhere.
o Ruler zero-point reset
o Ruler guides
o Pen Modes (COPY, OR, BIC, XOR, and their compliments Not XOR, etc.)
o Pen sizes from 1 to 9 adjustible in both height and width
o Custom pen sizes of anything you like down to 1/8 of a PIXEL width for
hairlines (though 300 dpi laser printers can only print down to 1/4
of a pixel)
o Macros (of complicated objects savable into sets)
o New Textedit (allows letters to be INDIVIDUALLY sized, colored, styled, or
'font'ed.)
o 9 Feet x 9 Feet drawing space (and pages can be set to print with overlap
for easy cutting and pasting). Not only that, but you can set the
DIRECTION of printing the pages (i.e. horizontally or vertically).
Ever wonder in MacDraw which page it considered #2 when you had 2 down
and 2 across? Well, YOU set it in Canvas.
o Exports/Imports all the standards, including PICT (except it only imports
MacDraw).
o On-line Hypercard-like help that tells you most of what you need to know.
o White text on black background (done by using the BIC pen mode w/black fill).
OBJECT MODE
-----------
o Unlimited point Bezier curves. Well done (as in Illustrator).
o 3 standard types of EDITABLE arrow heads (w/ or w/o endlines).
o Auto-dimensioning (height, width, perimeter, and area) of objects
o Splitting and gluing of polygons. Points are easily added or subtracted.
o Open ovals (for pie charts, etc).
o Scaling of objects
o Duplicate feature lets you set # of copies, angle of rotation, start/stop
pattern fill and/or color, x/y offsets, % inc/decrease in size, and more
o Easily changed curvature of round-rectangles (ala MacDraft).
o Rotations at 1 degree increments
o Use arrow keys (in conjuction with Command or Option) to move objects 1, 10,
or 50 pixels at a time. Absolute must for accurate positioning (the
numbers 10 and 50 are user-changable to whatever you like).
BITMAP MODE
-----------
o Autotrace of bitmaps to polygons (this, like most autotracing, works so-so)
o Bitmaps up to 2540 dpi (I use 300 dpi for LW perfection).
o Full MacPaint tools that really are comparable to Superpaint
o Flow rate control on Spraycan.
o When zoomed, a reduced view of object appears in upper corner.
o More, but I don't use this quite as often, so I'm not as familiar w/it...
PLUS
----
o A LOT more (cropping, grids, multiple ruler scaling units...)
I could probably go on and on. To be fair, it does have a couple of
shortcomings. Like when you save a file, the icon is moved to a grid location
in the finder (if it's not at one already) and the color of the icon (on a Mac
ii [obviously]) is lost. Another minus is the inability to have "real" dashed
lines (like in Cricket Draw). In addition, text is only single spaced (no
double or 1.5- don't ask me why). And I would prefer floating palates to having
one in each window. But, hey, I can live with it...
So, if you're not using Canvas you've got to ask yourself why? (I've seen it
for as little as $150 mail order). You can get a demo version from them for
about $10 (I think). I will post it to the net in any case. My FREE upgrade
>From 1.0 also came with a desk accessory version that they claim has about 70%
of the program's capability (though on my 5 meg Mac ii under MF, I have little
need of it :-).
I'd really enjoy hearing why people wouldn't use this package. Please note that
my enthusiasm for this program comes from more than an impressive and long list
of features. It's not just WHAT they put in the program, but HOW they
implemented it. I, for one, am ready to go out and buy stock in Deneba...
Elliot Bennett
elliot@star.stanford.edu
P.S.
COMING REAL SOON! True dashed lines and WYSIWYG text wrapped around curves plus
LOTS more. Details as they arrive...
Disclaimer:
I am now a (highly biased) beta-tester for Canvas 2.0, so if anyone has any
comments, please don't hesitate to tell me...
-------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 11:50 EST
From: "Maj. Doug Hardie" <Hardie@dockmaster.arpa>
Subject: File checksums
I am looking for a program that will do a cryptographic checksum of a
file, including both the data and resource forks. I want to be able to
give it a key, and the file name, and receive the checksum. The program
must be freeware since I need to distribute it to lots of people. The
purpose is for others to be able to verify that the hypercard stacks
they receive are the same as those we distribute. While this may not
absolutely guarantee that, it is better than ignoring the problem.
-- Doug
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 11:56 EST
From: "Maj. Doug Hardie" <Hardie@dockmaster.arpa>
Subject: Hypercard problems
I have been trying to isolate the problems I have with hypercard. The
last query I put out didn t yield any assistance. The problems I
encounter are on a Mac+ with 6.0.2 and 1 Meg memory. They appear to be
related to the use of the menubar. In particular, using any DA causes
the problem. What happens is that after using the menubar, the play
command stops working. No sound is generated. Then after a bit of
continued use, hypercard can crash or starts providing corrupted cards
and error messages. The corruption of error messages is obvious, words
are missing from the text. I have used a Ma SE with accelerator and 4
Meg without any of these problems occuring. Continuing past the point
of noticible corruption can result in corrupted stacks on disk. Any
ideas on how to avoid this problem will be appreciated.
-- Doug
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 10:30:10 PLT
From: Joshua Yeidel <YEIDEL%WSUVM1.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Imagewriter II spooler
Please note that MultiFinder provides background printing ONLY for
laserwriters, not for ImageWriters, so Multifinder wouldn't do you
help this problem even if you had more memory.
There are several commercial spoolers, including SuperMac's SuperSpool,
available from the usual outlets.
- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --
Joshua Yeidel YEIDEL@WSUVM1.BITNET
Academic Computing Services YEIDEL@WSUVMS1.WSU.EDU
Washington State University (509) 335-0441
Pullman, WA 99164-1220
DISCLAIMER: I'm speaking solely for myself here, not Washington State U.
-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 16:47:05 -0600
From: Robert J. Hammen <hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Subject: Info-Mac <=> Delphi
Hi, I'm one of the folks who is now responsible for the gateway between
Delphi and Usenet/Info-Mac. I'm doing the file transfers between all of the
networks (including forwarding binaries from comp.binaries.mac). Jeff Shulman
has not yet picked someone to do the Usenet and Delphi digests, but they
will continue as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and your
cooperation.
Robert
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ Robert Hammen | hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu | uwmcsd1!uwmcsd4!hammen /
/ Delphi: HAMMEN | GEnie: R.Hammen | CI$: 70701,2104 | MacNet: HAMMEN /
/ Bulfin Printers | 1887 N. Water | Milwaukee WI 53202 | (414) 271-1887 /
/ 3839 N. Humboldt #204 | Milwaukee WI 53212 | (414) 961-0715 (h) /
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 17:51 PDT
From: "BRIAN KLAAS, CH3 POLE J7, MAILSTOP CH3-69" <BKLAAS%CH3@sc.intel.com>
Subject: LaserJet driver software
Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with a package called JetLink
Express by GDT Softworks Inc.? It is supposed to be a driver that supports
all font sizes, and even text rotation.
Thanks,
Brian Klaas
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 89 22:43:06 PST
From: Dan_MacIsaac@mtsg.ubc.ca
Subject: Looking for TurboPASCAL code for MBLs
Subject: MicroComputer Based Laboratories, Laboratory Interfacing
CERG is developing a Laboratory Interface for the MAC SE for use in HS Science
Laboratories (Chemistry, Biology and Physics), and I am writing TurboPASCAL
software to run an 8 channel A/D converter (of local design), graph and store
signals, load them into spreadsheets and calibrate sensors (microwave oven
thermometers, phototransistors and pH meters). I would greatly appreciate
any assistance that could be given to me by MAC PASCAL programmers in
developing this code. I am a new programmer on the MAC, and would
particularly welcome any source code that I could get my hands on.
Thanks in advance;
Daniel MacIsaac
Computers in Education Research Group
Dept of Mathematics and Science Education
University of British Columbia
CANADA
BITNET: Dan_MacIsaac@UBCMTSG.CA
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 89 14:38:24 EST
From: siegel@harvard.harvard.edu (Rich Siegel)
Subject: LSC 301p4 (Third Try)
This is the latest and greatest version of Lightspeed C.
[Archived as /info-mac/lang/think-c-updater-301p4.hqx; 104K]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 01:21:26 PST
From: calius@composite.stanford.edu (Emilio Calius)
Subject: Mac graphing
I responded to the original query directly, but upon seeing Bret
Ingerman's post in #30, I decided to post a copy of my message.
I disagree with Ingerman's recommendation of CricketGraph. It is a
very frustrating program for serious users. In this category, the really good
software is being produced by small outfits with smart algorithms. I encourage
you to seek them out and not default to Cricket's bigger advertising budget.
Although CricketGraph is what is (usually) on the dealer's shelves, the others
are easily available by mail order. The authors often have small ads in
MacWorld and/or MacUser.
If Rich Siegel sees this, maybe he would like to comment on the status
of FzzPlot.
David Swager's question was
---------------------------
>First, I would like to obtain a graphing software package for the Macintosh.
> I am mainly interested in creating 2D x-y graphs.
1) Producing good, publication-quality plots regularly is harder than it looks.
2) I have not heard of any PD graphing packages. There is a shareware program
called FzzPlot, but I don't know much about it. When I looked at it almost a
year ago it was missing a couple of features that were essential to me.
However, the author, Rich Siegel was constantly improving it, so it should
be worth another look. Rich is on the net, but I don't recall his address.
3) The best graphing package that I know of is Kaleidagraph, or at least
version 2. I spent 30-40 minutes talking to one of its developers and
putting it through its paces at MacWorld Expo. It's due out in March I think.
The current version is nice (and FAST!), but it doesn't let you mix line and
scatter plots on the same graph. You can kludge it with a scatter plot by
joining the points with lines and making the plot symbol invisible, but it
annoys me. However, that's fixed in 2.0, and they have added a number of
features that I like. They have always had a good upgrade policy (send them
a disk and $10 to get the latest version), so I would recommend KaleidaGraph
as your first choice. You should be able to get it for about $150 at a
discount place.
4) A good alternate choice is Passage. That is what we use at present. The
interface is a little idiosyncratic, and sometimes irritating, but it produces
excellent quality graphs and is quite fast. If you need something right now,
this is a good choice. We paid a little under $200.
5) Whatever you do, stay away from CricketGraph. I had to deal with it for
a couple of years. It produces output that in general is far inferior to that
of the two programs mentioned above, the dashed lines options are a joke if
you have more than 10-20 data points, and it insists in redrawing the entire
graph after even the smallest change (when you have a few hundred points,
redrawing can easily take 15 minutes!!!). Enough said.
6) Some of the better spreadsheed packages have decent graphing functions.
Trapeze in particular. WingZ (at least the demo version) isn't bad either.
However, they are usually slower and lack important (to me) features when
compared to specialized graphing programs. Excel, etc. are even more
"business-graph" oriented than the above (N flavors of pie graphs)
I hope this information saves you a little frustration. Feel free
to ask me any questions. And let me know if you find a program that I haven't
mentioned here. I do a lot of graphs, so I would appreciate hearing about
anything interesting that you dig up.
Emilio P. Calius
Structures & Composites Lab
Aeronautics & Astronautics
Stanford University
** It is occasionally the curse of visionaries to see their visions fulfulled.
-- author??
------------------------------
Date: Mon 13 Feb 1989 01:44 CDT
From: GREENY <MISS026%ECNCDC.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: System Error 42
Thanks to all of you out there who have responded to my posting requesting
help regarding the System Error 42. One respondant even dropped me a copy
of the System Errors 2.0 DA!
Once again...thanks to all. Also, since the mailer at my site screwed up my
response to Dave Platt -- I'll post it here:
Thanks again Dave...
Bye for now but not for long
Greeny
BITNET: MISS026@ECNCDC
Internet: MISS026%ECNCDC.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 89 18:03:57 +0100
From: Sigurd Meldal <sigurd@eik.ii.uib.no>
Subject: Virtual - some praise, some problems
Summary: Virtual does not work when you're using an ethernet card (at
least one exception applies, though).
I have just installed Virtual on my MacII, extending my memory from 5
MBytes (real) to 8 MBytes (somewhat imaginary). 8 Megs feel like a
lot (at least for a couple of days), and for my uses the slowdown
caused by swapping is hardly noticeable.
I have encountered one serious problem, though: Virtual seems to be
incompatible with EtherNet cards - some in a worse way than others.
If an ethernet card is installed, an EtherTalk is chosen in the
control panel, the Mac plain refuses to boot - it stutters once, then
plays a cheery scale of four notes, and blacks out. Dead.
For a Kinetics EtherCard II that's the end of the story - the card and
Virtual cannot be used at the same time.
The same problem occurs with Apple's EtherTalk card, with one (in my
case VERY significant difference): Apple's card works for some
applications (notably Stanford University's SU-MacIP) even if you have
chosen "internal" as the network of choice (this does not work with
vanilla NCSA Telnet). And with "internal" chosen, Virtual does its
thing without causing problems.
-- Sigurd
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End of Info-Mac Digest
******************************