Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!mts.rpi.edu!Garance_Drosehn
From: Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu (Garance Drosehn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Protected-mode snake oil
Message-ID: <6S*%M~$@rpi.edu>
Date: 20 Aug 90 17:48:07 GMT
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.
Lines: 38
References:<1204.26c2fb48@waikato.ac.nz> <1210.26c694ed@waikato.ac.nz> <1990Aug17.133833.9024@siia.mv.com> <1269.26d02a24@waikato.ac.nz>

In article <1269.26d02a24@waikato.ac.nz> ccc_ldo@waikato.ac.nz 
           (Lawrence D'Oliveiro, Waikato University) writes:
> In <1990Aug17.133833.9024@siia.mv.com>, drd@siia.mv.com (David Dick)
> talks about an even more elaborate version of the user/supervisor
> mode division scheme, and illustrates some imaginative uses for
> it.
> 
> Dear David, please reread <1252.26cbdffa@waikato.ac.nz>, where I tried
> to make clear a point I first raised in the second half of
> <1204.26c2fb48@waikato.ac.nz>. I am beginning to get the feeling
> that there is a distinct "timesharing mentality" which is being
> demonstrated by a large number of people, who have *great*
> difficulty appreciating that a protection hole is a protection hole,
> regardless of how you implement it.

In my experience, a number of problems with the INITs/cdevs on the Mac 
have nothing to do with the function they are performing.  Consider, for 
instance, a screen saver.  Now it is true that a screwy screen-saver could 
cause a problem on any system, but on a decent system the likely problems 
will be in screen-saving.  Ie, the screen goes black and you can't get it 
back so you have to reboot.  On any system this may require a reboot, but 
once you reboot you are bound to think "Hey, this just *might* be the 
fault of the screen saver".

The headache with the current Mac system is that you have to play a 
guessing game as to what utility is causing any given bug.  Go an tell any 
Mac application developer that they have a problem in their application.  
The first thing you'll get in reply is a request for every INIT and cdev 
that you have, including ones that are not even remotely connected to the 
problem you're seeing.  And indeed, there are plenty of cases where INITs 
which are doing one thing are causing problems in areas not even remotely 
connected to what they are doing.

This is a Bad Thing (tm).

Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY.  USA