Moderators.David.Gelphman@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU, Dwayne.Virnau@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU, Lance.Nakata@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (09/29/87)
INFO-MAC Digest Monday, 28 Sep 1987 Volume 5 : Issue 118
Today's Topics:
Re: LSC and MultiFinder/Juggler
Use of SetPaths with Absoft Fortran
Re: LaserWriter Line widths
DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS HELP
Need Word 3.0x File Format Info
TEFromScrap / Networks
Lightspeed 2.11 and Macsbug
Fast SCSI Controller
custom front end to terminal emulator
ImageWriters and IBM PC's
RE: Mac Plotter drivers
SIMM upgrades for Mac II
Third-party 40mb SE internal drives?
MacDraw Bug?
Sony MultiScan Line?
looking for comments regarding ready set go 4.0
Optical mouse for Macintosh?
Software Reccomendations for Mac SE Needed!!
System 4.1/JAZZ
Looking for plastic disk envelopes
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 87 09:34:52 EDT
From: singer@harvard.harvard.edu (Andrew Singer)
Subject: Re: LSC and MultiFinder/Juggler
The MultiFinder bug was confirmed this evening by Russ Wetmore of Apple on
Compuserve and has been fixed. It's unclear whether this will be the only
problem with running LSC under MultiFinder, since in its current form
MultiFinder is not entirely plug-compatible with Switcher (from a program's
point of view, that is). LSC should run ok, but RUNning a project may not
work.
As soon as we get a newer version of MultiFinder, further investigation into
other problems, if any, will proceed and everyone will be kept notified.
Putting a SIZE resource into your project's resource file might help.
Meredith Lesly
Think Technologies
------------------------------
Date: 22 Aug 87 14:57:00 EST
From: <bouldin@ceee-sed.arpa>
Subject: Use of SetPaths with Absoft Fortran
Reply-to: <bouldin@ceee-sed.arpa>
The SetPaths DA works, to my suprise, with Ab/Microsoft Fortran. I maintain 3
search paths, one each for Compiler overlays, runtime linkable subroutines, and
for include files. The use of a search path for includes is especially nice,
since it change you code from something like
INCLUDE HFS VOLUME:FORTRAN2.2:INCLUDE FILES:TOOLBX.PAR
to just INCLUDE TOOLBX.PAR.
If you use Fortran, this is a great boon.
------------------------------
Date: 24 Aug 87 10:35:09 EDT (Monday)
From: Venable.wbst@Xerox.COM
Subject: Re: LaserWriter Line widths
You probably have already gotten answers to this question, but in case
you haven't, here is one.
Tech note 182 describes how you define a scaling factor for affecting
LaserWriter line widths. if you set p.v=1 and p.h=4, you get a line 1/4
the width of the current line width. To get back to the right size, try
a scaling factor of p.v=4, p.h=1, i.e., multiply by a scaling factor of
4. The affect is to scale by one quarter, then scale by four to reverse
the effects. Give it a try!
/Dennis
------------------------------
From: 321143%pittvms.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu
Date: Sun Aug 23 19:03:40 1987
Subject: DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS HELP
I am interested in getting into development on the Mac SE. I have previously
owned a Mac 512, and at that time I programmed exclusively in BASIC. Since
then I have learned C, and am a developer on the Amiga. I would like to
develop in C, as I don't know pascal, and I'd rather not learn.
However, I;m concerned that the Mac is very difficult to program on (this
is whatI've heard from some friends). I am therefore interested in finding
some development tools which will enable me to get up and running in a
relatively short time.
To this end, I was interested in MacApp. However, the only languages it
runs in are object pascal and assembly, and I do not want to learn any new
languages now. I'll be learning enough other stuff in grad school. (Lisp,
mainly, which I have never been fond of due to a bad introduction of it
in undergrad school.) The idea of object-oriented programming appeals to
me, although I've never done it before.
I know that apple's working on a version of C++, but I understand that beta
versions won't even be available until early next year, and I'd like to
start writing in a month or so (when I get my SE).
My question, then, is: What development systems/tools are available in
on the Mac which would allow efficient and (relatively) easy development
of compiled code?
I will have to be using Lisp soon, so Lisp might be a viable alternative,
but I'fd like to keep the suggestions limited to my current skills and
abilities: C, Basic, Fortran, and Lisp (in that order).
ANy help regarding commercial or PD stuff is appreciated; references on
other folks to contact will be appreciated. I have joined APDA, but as
of now, I've got a card, and a notice that the catalog is back-ordered.
Thank you,
Jeff Sullivan
321143@PittVMS.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: 24 Aug 87 13:30:13 PDT (Monday)
Subject: Need Word 3.0x File Format Info
From: J. Peter Alfke <JPAlfke.pa@Xerox.COM>
After extensive playing-around with Macs, I'm shortly going to begin
some actual programming of one. The application I'm to write is a file
converter that will output Word 3.0 format files.
My question: How do I get the poop on Word file format? Can I
write/call Microsoft and ask for the specs, or will they laugh at me,
causing me undue embarrassment? Must I resort to bootleg sources,
cigarillo-smoking men named Rico who will arrange to meet me in train
stations and pull documents stamped "MICROSOFT CONFIDENTIAL" out of
cheap briefcases after I display the requisite large wads of small
unmarked bills?
Please rescue me from the pit of my ignorance. Thank you.
--Peter
jpalfke.pa@xerox.com
(Disclaimer: This isn't for and has nothing to do with Xerox.)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 87 14:19:24 SET
From: guenther blaschek <K331671%AEARN.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: TEFromScrap / Networks
1. TEFromScrap
Did you ever use TEFromScrap? If you did without any problem, you probably
called it as "dummy:=TEFromScrap" or "IF TEFromScrap=0 THEN (*nothing*);".
Well, I did check the function result, which is said to be noErr (=0), if
no error occured (Inside Macintosh Vol. I-389). My program always produced
a beep to indicate an error, although there was none. At least, this is
what happened on the SE in my office.
The true story is that TEFromScrap returns the number of characters copied
to the TextEdit scrap (>=0). This is a little strange, since the function
result type OSErr is equivalent to INTEGER, whereas the scrap size can
potentially be >32767 (in fact, TEGetScrapLen returns a LONGINT).
I hope this bug (or is it a feature?) will vanish in future ROMs.
(by the way: TEToScrap does return noErr in the case of no error...)
2. Networks
Is there anyone, who has good experience with Macintoshes in a network?
We are currently running 4 Pluses and 2 SEs connected to a LaserWriter
via AppleTalk, but we plan to buy a hard disk of "sufficient" size (e.g.
100 MB). We tested Tops and AppleShare for a couple of weeks, but both
of them use this annoingly slow Appletalk bus. Needless to say, that such
solutions are not suitable for developing large program products. Another
disadvantage is that both Tops and AppleShare require each user to have
his own copy of the System file and of the applications he wants to use.
Still another point is that we plan to connect our Macs not only among
themselves, but also with micros of different make (e.g. Suns).
Is there any fast solution that really avoids the disadvantages mentioned
above? (We heard some rumours about MacJanet; is it any good?)
hoping for answers
Guenther
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 87 01:12:39 CDT
From: Paul Fons <FONS%UIUCVMD.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Lightspeed 2.11 and Macsbug
I just purchased Lightspeed 2.11 C compiler and had a question about Macsbug.
I tried installing it on the hard disk in the system file but it locked up the
machine. Is there a version of Macsbug that is compatible with my Mac II?
I did get the patch to update it to 2.11, but there was nothing in the patch
files for updating MacsBug (an Apple Product?). Thanks for any help you
can shed on this. FONS@UIUCVMD
[ note from moderator: There are versions of Macsbug for the Mac II in memory
configurations of 1,2,4,5,8 Meg. They came with the MDS 2.1 update and I
don't believe they came with MPW. I haven't seen an APDA product which
was specifically for Macsbug so I'm not sure how you obtain it except through
your development system. Seriously consider TMON which is not free but is
MUCH better and is supported very well by ICOM Simulations. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1987 12:19 PDT
From: HMICHEL%CALSTATE.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
Subject: Fast SCSI Controller
Page 23 of the August 24, 1987 issue of InfoWorld has a note in the News
Briefs section about a new SCSI controller chip available from Logic Devices
Inc. From the article, "A high-speed SCSI controller chip that can be
DIRECTLY substituted for chips in existing computers with SCSI interfaces,"
emphasis on "directly" is mine. Another quote, "The L5380 is a CMOS device
built into the asynchronous SCSI protocol and is compatible with existing
NCR5380 and AMD5380 controller chips." One more quote, "The L5380 can
transfer data at up to 4 megabytes per second," which they say is 2.5 times
faster than existing NMOS devices and it also uses only one-tenth the power.
The article says that it is available in a 40-pin plastic DIP at $8.53 ea
(quantity 100) and a 44-pin PLCC surface-mount at $9.71 ea (quantity 100).
So, there's the specs. Now, hardware gurus, the obvious question, can I buy
one of these beauties and slip it into my Mac (via a technician that knows
which end of a soldering iron is hot) and double my SCSI disk transfer rate?
Or, must device drivers be changed and/or the peripherals also have the new
chip? Or, are most peripherals simply incapable of transfer rates that high?
Thanks for the info.
Michael W. Fleming, Instructional Computing Consultant, Computer Services
California State College, 9001 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, Ca. 93311-1099
Business Telephone: (805) 833-2309 -or- (805) 833-2115 {message}
Home: 2408 Barnett St., Bakersfield, Ca. 93308, Phone: (805) 399-6542
Bitnet: HMICHEL@CALSTATE
Arpanet: HMICHEL%CALSTATE.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Wed 26 Aug 87 09:52:29-PDT
From: Sunil Maulik <MAULIK@BIONET-20.ARPA>
Subject: custom front end to terminal emulator
Has anyone used or seen pre-releases of Apple's much-touted HyperCard
file index and applications language system ? (Is this even an adequate
description?)
I am particularly interested in the complexity of the applications language in
creating front-ends to already exisiting software for the Mac. Currently, over
a thousand (mostly computer-naive) molecular biologists log on to the BIONET
DEC-20 mainframe to use software, read Bulletin-boards, etc. Many of them use
MacKermit on their Macs to do so. We are interested in building a
BIONET-specific "front-end" to MacKermit or other terminal emulators (e.g.
Versaterm) that would make this process painless. What we have in mind is a
system of pop-down menus and dialog boxes that would have simple commands to
click on such as "log me on to BIONET" or "run the CLONER program" (on the
BIONET DEC-20). Would HyperCard provide the capabilities to design such a
system using pre-defined scripts?
If not, is there any existing Mac software that can be used
to obtain the same results ? (We would rather not have to tweak MacKermit
if possible).
Please reply to me personally, I will summarize for the net.
Sincerely,
Sunil Maulik (Maulik@BIONET-20.ARPA)
BIONET
700 E El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA. 94040
(415)-324-4363
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 87 19:17 MDT
From: <TAYLORJ%BYUVAX.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: ImageWriters and IBM PC's
This is in response to two messages about using an ImageWriter with an
IBM PC.
We had no problems hooking up an ImageWriter I to an IBM PC. We just
hooked up a "standard RS-232" cable (is there really such a thing?), set
both sides for 9600 baud, and it's been working fine ever since. It's
only used with WordPerfect, which has no driver for the ImageWriter, but
the C-Itoh Prowriter driver works just fine.
Jim Taylor
Computer Teaching Services
Brigham Young University
Bitnet: TAYLORJ@BYUVAX
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 87 16:29 CDT
From: <MWW%TNTECH.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu> (Michael W. Wheeler)
Subject: RE: Mac Plotter drivers
You are in luck! The DEC LPV16 is actually a Hewlett Packard 7475A and
that driver is available. The LPV16 is 100% HP-7475A so don't worry about
that. Mesa Graphics, Inc. P.O. Box 600 Los Alamos, NM 87544 (505) 672-1998
has the software you are looking for. The package is called Plot-It it
retails for $125 and requires a Macintosh 512, 512 Enhanced, Plus, SE, or II.
A supported plotter with an RS232C interface (which you have the LPV16).
Plotters supported are:
Apple Color Plotter
Hewlett Packard
7470A
7475A
ColorPro
7580B
7585B
7586B
DraftPro
DraftMaster
Houston Instruments
DMP-29
DMP-41
DMP-42
DMP-51
DMP-52
DMP-56
Your graphic can be created using:
MacDraw, MacDraft, MacProject, MacPaint, Cricket Graph, Chart, Excel, Jazz,
or any application that can save as a Pict document, copy to the clipboard,
or save as a MacPaint document.
This reason I know all of this is because I recently inquired about the
product because I wanted to know if it support any Calcomp plotters and
evidently it doesn't. If you here of any software for the Macintosh that
will produce output for a Calcomp plotter please let me know (we have a
Calcomp 1075).
If you happen to have VersaTerm or VersaTerm-Pro then you might be interested
in TekPrint version 2.00 which is used in conjunction with either of these;
it supports HP-7470 and HP-7475 pen plotters and retails for $79. Call
PCS Inc. at (215) 779-0522 for more infomation about VersaTerm or TekPrint.
This is just information not a review I have not used Plot-it or TekPrint
at all.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael W. Wheeler ( Bitnet address: mww@tntech )
Systems Programmer
Tennessee Technological University
Box 5071
Cookeville, TN 38505
(615) 372-3977
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 87 22:41:50 CDT
From: Paul Fons <FONS%UIUCVMD.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: SIMM upgrades for Mac II
I have a newly aquired Mac II and was interested (until I heard the
prices) in upgrading the RAM in my machine from the apple 1mb to oh
lets say 2mb. I was flabbergasted at the prices quoted me from a
mail order firm (the savings zone). I assume that their prices reflect
the market - one wouldn't think they would be that out of line and stay
in business. They also said that I couldn't add a single 1bm simm in
addition to the apple shipped 256kb simms (4 in bank A-I assume) and that
if I wanted 2mb I would have to buy 256kb simms for $600 for two or somesuch.
What is the real story on this...what configurations are possible. Can I
use a 1bm simm and my original 256kb simm to get 2mb total? Also what are
some alternative sources to these ram upgrades. The prices for 120ns 1mb
chips look a lot cheaper than the numbers I have been getting 1mb (120 ns-
1000k X 1) is $28.5 which times 8 is $228. The 256 by 4 1mb chips are $33.
each. How can these Simms be so darn expensive.
Where else can I look for affordable memory upgrades. I am missing something
here-I was under the impression that the simm modules were nothing but the
chips premounted on a mini pc board. I would really like to upgrade the
ram so I can use the new system that is coming out (multi-tasking) aka the
juggler, but fear I cannot afford $1200 for doing it.
Thanks for advice FONS@UIUCVMD (bitnet)
------------------------------
Sender: "J._Paul_Holbrook.OsbuSouth"@Xerox.COM
Date: 1 Sep 87 12:44:25 PDT (Tuesday)
Subject: Third-party 40mb SE internal drives?
From: Holbrook.OsbuSouth@Xerox.COM
I just bought a dual-floppy SE, and I'm looking to buy a 40mb internal
hard drive. Does anyone have any experience with any of the drives that
are on the market? I'm particularly interested in performance; I didn't
get the Apple 20mb drive because I'd heard the performance was not so
hot. If I'm going to spend another $1000+, I want to make sure I get a
drive that gives me a reasonable improvment over the Apple drive. In
particular, does anyone have experience with drives from CMS?
I'm sure this question has been asked before, but there is a lack of
infomation on this topic. The only thing I've seen is an article in the
latest issue of MacUser, but the only perf comparison it gives is on how
long it takes the different drives to load a given file, and even that
is only given for about six drives.
Paul Holbrook
Holbrook.osbusouth@Xerox.com
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 87 22:45:10 PDT
From: digiorgi@VLSI.JPL.NASA.GOV
Subject: MacDraw Bug?
MacDraw Bug?
I don't really know whether this classifies as a bug or what, but the
following behavior in MacDraw has always driven me just a little mad:
If you use the 'arbitrary line' tool from the palette to draw a line
and then rotate an endpoint until it is either horizontal or vertical,
you will from that point on not be able to rotate it anymore. If you
try grabbing an endpoint after selecting, it will only allow you to
modify the length of the line in the direction to which it has become
oriented.
It is trivial, but a frequently annoying trait. After all, why else
have two seperate straight line drawing tools?
Godfrey DiGiorgi
digiorgi@jpl-vlsi
23Aug87
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 87 21:33:43 CDT
From: Paul Fons <FONS%UIUCVMD.BITNET@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Sony MultiScan Line?
I notice on my Sony Multiscan the little black line about 2/3s the way
down the screen that was mentioned before (I think) in INFO-MAC. Is there
any way to get rid of this line? Also the convergence on my (new) Sony
monitor is wonderful, but if I attempt to move the screen image around
using the controls in the back of the monitor, it seems to go off a little
as I can see a touch of red at the edge of the screen....
How hard is it to adjust the beam convergence. Are there a set of pots to
adjust inside (I haven't open the case yet). Is the control panel
convergen ce button good enough to alignment purposes. Thanks
Thanks Paul Fons FONS@UIUCVMD (bitnet)
[ note from moderator: Evidently the line is a shadow from a support
wire inside the monitor. All Sony Trinitron monitors supposedly suffer from
this problem. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
From: dsc@seismo.CSS.GOV (David S. Comay)
Subject: looking for comments regarding ready set go 4.0
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 87 14:49:45 EDT
i just got my upgrade notice from letraset and i was wondering what
impressions people have of the new version of ready set go. have they
started shipping it yet? i am also concerned about support for the
imagewriter ... does it still exist? thanks, i would appreciate any
comments.
dsc
------------------------------
Subject: Optical mouse for Macintosh?
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 87 11:39:47 -0400
From: James J Dempsey <jjd@ALEXANDER.BBN.COM>
Does any third party sell an optical mouse for the Macintosh? I'm
thinking of something similar to the mouse on Sun workstations.
--Jim Dempsey-
BBN Communications
jjd@bbn.com
[ note from moderator: A+ Systems sells an optical mouse for the Mac.
I've used their mouse and been very happy. I recently saw an ad for an ADB
version so evidently you can use one with the new Macs too. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
Subject: Software Reccomendations for Mac SE Needed!!
Reply-to: tab@ics.UCI.EDU
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 87 13:07:18 -0700
From: "Tracey A. Baker" <tab%cf10.uci.edu@ROME.UCI.EDU>
I'm going to be setting up two or three Mac SE's for a small
business, and I need some software reccomendations (last time I
shopped for PC software, it was dBase II).
Here's what we need:
-Networking hardware & software - something that doesn't require
a dedicated fileserver would be VERY nice.
-Tape backup hardware & software - we'll need some kind of network
backup/restore capability.
-Database - relational & programmable. Something like R:Base 5000
on the IBM PC would be perfect.
-Word Processor - has to be easy to use (I've heard nasty things
about Microsoft Word). We'd also like to find a good spell checker
and some kind of mail merge program.
-Graphics - for simple CAD - PCB design and physical design of the boxes
that the boards go in. We need something that isn't too complicated to
use (NOT a full-blown CAD system).
-Accounting - I have no idea what we want because I don't even know
what kind of accounting is involved in running a small business, but
any help would be appreciated.
-Any useful utilities/DAs you might know about.
Thanks in advance for any help!
---------
Tracey A. Baker |"There ain't no cure when the rabid
Dept. of Information & Computer Science | rock dog bites" -Split Sydney
University of California, Irvine |Disclaimer:
Irvine, CA 92717 Phone: (714)856-4034 |These opinions are my own, etc., etc.
ARPA: tab@ics.uci.edu |UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucivax!tab
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 87 08:55:52 ECT
From: FALK%NORUNIT.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
Subject: System 4.1/JAZZ
It seems that Apple/Microsoft has made it impossible to run JAZZ on the SE.
When opening a new worksheet, the whole screen in garbled. The Local distributo
r knows about the problem, but has no 'fixes'. Are there a simple patch to cope
with this problem? (My system is 4.1, Norwegian)
Thanks in advance :-)
[ note from moderator: I'm no fan of Microsoft but since Jazz is
published by Lotus I don't think we can blame MicroSoft. DAVEG ]
------------------------------
From: Bob Gross <18351c@d1.DARTMOUTH.EDU>
Date: 28 Aug 87 13:43
Subject: Looking for plastic disk envelopes
I am looking for a source for a small soft plastic envelope that can
hold several Mac disks. My original supplieris out of business. What I
want is something that resembles one of the plastic shirt pocket liners
that are used to protect from pen leaks, etc. It should cost about 20 cents
each. Does anyone know of a source of such a thing?
As an alternative, does anyone know of a way to get plastic holders l
ike the ones Sony disks are now shipping in?
Thanks for your help.
Bob Gross
Biology Dept.
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755
------------------------------
End of INFO-MAC Digest
**********************