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From: urlichs@smurf.sub.org (Matthias Urlichs)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux,comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: Desktop Manager and A/UX 2.0
Message-ID: <"1wdg2.#n8@smurf.sub.org>
Date: 16 Nov 90 22:14:15 GMT
References: <vk[cg2.=u7@smurf.sub.org> <1990Nov16.052604.243@fog.ann-arbor.mi.us>
Organization: University of Karlsruhe, FRG
Lines: 28

In comp.sys.mac.system, article <1990Nov16.052604.243@fog.ann-arbor.mi.us>,
  brian@fog.ann-arbor.mi.us (Brian S. Schang) writes:
< From article <vk[cg2.=u7@smurf.sub.org>, by urlichs@smurf.sub.org (Matthias Urlichs):
< > The problem is that the Desktop Manager doesn't tolerate crashes very well.
< > It seems that the A/UX Startup program doesn't close the Desktop manager
< > files (there's a HFSDispatch selector for this), so you tend to lose some
< > icons and/or file type to application mappings.
< 
< Does this happen only during crashes?  And if it does happen, can the
< Desktop be rebuilt in the usual manner?
< 
Every time you launch A/UX, it's a "controlled crash". Some things are not
closed and cleaned up -- for instance, other programs running when you start
Launch are not closed. The Desktop Manager's files are not properly closed
either, and are left in a potentially inconsistent state.

The Desktop can of course be rebuilt. You don't even need to increase the
FInder memory to do so. ;-) However, I'd advise against rebuilding the
desktop for the root volume, simply because it takes so long. Instead, you
should periodically store the four relevant files (.fs_* and Desk*) in a safe
place (while using the console emulator!), and restore them if/when the A/UX
toolbox crashes (also from the console).

NB: You might want to edit the "mac32" and "mac24" scripts in /mac/bin;
append a "screenrestore" at the end.
-- 
Matthias Urlichs -- urlichs@smurf.sub.org -- urlichs@smurf.ira.uka.de     /(o\
Humboldtstrasse 7 - 7500 Karlsruhe 1 - FRG -- +49+721+621127(0700-2330)   \o)/