Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!olivea!samsung!spool.mu.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!src.honeywell.com!mail-enters-news From: drdan@src.honeywell.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps Subject: Re: Versaterm & Mathematica Message-ID: <9105102039.AA24720@draco.src.honeywell.com> Date: 10 May 91 21:39:13 GMT Sender: daemon@src.honeywell.com Organization: Honeywell Systems & Research Center Lines: 74 To: comp.sys.mac.apps Posted-Date: Fri, 10 May 1991 15:39:13 -0600 Received-Date: Fri, 10 May 91 15:39:18 CDT In article <1991May9.201312.17709@midway.uchicago.edu> langer@gibbs.UUCP (Steve Langer) writes: >What can Versaterm be doing to make Mathematica crash *after* Versaterm >quits? Does it confuse the modem port in some way, and Mathematica >has a bug that only lets it start if the modem port is not confused? >I'm not using a remote Mathematica kernel, so it shouldn't care >about the port, right? The principle of cause and effect seems to say >that Versaterm is at fault, not Mathematica. >... > Somebody else (sorry, I forgot your name) asked if I'd reported this >problem to Versaterm. No, I haven't, but only because >I've been lazy and I don't use Mathematica and Versaterm together too much. I reported it to both companies, since I do use VersaTerm and Mathemetica together a lot. The following is a partial list of my log: --10/20/89: Problem: Under Multi-finder, launch VersaTerm-Pro, Quit, launch Mathematica, Quit. System bombs, sometimes with ID=11, ID=10, or simply freezes in middle of window updates. Call to Wolfram Research: --bug in Apple Palette Manager,try system 6.0.4 and call back --10/23/89: Follow-up: Installed 6.0.4. Problem still occurs. Increased Finder memory allocation. Problem no longer reproducible, but still occurs. Problem also occurs running VersaTerm and Telnet without Mathematica. [Hindsight 5/10/91, this went away after next upgrade of Telnet.] --11/15/89: Call to Synergy Software: Lonny Abelbeck: Bug in initialization of other programs (e.g. Mathematica, Telnet). VersaTerm-PRO has history of exposing bugs in other programs that way (a case was a beta copy of Adobe Illustrator). Possible workaround: turn off "shared" attribute of VT-PRO using ResEdit & "Get Info". Follow-up: "shared" bit already off. --17-apr-90: Received 3.1.1 upgrade with communications toolbox. Operating under system 6.0.5 with multifinder 6.1b9. Mathematica bombs upon launch after launching Versaterm, even when started using serial tool instead of native serial link. --31-may-90: Found readnews article on complex interaction bug between AddressBook, VersaTerm, and SuperClock under MultiFinder involving modem port. Author claimed problem was modem port usage coupled with an application calling "InitWindow" before "InitFont". Suggested using hex edit tool to find "A9 12 A8 FE" and changing it to "A8 FE A9 12". Found and changed two occurances in Mathematica. Result bombed in presence of VersaTerm. (Also found "A9 12" in CODE resource "Main" ID=1, did not change it.) --18-jul-90: Found readnews article which stated that Multifinder had "A9 12 A8 FE" bug as well. Found one occurance in CODE resource "INIT" ID=1, as well as one occurance of correct "A8 FE A9 12". Rehacked Mathematica and Multifinder (6.1b9). Did not find occurances in VersaTerm-PRO or Darkness 1.01. --19-oct-90: Updated system version to 6.0.7. --22-oct-90: Talked to Tech Support about current status. About a month ago, Synergy Software (Versaterm) contacted them about a bug in VersaTerm causing problems. Current version of Mathematica is 1.2.2. --13-nov-90 Received upgrade to Mathematica 1.2.2, and MacTCP 1.0.1. First trial suggests that Versaterm and Mathematica can now run simultaneously. --10-may-91 I am currently running successfully with Multifinder, system 6.0.7, Mathematica 1.2.2, and Versaterm-Pro 3.1.1 (both with and without CTB). Evidence seems to support Adelbeck's suggestion, that Versaterm leaves memory in such a way that certain bugs in other programs are exposed. Daniel P. Johnson Honeywell Systems and Research Center e-mail: drdan@src.honeywell.com phone: 612-782-7427 office: 2433 fax: 612-782-7438 Mac Mail: "Johnson Dan" voice: "Yo, Dan!" US mail: MN65-2500, 3660 Technology Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55418