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From: ejd@iris.brown.edu (Ed Devinney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Invasion of the Color Nazis
Message-ID: <14816@brunix.UUCP>
Date: 10 Sep 89 23:52:00 GMT
References: <7858@cbmvax.UUCP>
Sender: news@brunix.UUCP
Organization: IRIS/Brown University
Lines: 33

In article <7858@cbmvax.UUCP> daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie) writes:
> The problem:  I decided that the display was too slow with 8 or 4 
bits/color,
> but decent at 2 or 1 bit/color.  [...]
> Only, the #^*&^%@ system configuration tool refuses to let me change the
> black or the white.  Does anyone out there know a way around this?  I am
> absolutely convinced that I know my color preferences far better than 
some
> stupid computer.

Apple's system software requires that the first and last of the colors in 
any given ColorTable are white and black, respectively.  Utilities exist 
that will allow removal of B&W from the CLUT, but _very_ strange things 
start happening when you do this, as the B&W are apparently used for 
internal shortcuts and the system gets lost.  Changing the CLUT directly, 
as opposed to the blessed method of using the Palette Manager, is also 
generally ineffective.
 - also,
> I'm used to the Amiga equivalent, where I have a chance to save 
> whatever didn't crash before rebooting.  Would Multifinder...
The System Error Handler allows the _applications programmer_ to provide a 
recovery procedure in the program.  Most programmers ignore this bit of 
refinement, for generally (no flames, please) production software has 
very, very few fatal crashes.  Thus the MacMaxim: Save early, save 
often...especially when using non-production software.

ed

++++++
ed devinney, IRIS/Brown University, Providence, RI
ejd@iris.brown.edu
-- I work for a university...Disclaimers? Disclaimers! We don' need no 
steenking disclaimers!! --