SHULMAN@sdr.slb.COM (Jeffrey Shulman) (10/10/87)
Date: Sat 10 Oct 87 12:27:10-EDT From: Jeff Shulman <SHULMAN@SDR> Subject: Delphi Mac DIgest V3 #46 To: Delphi-List: ; Message-ID: <560881630.0.SHULMAN@SDR> Mail-System-Version: <VAX-MM(218)+TOPSLIB(129)@SDR> Delphi Mac Digest Saturday, October 10, 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 46 Today's Topics: Administrivia - Where have all the digests gone? 9-track SCSI tape drive RE: Mac II games re: Keyboard Remapping Utilities Needed re: Interesting System problem re: Multiple Desktops? re: DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS HELP re: Need Word 3.0x File Format Info re: TEFromScrap / Networks RE: MacBrain (2 messages) RE: Flight scheduling program RE: documentation on new TextEdit RE: RE: Brain Dominance ID=01 SQL relational database Hypercard Radio Buttons (3 messages) LISA AND APPLETALK Brilliant Idea (9 messages) re: Comments on MultiFinder re: Re: Print Spooler for Diverse Print re: Re: Modal dialogs and MultiFinder re: C problem re: Saving info with text files (repost) re: HFS Menus on pre-4.1 systems MS WORD 3.01 Software Disks (2 messages) Trouble with Power Station ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeff Shulman (Moderator) Subject: Administrivia - Where have all the digests gone? Date: 10-OCT 11:33 I have been merrily producing Usenet Mac and Delphi Mac digests, as usual, the past few months. However, it seems I have been mailing them to deaf ears. After some checking I found out that my mailing list at CSNet (where all the digests get mailed from) was fouled up. I was told it has been corrected. So, if you are missing digests, please first see if you can ftp them from INFO-MAC (they have been brought up to date, so has the BITNET server at Rice.) If you ABSOLUTELY can't get them from these two sources and you ABSOLUTELY can't live without them (:->) then send me a note with the ones you are missing and I'll resend them to you. Please don't dash me off a request before you have exhausted all other possibilities. I am swamped with enough things to do as it is. Thanks. Jeff ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: 9-track SCSI tape drive Date: 28-SEP 12:34 Hardware & Peripherals Qualstar Corporation is shipping a 9-track 1/2" tape drive with a SCSI interface and driver software for the Mac. The literature claims it is useful as a backup medium and for interchange of data with mainframes and minicomputers. Qualstar is at 9621 Irondale Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311 and their phone number is (818) 882-5822. peter ------------------------------ From: NATURAL Subject: RE: Mac II games Date: 29-SEP 10:52 Network Digests >TO: David.TinNyo@VI.RI.CMU.EDU >Subject: Mac II games 's kind of hard to give outright suggestions on a game that one hasn't seen. I've been working on something of a knock your socks off, etc. type game as well for the II w/ a programmer friend who's written commercial games for the Mac (pre-II) and the Apple II series. I'd be glad to share ideas, etc. Also would be willing to beta-test, etc. Joshua Delphi: NATURAL ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Keyboard Remapping Utilities Needed (Re: Msg 22646) Date: 30-SEP 01:36 Network Digests > From: dhac@ur-tut.UUCP (Darren Jay Hacker) > Subject: Keyboard Remapping Utilities Needed Acta supports the Undo - Paste F keys. QuicKeys, coming soon from CE Software, does a good job of remapping stuff (it might even be out by the time you see this). David Dunham "If it doesn't have Undo, it's not a Mac program." Maitreya Design ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Interesting System problem (Re: Msg 22646) Date: 30-SEP 01:37 Network Digests > From: mrh@Shasta.STANFORD.EDU (Marc Hannah) > Subject: Interesting System problem There's a similar problem with a program from MDS called PackSym. Its signature is PACK, so desk accessories that want to use the List Manager (PACK 0) have problems. This was a _real pain_ to debug, since I've never had MDS on my hard disk, but my beta tester did. A UseResFile(0) and an explicit load of PACK 0 solved this one. David Dunham "If voting could change the system, it would be illegal. If Maitreya Design not voting could change the system, it would be be illegal." ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Multiple Desktops? (Re: Msg 22646) Date: 30-SEP 01:37 Network Digests > From: peirce@crg.llnl.gov (Michael Peirce) > Subject: Multiple Desktops? The Mac was designed as a _personal_ computer. (Using someone else's machine, which doesn't have the same DAs and FKEYs, is a real culture shock!) The position info is saved in the directory for each file, so it'd be a pain to change, without a custom program. David Dunham "The more laws there are, the more people are Maitreya Design inclined to break them" ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS HELP (Re: Msg 22649) Date: 1-OCT-03:05: Network Digests >From: 321143%pittvms.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu >Subject: DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS HELP I believe it's a common misconception that "the Mac is very difficult to program on." With the right development tools (such as LightspeedC and TMON), it's quite easy to program on. It's hard to _learn_ to program, because the very toolbox routines that make it so easy to program, have to be learned. One reason it's such a nice development environment is that it's multi-tasking. I use miniWRITER all the time to look at my source code while I'm running a program. Never could do this on a VAX. ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Need Word 3.0x File Format Info (Re: Msg 22649) Date: 1-OCT-03:06: Network Digests >Subject: Need Word 3.0x File Format Info >From: J. Peter Alfke <JPAlfke.pa@Xerox.COM> Ask Microsoft. Unlike the format for 1.05, they're apparently very free with the 3.0 format. (Of course, when you get it, you won't necessarily be any more informed than you are now :-) ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: TEFromScrap / Networks (Re: Msg 22649) Date: 1-OCT-03:07: Network Digests >From: guenther blaschek <K331671%AEARN.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> >Subject: TEFromScrap / Networks >The true story is that TEFromScrap returns the number of characters copied... >I hope this bug (or is it a feature?) will vanish in future ROMs. This feature isn't in the current ROMs; you noticed the [Not in ROM] notation, right? Your development system provides glue for the call. ------------------------------ From: MARJ Subject: RE: MacBrain Date: 1-OCT-18:01: Network Digests Richard Weatherly (weather&mitre.org) asks if a program called "MacBrain" exists. It does. MacBrain 1.10 is a neural network simulation environment for Mac+, SE, and Mac II computers. It is the best-selling neural network system on the market today, having sold several hundred copies. Information can be found in the Sept. and Oct. 1987 BYTEs, as well as recent issues of Macintosh Today, InfoWorld, and other magazines. MacBrain is a vailable from: Neuronics, Inc. Suite 2200 One Kendall Square Cambridge, MA 02139 (617) 577-1202 Matt Jensen President Neuronics, Inc. ------------------------------ From: JIMH Subject: RE: MacBrain Date: 1-OCT-19:38: Network Digests Matt, i heard a rumor you were going to do a student version for a low price. I am interested in neural nets though i havent had time to read much about them. I would love to be able to buy something to experiment with. best jim ------------------------------ From: RABBIT Subject: RE: Flight scheduling program Date: 1-OCT-21:19: Network Digests To> Russell M Forster RForster@UNCAEDU.BITnet Subject> Flight scheduling program Here at the University of North Dakota we have a sceduling program that may fit your needs. The main difference is that flight launches are scheduled for 1 hour 15 minute blocks. I am not sure what type of host we are running on, but it is a very nice system (although a little slow) and handles approx 100 instructors and 620 students. At FlightSafety international they had a program which scheduled in 2 hour blocks for 180 students and about 20 instructors. I am not sure of the capabilities or the exact host although it was an IBM (I'm not a big fan of big machines with those letters). Since you represent a school UND might be willing to give you some information. Scott Brause "A Rabbit Without Wings Is A Rabbit That Can't Fly Backwards" ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: documentation on new TextEdit (Re: Msg 22682) Date: 3-OCT-14:06: Network Digests >Date: Mon, 14 Sep 87 15:26:47 MET >From: Norbert Lindenberg <norbert%germany.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET> >Subject: documentation on new TextEdit >Is there any documentation on TextEdit newer than the APDA Draft of >Inside Mac V (Feb 87)? Anything said there about TEGetHeight and >PutStylScrap seems to be plain wrong... Tech Note 131 goes into details about bugs and documentation problems with TextEdit. peter "In any context, half of all references PEABO @ DELPHI are local and half are global." ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: RE: Brain Dominance (Re: Msg 22682) Date: 3-OCT-14:10: Network Digests >Date: Mon, 14 Sep 87 15:50 N >From: <FRUIN%HLERUL5.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> (Thomas Fruin) >Subject: RE: Brain Dominance > > From: PEABO > > Subject: RE: Brain Dominance >There is one case where left-handers are better off than right-handers: >the Backspace key. When I'm mousing around with my right hand I like to use >my left hand to tap the Backspace key to delete selections. In this case >it is the right-hander who has to reach across the keyboard ... You mean you haven't heard of the right-hander's technique of lifting the mouse up and using the lower left corner to bash the Backspace key? ;-> peter "In any context, half of all references PEABO @ DELPHI are local and half are global." ------------------------------ From: NATURAL Subject: ID=01 Date: 4-OCT-14:13: Macintosh II I've been getting a lot of ID=01 bombs on my II lately, particularly on MS Word 3.01 and Express 1.04... any ideas? ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: SQL relational database Date: 6-OCT-12:13: Macintosh II Informix-SQL has been announced for availablility on the Macintosh II under A /UX (when Apple releases that product later this year). This SQL (structured query language) product is compatible with other Unix-based implementations from Informix, and Informix plans to port more of its database products to the Mac II. For more information, contact Informix Software, Inc., 4100 Bohannon Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025, telephopne (415) 322-4100. peter ------------------------------ From: CHUQ Subject: Hypercard Radio Buttons Date: 6-OCT-23:46: Programming Anyone know how to query and/or set the state of a radio button in Hypercard? Goodman and the help stack don't say, and I can't find a stack to browse to find it out. I'm sure it is trivial, but I sure can't find out where they mention it. thanks! chuq ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: Hypercard Radio Buttons (Re: Msg 22730) Date: 6-OCT-23:51: Programming Try this: set the hilite of button "Top 40" to true peter ------------------------------ From: NWOLF Subject: RE: Hypercard Radio Buttons (Re: Msg 22730) Date: 7-OCT-01:52: Programming not sure what you mean by query.... To find out the state of a button or field you know exists (because it's listed in card, stack or bkgnd info) but can't see type "set the visible of <<bkgnd or card>> <<button or field>> to true" (no quotes) - if there's more than 1, you'll have to insert the numbers of the ones you can't identify after "button" or "field" in the command line. Aside from that, generally the structure is "set the <<quality>> of <<container>> to < <desired result>>. The APDA docs have a lot more info on this stuff than either the Apple docs or Goodman. However, Addison-Wesley is coming out with a book this fall which should fill in the holes on HyperTalk. The APDA docs do that and cost about $20 and come with a disk full of stuff. Hope that helps. Neil. ------------------------------ From: CHRISBROWN Subject: LISA AND APPLETALK Date: 7-OCT-20:48: SIG Business I WOULD LIKE TO SET UP SOME LISAS FROM SUN REMARKETING UP ON AN APPLETALK NETRORK AT THE SMALL KANSAS COLLEGE WHERE I WORK. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CAVEATS ABOUT DOING THIS? I PLAN TO USE A MAC PLUS AS A FILESERVER, AND 1MB LISAS AS NETWORK NODES FOR STUDENT USE. --CHRISTOPHER BROWN ------------------------------ From: MACENGLISH Subject: Brilliant Idea Date: 7-OCT-21:18: Hardware & Peripherals I have had a brilliant idea. Now you can tell me why this isn't brilliant. I have decided I want a hard drive, but I don't want the hassle of backing things up to floppies, and tapes may be too slow. So I thought if I bought two hard drives I could use one to back up the other. Is this a good idea or not? Granted it may be expensive, but wouldn't this be the easiest way to go. Couldn't I consider getting two used drives if I could find any? Does anyone want to suggest some really good drives I should consider (20 Meg). I have read the magazines, but opinions from people who have used them might be nice. Debbie ------------------------------ From: NATURAL Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 7-OCT-22:41: Hardware & Peripherals DataFrames are pretty solid and then there's always PC Connection's house- dressing brand, which from what I hear (I think it was on here...) is a rodime which is very reliable. ------------------------------ From: FRIED Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 7-OCT-22:53: Hardware & Peripherals Debbie, If you're going to have two hard disks, why not use them both for data, then back them up to tape or floppies! :-) OK, here's what's wrong with your idea: it's a waste of money. If you can accept that, go get the disks. It's a waste because the cost of maintaining a byte of data on a hard disk is much higher than on a removable medium. It's the removability that reduces the cost. What are you going to do about backing up your floppies? <grin> Bob ------------------------------ From: SOCCERKING Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22753) Date: 7-OCT-23:13: Hardware & Peripherals Hi Bebbie, please to meet you(short of). Trust me, once you fill your first HD there is no way you are going to resist the tempation of using the second. Simply take the time once a month to backup your HD, I used to it while watching the Bears game. Now I back it up while I watch the Bears pack it up. Brent. ------------------------------ From: HALL Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 7-OCT-23:21: Hardware & Peripherals DataFrame 30XP, Rodime 20... Brian ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 8-OCT-01:12: Hardware & Peripherals It's a brilliant idea, and quite workable. You lose the advantage of being able to have several backups handy (unless your well-to-do great-aunt buys you 2 or 3 more hard disks for additional backup), but it is hassle-free, fast, and convenient. peter ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 8-OCT-02:32: Hardware & Peripherals Perfectly brilliant, if you're rich enough. You might want to make the second hard disk a cartridge disk (one with removable cartridges -- I know Jasmine sells one, but don't know how good it is) so you could do grandfather backup. Grandfather backup, in case you were wondering, is where you have two complete backups. That way, if one of your files gets damaged (either advertently or inadvertently), and you don't discover this fact until you've backed up your entire hard disk, you still have a previously backed up (if possibly out of date) copy. ------------------------------ From: DSACHS Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 8-OCT-19:55: Hardware & Peripherals The IOmega Bernoulli box was designed for situations like yours. It is slightly slower than other hard disks, but its total capacity is essentially infinite. You can have a system+program cartridge in one slot and a data cartridge in the other. It has backup programs for both sector and smart file programs. The sector backup program completely foils copy protection schemes with hard disk install capability. At present it works properly only a Mac Plus but Se and II compatability should come soon. ------------------------------ From: JIMSB Subject: RE: Brilliant Idea (Re: Msg 22750) Date: 9-OCT-00:19: Hardware & Peripherals With 2 hard disks you could do your backups in real time. DEC's disk shadowing records every write to a disk to a second disk that mirrors the first. Since both disk are identical, if one fails the other takes over with out interruption. This program is for a Vax so you would need to find the equivalent for a Mac. Sort of stereo for your data! ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Comments on MultiFinder (Re: Msg 22743) Date: 8-OCT-02:29: Network Digests > From: Norbert Lindenberg <norbert%germany.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET> > Subject: Comments on MultiFinder >Layer Management I don't understand what's the reasoning behind this feature. The reasoning is that there are programs that break if they don't have it. The part I don't understand is, why don't they have a way for a program to indicate that it doesn't want layers? It really is 100% contrary to the Mac interface. >Shutdown You're using an American version of MultiFinder, I suspect. Still, your point is a good one -- there ought to be two strings MultiFinder looks for, "Quit" and "Beenden," since so many Europeans have to use untranslated American software. David Dunham "A mind is like a parachute. It only functions when open." Maitreya Design ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Re: Print Spooler for Diverse Print (Re: Msg 22743) Date: 8-OCT-02:30: Network Digests >From: <buono%asbf-imp.huachuca-em.arpa@HUACHUCA-EM.ARPA> >Subject: Re: Print Spooler for Diverse Printers >I think that SuperLaserSpool will fit the bill SLS won't fit all bills; last I heard, it doesn't work on the Mac II. David Dunham "Efficiency is intelligent laziness." Maitreya Design ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Re: Modal dialogs and MultiFinder (Re: Msg 22744) Date: 8-OCT-02:30: Network Digests > From: <FRUIN%HLERUL5.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> (Thomas Fruin) > Subject: Re: Modal dialogs and MultiFinder Interestingly, ModalDialog works fine with the existing multitasking model: desk accessories. I can put up a modal dialog, and get that deactivate event to hide my menus and deactivate my scroll bars. The ModalDialog was probably designed for quickness under a main-task program, so you wouldn't get all sorts of activates and updates in the middle of your status dialogs. This may still be a useful thing to have. What we probably need is a SemiModalDialog call... David Dunham "If voting could change the system, it would be illegal. If Maitreya Design not voting could change the system, it would be be illegal." ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: C problem (Re: Msg 22745) Date: 8-OCT-02:31: Network Digests > From: shap@sfsup.UUCP (J.S.Shapiro) > Subject: C problem I think I covered this in my classic DA article in MacTutor. Read it. The code would be something like move.l 0(A5),A0 pea $FFFFFF94(A0) dc.w $a851 ;SetCursor(&arrow) only, of course, with whatever offset screenBits.bounds has. David Dunham "Whenever you see a sign 'No Exit,' it means Maitreya Design there is an exit." ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: Saving info with text files (repost) (Re: Msg 22746) Date: 8-OCT-02:32: Network Digests > From: tomc@mntgfx.MENTOR.COM (Tom Carstensen) > Subject: Saving info with text files (repost) I'd recommend against deleting any resources someone puts in your files. You never know what those resources are for. Perhaps they belong to a pretty- printer? There are only 2 font/tab methods I know of, and I don't know of any situations which get ridiculous. What's really too bad is that most programs (mine included, I'm afraid) don't copy all the resources when they do a Save as (and many make a new copy of a file on a Save and thus lose the resources -- this is why I didn't bother to try to keep resources intact, because someone else was bound to trash them). David Dunham "Efficiency is intelligent laziness." Maitreya Design ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: re: HFS Menus on pre-4.1 systems (Re: Msg 22746) Date: 8-OCT-02:32: Network Digests > From: tomc@mntgfx.MENTOR.COM (Tom Carstensen) > Subject: HFS Menus on pre-4.1 systems I believe the MDEF from 4.1 depends heavily (like exclusively) on patches from System 4.1. David Dunham "The more laws there are, the more people are Maitreya Design inclined to break them" ------------------------------ From: WISNERS Subject: MS WORD 3.01 Date: 8-OCT-02:44: Macintosh Developers I am curious to know if anyone else has had the problem I have encountered in the last week with MS Word 3.01. I have had the directory of 2 of my data disks destroyed while attempting to save onto floppy from inside Word. In the first case the affected sector was #2, and the error given by Fedit Plus was "Bad data mark checksum". The same error occured on the second disk, but in sector 7. Any ideas? Steven Wisner (WISNERS) ------------------------------ From: DSACHS Subject: Software Disks Date: 8-OCT-21:41: Business Mac Has anyone ever bought a commercial product for the Macintosh, that arrived with the origional disks write protected. I cannot understand why software companies do not take this elementary precaution against accidents. ------------------------------ From: JEFFS Subject: RE: Software Disks (Re: Msg 22769) Date: 9-OCT-07:32: Business Mac Yes, about 1/3 of them are write protected. I write protect the others immediately. Do I take it you had some sort of "accident"? ;-> Jeff ------------------------------ From: DOCJOHNALEG Subject: Trouble with Power Station Date: 8-OCT-22:49: Creative Pursuits I am having a bad time with Power Station. If I have PS running as the Startup Ap under finder 6.0banything and I take a disk with a good working System and Finder on it (any version of system and finder on the second disk) and I copy ANY file to the disk either from the HD or from an Apple Share server or from a second floppy, the disk to which I have copied the file will no longer boot. I have examined boot blocks with FEDIT and everything looks OK. I can sometimes restore "bootability" by putting the disk in another mac and making the finder set startup but this only works about 50% of the time. If I run Disk First Aid on such a disk I get "Unable to Verify" even though the disk functions fine in any second mount situation. It just wont boot any more. This has happened to about 30 disks now with systems from 3.2 on up. Does anyone know a work around. Is there a patch to Power Station. Thanks John ------------------------------ End of Delphi Mac Digest ************************ -------