INFO-MAC-REQUEST@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (Moderators Dwayne Virnau... and Lance Nakata) (12/13/87)
INFO-MAC Digest Saturday, 12 Dec 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 144
Today's Topics:
Laserwriter 4.0 - Bug?
Generating PostScript output
Postscript errors
Re:LaserWriter Accelerators
general mac SE questions
Mac+ ---> LQP02
Ethernet <-> AppleTalk ?
FontDisplay 5.3
MOLECULAR GRAPHICS PROGRAM BALL & STICK
December Vaporware (Newsletter column)
Nerd Perfect Vaporware
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 30 Nov 87 15:40:35 ECT
From: FALK%NORUNIT.BITNET@ICSA.RICE.EDU
Subject: Laserwriter 4.0 - Bug?
When printing only the last pages from long documents, or selected pages
from a complex document. (Page 8 from a complex Mac-draft document, or page
20 from an OMNIS-report), the printing is aborted with a TIMEOUT message.
Printi makes the laser run into a timeout error.. Are there any way (or
patch) to avoid this situation?
Chris.
SINTEF
NORWAY
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 87 15:55 EST
From: <DROMS%BKNLVMS.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Generating PostScript output
I'm having a lot of difficulty generating PostScript output
to a file from the LaserWriter driver. I have a new SE, with
LaserWriter v5.0. I've tried both cmd-f and cmd-k immediately
after selecting "OK", but only occasionally (twice, to date)
has the output file been generated. I've tried running with Finder,
Multifinder, AppleTalk enabled, AppleTalk disabled, etc. I can't
seem to duplicate the conditions that generated the PostScript
files. And, not every application seems to go through the LaserWriter
dialog box before trying to print (or am I confused?).
Can anyone give me some clues as to what I might be doing wrong? Is
the procedure for generating PostScript documented anywhere?
Ralph Droms
------------------------------
Date: 11-DEC-1987 13:14:02.05
From: RUBNER AT DGATUM5P
Subject: Postscript errors
Since I have been using the new system with multifinder on the macII, I
can't print documents on the QuumeScriptTen-Laserwriter that is connected
through Appletalk to the MacII. There always appears an error message :"a
poscript error has been generated". I tried to use the laserwriter and
laserprep applications of the old system, but it doesn't help (they are not
compatible).
Is there an easy trick to solve that problem? Thank you for any suggestions.
Jeannette
Rubner@dgatum5p.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 87 13:29:54 CST
From: Robert Joseph Hammen <hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Subject: Re:LaserWriter Accelerators
>From: PUGH%CCV.MFENET@NMFECC.ARPA
>Subject: LaserWriter Accelerator Boards
>I heard/read a rumor a while back about Laserwriter accelerator boards that
>were supposed to make your Apple Laserwriter faster/stronger/better.
>Does anyone have any information about these sorts of things?
There are two companies (to my knowledge) that are developing hardware to
improve the performance of your LaserWriter. Olduvai Software has a hardware
division called "Blue Whale Technologies" that is working on an accelerator
for the LaserWriter. They were displaying a prototype at MacWorld/Boston.
There is another company, I believe named Mass Micro, that is developing
memory expansion boards, SCSI ports, etc. for the LaserWriter. I do believe
that one of the principals of the company is the former product manager for
the LaserWriter. In any case, the company supposedly has a RAM upgrade out
now to upgrade the LaserWriter to 3 MB of RAM, which will result in some
speed improvement - it's more useful if you use a lot of downloadable fonts.
If you're looking to replace your LaserWriter, check out the QMS PS-800 II.
I believe that model uses a 68020 controller board. It lists for $6495.
Olduvai Software, 6900 Mentone, Coral Gables, FL 33146
(305)665-4665, (800)628-2828 ext. 751
Mass Micro, 3250 Joy St., Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408)998-1200, (800)253-8900
=========================================================================
Robert Hammen Computer Applications, Inc. hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu
Delphi: HAMMEN GEnie: R.Hammen CI$: 70701,2104
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 87 00:42 CST
From: <OPTON%UHVAX1.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: general mac SE questions
I am contemplating buying a Mac SE, and have a few questions.
Any and all information, rumor, legend, whatever, is gratefully
accepted.
1. I do a _lot_ of moving around. How rugged is the MacSE?
Particularly the hard disk.The machine will probably be making
the trip to and from work with me at least four or five times a
week, not to mention trips to the country house (read 'parents
house') on weekends. This is in addition to plane trips (read,
luggage handlers).
While I am obviously not particularly fond of MS-DOS, I
do have four programs that I regularly use. Are there MS-DOS
coprocessor boards for the SE, and how good are they? The
programs are Orcad's SDT schematic design program, Tango-Route
PCB autorouter, and Tango-PCB printed circuit board drafting
program, and I occasionally use VersaCad. Are there SE
equivalents?
3. I cannot at this time afford a laserwriter. Is there a
black box that will let me use my DataProducts daisywheel printer
(this is a Diablo 630 compatible) with the SE for letter quality
docs, preferably through Appletalk?
Thanks in advance,
Lee Thomison
BITNET: OPTON@UHVAX1
landline: (713) 749-3127
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 87 11:44 EST
From: <TOM@FANDM.BITNET> (Tom Mahoney -Tech Support)
Subject: Mac+ ---> LQP02
Our Computer Staff is currently working on a proposal to replace
all the DecMates (sorry, DEC) with MacPlus/SE and LaserWriter networks.
Since the need seems to be there, they would also like to utilize the DEC
LQP02 printers at each work station. They would use the Modem port of the
Macs.
I have been given the assignment of attempting to interface the
Macs with the LQP02 printers. We will be usinng MicroSoft Word...3.0 or
3.1. I have tried all the printer drivers that are included With Word and,
while all of them work to some degree, none of them is right. DEC tells me
that the LQP02 is a Qume printer and I know that the Apple DWP was too, but
the Apple DWP driver won't work...I suspect due to the fact that they
emulate different Qume Printers.
The findings of all this are that the best driver is the plain vanilla
"Typewriter" driver, whose only fault is that it gives an extra 1/2 line
feed after any line that contains an underscore.
Does anyone out there know how to make the LQP02 work correctly?
Am I missing something in hardware? Is there a patch for one of the
drivers? If a patch is the answer, where can I get it. Keep in mind that
I am strictly the hardware type and am limited to knowing what a patch is.
Appreciate any help!!!
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 87 19:46:13 est
From: demers@dmc-crc.arpa (Lewis Demers)
Subject: Ethernet <-> AppleTalk ?
HI!
We have 11 Mac + (with internal HyperDrives), 2 Mac SE
(with Apple hard disc), 1 Mac II, 2 Laserwriter Plus on Appletalk.
We also have Sun 3's and VAXes(VMS) on Ethernet (TCP/IP).
We would like to do the following:
1- Print from the Sun (on ethernet) to a LaserWriter Plus
(on AppleTalk).
2- Transfer files between Suns, VAXes and Macs (all
possible permutations).
3- Remote login from a Mac to Suns and VAXes with terminal
emulations ( at least VT100).
4- Electronic mail.
5- File servers.
We plan to buy a Kinetics FastPath for the Mac + and Mac SE's
and Apple's EtherTalk card for the Mac II. We are looking for
reliable software packages (public domain or commercial) to meet
the requirements above. We would also like to hear about
compatibility problems between different software.
The software has to work on the latest versions of System and
Finder and be available NOW !
After contacting different companies, it is not
clear what we can do with the hardware once it is installed.
Here is what we tried so far:
1- Hardware: - EtherSC (on Mac +, Mac Se and Mac II).
Software: - AT-TELNET (downloaded from sumex-aim).
Bombed or froze on every Mac.
- NCSA telnet 1.12
Terminal Emulation and FTP worked only on
Mac + when booting from a floppy (no HyperDrive ).
or a Mac SE. We could not make it work on
a Mac II.
Please mail me your suggestions and I will post a summary on the net.
Thank you.
Louis Demers ARPA: demers@dmc-crc.arpa
mail: DREV (attn. Louis Demers)
P.O. Box 8800
Courcelette, Quebec
Canada, G0A 1R0
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this message are strictly my own
and do not represent those of my employer.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 87 10:06 AST
From: Peter J Gergely <Peter@DREA-GRIFFIN.ARPA>
Subject: FontDisplay 5.3
With the announcement of FontDisplay 5.3 Ltd to the SUMEX
Archives, I would just like to take the opportunity to say how nice of a
program the full FontDisplay 5.3 actually is.
I think it is a great program with excellent support given by
Jeffrey Shulman. I have approximately 20 DS disks full of Fonts, and
this handy little program has generated a sampler (using Print File
Catalog) of all of them. The file catalog prints one line per font
(roughly) so that many samples of the fonts can be viewed on a page.
There have been some problems with the previous versions, but these were
resolved very quickly by Jeffrey, and a new version to test was
delivered promptly.
I would recommend this program to anyone desiring to keep track
of his/her font libraries. The many options, including displaying the
complete font, making a font sampler, laserwriter support, multi-finder
compatibility, and very good documentation.
Overall, on the Gergely Gauge, FontDisplay and Friends gets a
5-star rating (maximum 5). It is a most required program (especially
for my own collection of fonts, and being able to view all of them
easily).
Great Program, Jeff!!
Peter J. Gergely (DREA, P.O. Box 1012, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 3Z7 Canada)
ARPANET: gergely@DREA-XX.ARPA (preferred)
or Peter@DREA-GRIFFIN.ARPA
DIALNET: Peter@DIAL|DREA-GRIFFIN
CSNET: gergely%cs.dal.cdn@ubc.csnet
UUCP: gergely@dalcs.UUCP
GENIE: GERGELY
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 87 15:24:49 SET
From: Norbert Mueller <K360171%AEARN.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: MOLECULAR GRAPHICS PROGRAM BALL & STICK
I just saw that the demo version 1.1 of my program is now in the INFO-MAC
directory - the old version 0.94 is obsolete - please remove it.
For all those who bought pre-versions of BALL&STICK(before 1.1) there is the
possibility to get a >>>> FREE <<<<< upgrade to version 1.1 if they send
two double sided disks to the address given below. We will keep one disk
for the mailing expenses and return the other with version 1.1 of BALL&STICK.
Below I repeat the announcement for BALL&STICK version 1.1 which appeared
on the organic chemistry mailing list first. Everybody is encouraged to
distribute this announcement and the demo version wherever he/she likes.
BALL & STICK - a molecular graphics program for the Apple Macintosh
BALL & STICK is a program intended for the use by organic chemists to
create three dimensional images of molecular structures from experimental
or theoretical data (cartesian or internal - i.e.conformational - coor-
dinates). Outputs from the Cambridge crystallography data file may
be used directly.
With a very easy to use menu- and dialog- user interface you can create
wire-frame, stickball or touching hard sphere models. Rotation by
Euler angles as well as by coordinate axis and arbitrary setting of
view distance for perspective are possible. One can also create stereo
images and add number labels to the models.
These images can be inspected on the screen with zooming and scrolling.
A color screen and other Macintosh II features (large screen) are fully
supported. The program is MAC II and multifinder compatible (can back
ground) we recommend to use system 4.1 or later, laserwriter 4.0 or later.
High quality printouts can be obtained on postscript printers (e.g. the
Apple laserwriter) at a resolution of 300 dpi or more. Color printing
on approriate devices is also implemented.
The molecule sizes are only limited by the memory installed (in fact
there is a limit of 2000 atoms but you will need more than 4mb to
reach this) on a normal mac plus or mac se approx. 500 atoms are
possible with 1mb of memory. depending on the type of operations
number may be larger.
the program may be obtained from
Dr. Norbert Mueller
Institute of Chemistry
Johannes-Kepler-University
A-4040 LINZ
Austria
the price is US dollars 199.- for commercial users or
US dollars 99.- for educational institutions (universities)
A demostration version limited to 40 atoms may be obtained from the same
address by sending two new double sided 3.5 inch disks. We will return
one of them with the demo and demo data, the other is for our mailing
expenses.
[
the demo version of 1.1 is archived as DEMO-BALL-AND-STICK-11-PART1.HQX
and DEMO-BALL-AND-STICK-11-PART2.HQX. I have removed the older version
from the archives.
DoD
]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 01 Dec 87 00:14 EST
From: SEWALL%UCONNVM.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: December Vaporware (Newsletter column)
VAPORWARE
Murphy Sewall
From the December 1987 APPLE PULP
H.U.G.E. Apple Club (E. Hartford) News Letter
$15/year
P.O. Box 18027
East Hartford, CT 06118
Call the "Bit Bucket" (203) 569-8739
Permission granted to copy with the above citation
What's NeXt?
Although Display Postscript isn't scheduled for unveiling
until next Summer (see October's column), the first computer
from Steve Job's new NeXt Corporation is anticipated in
February. The computer will feature impressive graphics and
sound. Speaking to educators, Mr. Jobs said the goal of
his company's educational computer of the future is to
improve the useability of the Macintosh.
- Random Access 14 November
[Editorial Note: After this month's PULP deadline, the 23
November issue of InfoWorld carried a front page story with
many more details about the forthcoming NeXt computers.
More in next month's column]
Mac II+ (continued from last month).
Motorola now has officially unveiled both 20-MHz and 25-MHz
versions of the 68030 processor said to be twice as fast as
the 68020 that powers the Mac II. The 20-MHz version lists
at $400 and the 25-MHz chip will set you back $550 (lets
hope mass production eventually does something about those
prices). Apple CEO John Sculley has said that his firm will
be among the first to introduce products using the new
chip. However, he is also quoted as saying that the Mac II
will stick with the 68020 until "shortly after 1988."
Having it both ways may mean a 68030 coprocessor board for
existing Mac II's. Motorola also announced a full 32-bit
math coprocessor companion, the 68882, for the 68030 (the
memory mananagement functions of the 68851 already is built
into the processor).
- PC Week 27 October and 3 November, InfoWorld 2 November
Intel's New Processors.
David House, a senior vice president for Intel, says the
next generation 80486 processor, a 32-bit chip derived from
the current 80386 series (see last last July's column), will
be in production in 1989 or 1990. Intel is also working on
a low-end 32-bit microprocessor that may allow manufacturers
to sell an 80386 compatible computer for less than $1,000.
In all, Intel plans to introduce four different 32-bit 80386
software compatible microprocessors (including the 80486) in
the next two or three years. - PC Week 17 November
Synthetic Hardware.
When the long rumored A/Ux (the Unix operating system)
finally sees the light of day, one of the first applications
specifically designed for that environment will be PC Soft
from Insignia Solutions. On a Mac II, PC Soft (without any
additional hardware) will run MS DOS software at the speed
of a PC XT. When the Mac II+ arrives, the program will
perform at the speed of a PC AT. The Unix version of the
program should be available in January for $595 including
MS-DOS (compared to $1,499 for the DOS coprocessor card from
AST). Insignia already has announced plans for a version
for the standard Mac operating system. Although presently
designed for Motorola 68000 based systems, the program can
be ported to any 32-bit platform. - InfoWorld 2 November
Coming Soon, REALLY BIG Stackware.
Apple finally is nearing release of a CD ROM drive for the
Macintosh which will be accompanied by a new version of
Hypercard that will enable the program to work with
read-only devices. Apple's drive is a half-height SCSI
device made by Sony which has an average access time of 500
milliseconds and a planned price of $1,500. Several sources
say Microsoft will introduce Bookshelf Mac (a collection of
reference material on CD ROM) simultaneously with Apple's
introduction. Lodown of Scotts Valley California which
already has a Macintosh compatible CD ROM has announced
plans to offer its drive bundled with 100 megabytes of
shareware and 10 to 15 megabytes of stackware it's already
received from Apple for use with Hypercard. Lodown's drive
is both quicker (average access time of 200 milliseconds)
and less costly ($1,100). - InfoWorld 8 October
IBM Gets Hyper.
According to an announcement made by IBM France at the Paris
Auto Show (I've heard of "rolling out" products, but this is
ridiculous), IBM will be offering its own Hyper Document for
PS/2 Models 50 and 60 equipped with a CD ROM drive, Windows,
a mouse, and the high-end 8514 monitor (for the price of all
that you could get a Mac SE). IBM's Hyper Document is a
version of Owl's Guide Hypertext program bundled with a
painting/drawing program called Rasit which Owl developed
exclusively for Big Blue. The software alone (which has
been adopted by French automaker Renault -- the reason for
the Auto Show announcement) has a price tag in France of
$180 at October's exchange rates. IBM has refused comment
(naturally) on possible availability on this side of the
Atlantic. - InfoWorld 2 November
1-2-3 Release 3.0
The next version of 1-2-3 is scheduled for the middle of
next year for $495 (less for owners of previous versions).
The program features faster recalculation time, improved
graphics, the ability to link multiple worksheets, and a
feature enabling up to three worksheets to be on-screen
simultaneously. - PC Week 17 November
A Big Database.
Ashton Tate's new dBase IV is coming "real soon." According
to trade sources, the program will be shipped on 23 (that's
nearly two dozen) separate disks and have a 3,000 page
manual. It appears dBase IV will be needed just to keep
track of dBase IV. In spite of the megasize of the program
and manual, the planned price remains $700 (same as for
dBase III+). - InfoWorld 9 November
Phoenixscript.
Phoenix Technologies has announced a successful clone of
Adobe's Postscript page printer control system. Several
vendors, including Japanese printer giant Canon, have
announced plans to ship laser printers with Phoenix's
interpreter by the middle of next year. Substantial
reductions in prices for high-end laser printers should
following these introductions. - PC Week 9 November
PS/2 Rumors of the Month.
Western Digital demonstrated its PS/2 motherboard clone
(said to work better than IBM's own) at Comdex last month.
Although IBM's earlier press releases threatened to sue
microbus copiers, spokesmen now admit that the company has
never believed its system is clone proof. Meanwhile the
PS/2 operating system, OS/2, has been announced for initial
release before Christmas, but applications software written
for OS/2 isn't expected to become available for from six
months to a year.
- Random Access 31 October, InfoWorld 16 November, and
PC Week 17 November
Shifting the Keys.
Stuart Herzog, president of Herzog Research in Tucson, says
the standard typewriter keyboard forces the left hand to
move repeatedly outward and upward leading to compression of
the nerves in the hand and fingers associated with painful
carpal tunnel syndrome. His solution is a new keyboard that
shifts the lower left keys further to the left. Daniel J.
Habes, an industrial engineer at the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, says that the biomechanical
basis for Herzog's claim is unproven. So far, there is no
information about whether the proposed Keyboard is QWERTY or
Dvorak. - Business Week 30 November
Unobtainable for Now.
The 80286 IBM laptop (AT compatible but not PS/2 compatible)
currently on sale in Japan (see last month's column) may be
available in this country in the Spring.
- PC Week 17 November
"Roll Your Own" Microprocessor.
LSI Logic Corporation, the leading U.S. supplier of gate
arrays, has announced a on million transistor version of a
generic gate array which will yield as many as 100,000 gates
(current chips are limited to roughly 20,000 transistors and
fewer than 5,000 gates). The new high density gate array
has enough capacity to build circuits as complicated as a
32-bit microprocessor. LSI will begin shipping the chips
early next year for around $600 each.
- Business Week 9 November
ARPA: sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu Murphy A. Sewall
BITNET: SEWALL@UCONNVM School of Business Admin.
UUCP: ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL University of Connecticut
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 87 08:21:38 PST
From: Stephen E. Miner <miner@spam.istc.sri.com>
Subject: Nerd Perfect Vaporware
What ever happened to FullWrite?
>From: karn@faline.bellcore.com (Phil R. Karn)
>Subject: Nerd Perfect Vaporware
>[No doubt the OSI version of the following will be available Real Soon
>Now. Sorry, couldn't resist. Enjoy. --Phil]
>>From: wb2ena@wb2ena.nj.us.ampr (Bob Smith)
>>Subject: Nerd Perfect Vaporware
>>The following was taken from the Trenton Times, Sunday, Nov. 29, 1987.
**************************************************************************
Portland, Ore, (UPI) - David Moss and Robert Rini hope to make their
fortune this holiday season by selling "Nerd Perfect Vaporware," a high-
tech version of the "pet rock" that lampoons the computer software industry.
Moss and Rini, both of Beaverton, a Portland suburb, last week unveiled
their "vaporware" - a high-tech term for a product that doesn't exist. "Nerd
Perfect Vaporware is a floppy disk of nothing and, in that regard, similar to
software promised by computer-products companies but never delivered.
"Unlike the software companies that announce new software that will be
available in three years and never is produced, Vaporware delivers exactly
what it promises - nothing," said Moss, 31, whose real vocation is designing
and producing legitimate software.
"Nerd Perfect Vaporware," manufactured by Vaporsoft Inc., includes a
floppy disk envelope containing nothing, a user manual and is listed at $6.95.
We were thinking of selling it for $695, but we couldn't justify it,"
Moss said.
"But if we had, we only would have to sell a few," Rini told his partner.
Moss and Rini said one computer company, which they refused to identify,
had purchased 100 of the disks and user manuals for distribution to it's
employees.
They also said their attorney was finalizing agreements to sell "Nerd
Perfect Vaporware" at computer and bookstores throughout the country.
"Why'd we make it? We want to be rich," said Rini, 31, a graphic artist
who illustrated the user manual.
The Manual includes chapters on uses of the product, troubleshooting and
the different functions of "Nerd Perfect Vaporware."
It also includes a chapter on "Hemmingword," an exclusive feature of
"Nerd Perfect."
" 'Hemmingword' allows even the nerdiest of nerds to write with the style
and grace of Papa himself," the manual says. After the words, "papa," "old
man," "sea," "fish," and "no luck" were fed into the computer, the manual said
the computer printed out:
"He was an old man who programmed alone in a cubicle in a non-descript
building and he had gone 84 days now without backing up his data. In the
first 40 days, a junior programmer had been with him. But after 40 days with-
out a backup, the junior programmer's supervisor had decided that the
programmer was now definitely and finally a salad-brain."
The booklet also contains a cartoon of Bill Gates, founder of computer
giant Microsoft Inc. at Redmond, Wash., who is identified as "Billion Gates."
The inventors said "Nerd Perfect Vaporware" is meant as a joke,. "It's
definitely artificially intelligent stuff," Rini said.
"We are entering the age of the perfect nerd," he added. "But we're not
here to ridicule nerds. Don't feel sorry for them. They're running the
world."
"They're nerds, I'm a nerd," Moss said. "I've tried to change. I
can't."
------------------------------
End of INFO-MAC Digest
**********************