Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!austing
From: austing@Apple.COM (Glenn L. Austin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Communications Toolbox questions
Message-ID: <37029@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 89 07:51:17 GMT
References: <9125@hoptoad.uucp> <36869@apple.Apple.COM> <9194@hoptoad.uucp>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 46

In article <9194@hoptoad.uucp> tim@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Maroney) writes:
>In article <36869@apple.Apple.COM> kazim@Apple.COM (Alex Kazim) writes:
>>>(2)  Are you going to make the installation process less painful for
>>>users who have 6.0.x?  This is pretty important for marketing reasons.
>>
>>Uh, no.  We'll be using an Installer 3.0 script for the 6.0.x systems 
>>to install the toolbox into the System file.  The reason is that we have
>>to run before inits that register themselves with the Comm Resource Mgr.
>
>OK, this has been preying on my mind for a few hours and I have what
>seems to be a good answer.  INITs that install Comm Toolbox resources
>in the linked list should not be given type INIT or RDEV to be picked
>up by the INIT 31 mechanism.  Instead, they should be give a new type,
>say 'Comm', that INIT 31 won't pick up.  Then the toolbox file, which
>*is* of type INIT or RDEV, contains its own INIT-31-type resource that
>only picks up files of the new type.  Running INITs is pretty easy; the
>real INIT 31 resource is only 474 bytes of code.

We tried that -- oh how the INIT process slowed down!  Just think -- most
"power users" already have nearly 100 files in their System Folder (I 
personally had 115 until I got tired of waiting 2 minutes to start up my Mac)
Every time you have to search out a file, you have to go through *ALL* the
files in the System folder just to find the ones you want.  Just think, first
the INIT 31 mechanism starts through, then the CTB starts through the same
list of files, completes, and then the INIT 31 mechanism continues with the
next file -- therefore each file is touched at least twice!

>I think the advantages of not installing the Toolbox in the already
>badly overloaded System resource file speak for themselves, though I
>will be glad to enumerate them if necessary.  I don't see any serious
>problems with this approach; it seems like a simple technical solution
>to a serious user interface issue.

I do!  It takes too long already to boot up a machine, and this suggestion just
doubled the time necessary!  Granted, the System file is getting full, but by
looking at the time and processing savings, you'll be glad it's in the System
file!
-- 
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| Glenn L. Austin               | "Have you ever danced with the devil in   | 
| Communications Toolbox Hacker |  in the pale moonlight?" -The Joker       |
| Apple Computer, Inc.          | "You made me!" -Batman                    | 
| Internet:   austing@apple.com |-------------------------------------------|
| AppleLink:  AUSTIN.GLENN      | All opinions stated above are mine --     |
| Bellnet:    (408) 974-0876    |                who else would want them?  |
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