Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!sunic!tut!santra!kampi.hut.fi!jmunkki
From: jmunkki@kampi.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Is multifinder or finder running??
Message-ID: <1989Dec10.213854.18676@santra.uucp>
Date: 10 Dec 89 21:38:54 GMT
References: <17708@ea.ecn.purdue.edu> <9190@hoptoad.uucp> <17695@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <9247@hoptoad.uucp>
Sender: news@santra.uucp (Cnews - USENET news system)
Reply-To: jmunkki@kampi.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Lines: 53

In article <9247@hoptoad.uucp> tim@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Maroney) writes:
>system is 6.0.x, then MultiFinder may or may not be running; check it
>by seeing whether the last entry in the Apple menu is "About
>MultiFinder..."
>
>In article <17695@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> earleh@eleazar.dartmouth.edu
>(Earle R. Horton) writes:
>>The last check won't do much for you if the last item in the Apple
>>menu is "A-propos de MultiFinder," "Uber den MultiFinder," or
>
>Sure it will.  I hope you aren't running around embedding string
>constants in your code!  At the time when you update all the STR# and
>STR resources for the new language, you would also change the string
>for "About MultiFinder..."

Oh... I guess I'm running programs like Ajatus-C instead of Think-C
and the Finnish version of SimCity? The truth is that most programs
are not translated to all these languages. I already have make too
many changes to existing programs in order for them to work with
our itl and INTL resources. In fact, I'm using an Australian system
because some programmers are trying to follow the guidelines, but
only manage to create programs that either crash or go crazy when
they are used with a foreign system. (Think C and SimCity both
behave ok with a Finnish system: I just used them as examples of
programs that I use in their English versions.)

Of course I'm happy if you keep all your strings and graphics
(and anything language-dependent) in resources. I also hope that
you supply templates for any custom resource types that might
also need translation... What I don't want is you to start
requiring me to change strings every time I move a program from
my Australian system Mac II to the Finnish system in our Mac IIx.

Come on... finding out if you are under multifinder is simple.
Just assume that you aren't running under MF until you get your
first suspend or resume event! Most users will be happy with
this approach and it will probably never break.

Also remember that MultiFinder is just an extension of desk
accessories. If you intend to be MF friendly, it's probably
quite close to being DA friendly.

Another possible way to find out if MF is running (this might break in
the future) is to see where fonts and stuff like that loads. Depending
on what a menu looks like is a bad idea. Depending on a programming
interface is not much better, but at least it tends to be more stable
than the user interface (especially, if you consider international
systems).

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|     Juri Munkki jmunkki@hut.fi  jmunkki@fingate.bitnet        I Want   Ne   |
|     Helsinki University of Technology Computing Centre        My Own   XT   |
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