Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!CS.CMU.EDU!Ravinder.Chandhok
From: Ravinder.Chandhok@CS.CMU.EDU (Rob Chandhok)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: Chooser/atis registration problem?
Message-ID: <18568.619980922@GNOME.CS.CMU.EDU>
Date: 24 Aug 89 16:55:22 GMT
References: <1468@ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 27



>From:  ncrlnk!ncrcce!pasek@uunet.uu.net  (Michael A. Pasek)
>Subject:  Re: Chooser/atis registration problem?
>
>Granted, AppleTalk and its appendages were not envisioned to handle more than
>a few machines in a local environment at reasonable (<1Mb/s) speeds.  However,
>one thing that (IMHO) MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN is that it works remarkably well
>(and SIMPLY) for those who do not have the extensive network/high speed
>requirements of the writers above.

The bug/feature we have all been attesting to has nothing to do with the
speed of the network, and very little to do with an extensive network.  The
basic problem is that Chooser has some artificial limits that result in
non-intuitive behavior.  If Chooser only allocates 512 bytes for its name
buffer, then bumping that to 2K bytes should help everyone, and I can't
imagine very many systems where you don't have 2K around when you are
running chooser.  In any case,  Chooser should try and grab a bigger buffer,
and ask for less *only* if it can't have the big chunk.  A 512 byte bufer
might be needed on a 512K Mac, but it really is a shame when someone is too
worried about bytes to see the user interface/functionality ramifications.

I don't think anything I suggested was ripping on AppleTalk and its wonderful
capability to "plug-and-play".  I happen to like AppleTalk.  I don't like
sloppy programming :-) .  

Rob