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From: kistler@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Boot blocks and open files
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.123602.780@iowasp.physics.uiowa.edu>
Date: 18 Apr 91 12:36:00 -0500
Organization: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa
Lines: 15

What's the relation between boot blocks and the maximum number of open files
allowed?

Context:  On a couple of occasions, I've had about 10 (I think) files open in
a single application, like MS Word or Excel.  To print any single file, I
would have to close 2 or 3 of the files or I would get an alert that says
"too many open files."  I have also noticed in some documentation for some
programs I don't currently use that, to increase the max number of open files,
a user should use something like the "power user" settings of Suitcase to boost
the number of boot blocks.

So does a boot block have space in it for a file buffer, and each boot block
corresponds to being able to open a file, with maybe a few for system overhead?
As secondary question:  how come printing is apparently equivalent to a couple
of open disk files?