alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) (02/09/89)
I have been skirting the edges of TOPS/AppleShare compatibility for a while now. Suddenly, with FoxBase+/Mac, I find myself over that edge and into the abyss (Mixed metaphors champ '88 :-) It seems that AppleShare and it's clones (NetWare/Mac, AppleShare PC, 3Com[?]) all have this think called the "Shared Environment" which I have never even heard of. It's NOT AFP. What is it, what is it used for, and where is the documention??? Thanks in advance, Alexis Rosen alexis@ccnysci.uucp
andrews@Apple.COM (Richard Andrews) (02/10/89)
> I have been skirting the edges of TOPS/AppleShare compatibility for a while > now. Suddenly, with FoxBase+/Mac, I find myself over that edge and into the > abyss (Mixed metaphors champ '88 :-) > > It seems that AppleShare and it's clones (NetWare/Mac, AppleShare PC, 3Com[?]) > all have this think called the "Shared Environment" which I have never even > heard of. It's NOT AFP. What is it, what is it used for, and where is the > documention??? The "Shared Environment" is a term Apple coined to represent the "new" environments we were moving into (Switcher, AppleShare, MultiFinder, etc.) where more than one user/application may open a file at the same time. Before these products, there was no way any two users or apps could "share" a file. Each of these products opens up the possibility of sharing. A document was produced ("Application Development in a Shared Environment") to inform developers of the particular considerations they should be aware of when writing applications for these environments. This is available from the Apple Programmers' and Developers' Association (APDA). I should point out that whether you plan for it or not, the applications you write will most likely be tried in a shared environment, so ALL developers should read the document.
alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) (02/13/89)
In article <25568@apple.Apple.COM> dyson@Apple.COM (Patrick Dyson) writes: >In article <1244@ccnysci.UUCP> alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) writes: >>I have been skirting the edges of TOPS/AppleShare compatibility for a while >>now. Suddenly, with FoxBase+/Mac, I find myself over that edge and into the >>abyss (Mixed metaphors champ '88 :-) >> >>It seems that AppleShare and it's clones (NetWare/Mac, AppleShare PC, 3Com[?]) >>all have this think called the "Shared Environment" which I have never even >>heard of. It's NOT AFP. What is it, what is it used for, and where is the >>documention??? > >There is a chapter in Inside Macintosh vol V that talks about file manager >extensions in a shared environment. It provides some insights as to what >to expect from external file systems. I have read that chapter. Let me clarify things a bit. I spoke at length to the TOPS product manager last week. He told me that the reason TOPS didn't support certain programs (such as FoxBase) was that is didn't support the "Shared Environment" (his words). He said that this was NOT AFP, and NOT byte-range locking, permissions, etc. (what IM-V covers). Now, does anyone have any idea what he was talking about, or was I lead astray? My impression is that he either wasn't sure what he was talking about or didn't want to 'fess up to the whole sordid story. Wishing for a straight answer, Alexis Rosen alexis@ccnysci.uucp
Ravinder.Chandhok@CS.CMU.EDU (Rob Chandhok) (02/14/89)
Tops is not "AFP", that is correct. AppleShare is the only complete implementation of AFP in the world, as far as I know (go figure). I would define the "Shared Environment" as the actual manefestation of AFP on your machine. It's kind of like saying that NFS is Sun's "Shared Environment". There are subset implementations of AFP, such as the Columbia AppleTalk Package's "aufs" server. AFP allows for some options on both the server and client ends, such as how to transmit passwords, do you support the fast file copy/move operations, byte range locking, etc. Basically, an AFP server can use the AppleShare client on the Mac. With CAP, you only add software to your unix machine, not your mac. With Tops, you put in a whole new driver that is client (and server if you specify). Tops does not require that AppleShare be installed. CAP does. A long time ago, TOPS and AppleShare were the same. Not any more. Remember, these people are trying to make money and all. Product differentiation!! Bleah. Hope this helps. Hope I got it right. I am sure 10 million people will let me know if I didn't. Rob
alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) (02/15/89)
Well. To all those helpful souls who tried to answer this question, thanks. In fact, the whole question was wrong, because the TOPS person who mentioned it was talking through his hat. He said "Shared Environment", and also said it wasn't the IM-V stuff (with which I am quite familiar). In fact, Tops supports _some_ of the IM-V stuff, but not all of it. This is in fact what he was referring to. So the mystery is solved. Now let's all beat up on TOPS to get them to get the new code out faster... Alexis Rosen alexis@ccnysci.uucp
carr@Apple.COM (Randy Carr) (02/18/89)
In article <1269@ccnysci.UUCP> alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) writes: > >Well. To all those helpful souls who tried to answer this question, thanks. >In fact, the whole question was wrong, because the TOPS person who mentioned >it was talking through his hat. He said "Shared Environment", and also said >it wasn't the IM-V stuff (with which I am quite familiar). > >In fact, Tops supports _some_ of the IM-V stuff, but not all of it. This >is in fact what he was referring to. So the mystery is solved. Now let's >all beat up on TOPS to get them to get the new code out faster... > >Alexis Rosen >alexis@ccnysci.uucp Actually, I believe what may have started all of this discussion about AppleShare "Shared Environment" is the document titled: "Software Applications in a Shared Environment" dated Final Draft: 8/6/87. This document was produced by the Communications & Networking Technical Publications dept at Apple. No, I'm not up on APDA these days, but I bet that it is available from this source. It doesn't have an APDA number or any other identification info about the document either. I know this because I'm holding a copy in my hands. Randy Carr Network Systems Development Domain: carr@apple.com Apple Computer, Inc. UUCP: {nsc,dual,sun,voder}!apple!carr 20525 Mariani Ave. M/S 27-O AppleLink: CARR2 Cupertino, CA 95014 Opinions & Responses are my own and do NOT represent my employer...