john@dcc1.UUCP (John Cothran) (05/16/88)
If you have seen this before, please excuse me, our system has been having alot of trouble getting postings onto the net, this is a second attempt... As everyone knows, the current System, Finder, and many releated OS files bear the same icon they appeared with in the first version of the Mac's OS. The Macintosh has since evolved and multiplied. We can now use any of three seperate machines, each with its own unique case (the 128,512,and 512ke all sharing the Plus' case). While the single drive, one piece Mac will always be remembered fondly, it will never again be the one and only shape for Macintosh. How many people would like to see the original Mac icon remain? Does anyone have any suggestions for an all encompasing Mac icon? How about the people at Apple? Could you tell us what might happen w/ System 6.0 or later? What about different icons on each machine (I realize that this could cause some problems for new users who wouldn't know wheather or not the System file that looked like an SE should be booted on a Plus or a II)? Replies, comments, objextions, and briliant suggestions welocome and appreciated. =================================================================== =Charles D. Menser ! seismo!gatech!dcc1!menser= =Atlanta, Georgia ! menser@dcc1 = ="The Greeks may have invented it, but we didn't upload it..." =
keith@uhccux.UUCP (Keith Kinoshita) (05/16/88)
In article <340@dcc1.UUCP> john@dcc1.UUCP (John Cothran) writes: [stuff deleted] > What about different icons on each machine (I realize that this could cause >some problems for new users who wouldn't know wheather or not the System file >that looked like an SE should be booted on a Plus or a II)? Why complicate the system both visually and as a matter of programming simplicity for something as dubious as a visual representation for hardware recognition? I thought the whole idea of the Mac environment was to hide the hardware level, and make everything as simple as possible. Come to think of it, Apple should have standardized a CDEV and an INIT icon for the mac as well. -- Keith Kinoshita INTERNET: keith@uhccux.UHCC.HAWAII.EDU ARPA: uhccux!keith@nosc.MIL BITNET: keith@uhccux UUCP: ...!ucsd!nosc!uhccux!keith PLATO: keith / uhcc / hawaii
holland@ti-csl.CSNET (Fred Hollander) (05/17/88)
Apple is sharpening it's image as it targets businesses and government. The newest Mac's don't have signatures on the case and look more like a generic PC (although still more appealling than IBM or Amiga - couldn't resist that :-)). Do you want an icon that looks like a PC? Let's not start a trend that will result in abandoning the old spirit. Fred Hollander Computer Science Center Texas Instruments, Inc. holland%ti-csl@csnet-rela The above statements are my own and not representative of Texas Instruments.
benjamin_kuo@pedro.UUCP (Benjamin Kuo) (05/20/88)
I don't mind the so far almost "standard" mac... Rather simple, and plain. I hated those "outline" system files awhile back. I usually mutilated them into "normal" icons... I wish they DID have a standard, all encompassing system icon...
thecloud@pnet06.cts.com (Ken Mcleod) (05/21/88)
Actually, the idea of having separate icons for each machine-optimized
version of the System file isn't bad. Remember, if you use the Installer
or otherwise get rid of certain PTCH's and other machine-specific
resources, the System file will be 'different'...of course, you'd need
to come up with different Finder filetypes for each ICN#...
Ken McLeod
La Habra, CA
UUCP: {crash uunet}!pnet06!thecloud
ARPA: crash!pnet06!thecloud@nosc.mil
INET: thecloud@pnet06.cts.comadail@pnet06.cts.com (Alan Dail) (05/21/88)
in message 3415, Keith Kinoshita writes >Come to think of it, Apple should have standardized a CDEV and >an INIT icon for the mac as well. no, no, no, no, no. The whole point of having Icons is that the visual representation makes it easier to find the file you want easier than having to read the text. The icon is supposed to represent what the cdev/init does. the contol panel would be much more difficult to use if all icons were the same. You dont want all applications and documents to have the same icon do you? It would be nice, however, if the Finder would tell you a file was an init, control panel document, chooser document, etc. when you do a view by type or get info. alan dail UUCP: {crash uunet}!pnet06!adail ARPA: crash!pnet06!adail@nosc.mil INET: adail@pnet06.cts.com
ephraim@think.COM (ephraim vishniac) (05/25/88)
In article <183@hodge.UUCP> thecloud@pnet06.cts.com (Ken Mcleod) writes: > Actually, the idea of having separate icons for each >machine-optimized version of the System file isn't bad. Remember, if >you use the Installer or otherwise get rid of certain PTCH's and >other machine-specific resources, the System file will be >'different'...of course, you'd need to come up with different Finder >filetypes for each ICN#... System tools 6.0 has "mini-installer" scripts that install the system software for specific hardware. The notes don't say anything about a different icon, but they do say that the system will alert you if you try to boot it on an inappropriate machine. I haven't tried it (I just got it yesterday), but it sounds like that should be enough to avoid confusing the user. BTW, the cover letter refers to "the enclosed tech notes and change history" and the enclosed change history refers to "the attached tech note" repeatedly. But, I didn't find any tech note(s) enclosed. Did anyone? Or is it being mailed separately? Ephraim Vishniac ephraim@think.com Thinking Machines Corporation / 245 First Street / Cambridge, MA 02142-1214 On two occasions I have been asked, "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?"
ephraim@think.COM (ephraim vishniac) (05/25/88)
In article <184@hodge.UUCP> adail@pnet06.cts.com (Alan Dail) writes: >It would be nice, however, if the Finder would tell >you a file was an init, control panel document, chooser document, etc. when >you do a view by type or get info. It does, starting in Finder 6.1. System tools 6.0 have already been distributed to developers and should be at your dealer any minute now. Inits are called "Startup Documents" and cdevs are called, er, something appropriate that escapes me right now. (I'm typing on a Sun, not a Mac.) The new system also supports "vers" resources that describe versions in a standard way for display by the Finder. Ephraim Vishniac ephraim@think.com Thinking Machines Corporation / 245 First Street / Cambridge, MA 02142-1214 On two occasions I have been asked, "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?"
ragge@nada.kth.se (Ragnar Sundblad) (05/28/88)
In article <184@hodge.UUCP> adail@pnet06.cts.com (Alan Dail) writes: >no, no, no, no, no. >The whole point of having Icons is that the visual representation >makes it easier to find the file you want easier than having to >read the text. The icon is supposed to represent what the cdev/init >does. no, no, no, no, no and yes The file icon is supposed to represent what the *FILE* does/contains. Just like the document icon and the application icon there should be an init icon, cdev icon, rdev icon, etc, etc.
palarson@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Paul Larson) (06/02/88)
In article <373@draken.nada.kth.se>, ragge@nada.kth.se (Ragnar Sundblad) writes: > In article <184@hodge.UUCP> adail@pnet06.cts.com (Alan Dail) writes: > >no, no, no, no, no. > >The whole point of having Icons is that the visual representation > >makes it easier to find the file you want easier than having to > >read the text. The icon is supposed to represent what the cdev/init > >does. > > no, no, no, no, no and yes > The file icon is supposed to represent what the *FILE* does/contains. > Just like the document icon and the application icon there should be > an init icon, cdev icon, rdev icon, etc, etc. I fail to see why these two purposes should be at odds. All commercial applications I know of use custom icons for both the application and document files. Generally, they each depict very clearly whether a file is an application or a document. Of course, it might be helpful if a default {init,cdev,rdev} icon existes, just as default icons exist for applications and vanilla documents. The default icons, while functional, are uglier than sin. Johan Larson