Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!swbatl!george
From: george@swbatl.sbc.com (George Nincehelser 5-6544)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: Re: New replacement for INITs
Keywords: INIT extensions System 7
Message-ID: <1991May12.032859.8612@swbatl.sbc.com>
Date: 12 May 91 03:28:59 GMT
References: <2729@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Southwestern Bell Advanced Technology Laboratory
Lines: 45

In article <2729@lee.SEAS.UCLA.EDU> weiss@watson.seas.ucla.edu (Michael Weiss) writes:
>Now that System 7 is out, (well, day after tomorrow, but who's counting?)
>I think it's about time that we start looking very carefully at our INIT
>collections.  See, while many INITs are true System extensions, some are
>more like tiny programs of their own.  It seems as if these could be turned
>into standalone programs that respond to AppleEvents.  I'm thinking of the
...

>What say you?

I like things the way they are for the most part.  I would hate to have all
those little programs running around...I prefer that they hide in the system
as I generally consider them to be system level functions.
 
For example, several people seem to be advocates for screen-blanking apps
instead of system extensions.  Here are the problems I have with that:

1) Installation:  Startup apps take more user effort to install than
                  extensions. (i.e. You have to know about the startup
                  sub-folder in the system folder)

2) Control: It makes sense to have a screen-blanker control in the control
            panel.  An app could have some trouble doing this...it could be
            done, I'm sure, but I bet it would complicate installation.
 
3) Other Naughty Apps: What happens when those ill-programmed apps that are 
            still around refuse to give time to background processes?  If we
            had a pre-emptive OS, I'd feel differently.
 
4) Why?: I feel the extension conflict issue is often blown out of proportion.
         I myself have run into very few conflicts, and I usually run between
         10 and 20 at a time.
 
I'm sure there are are several other points that can be brought up, too.
 
I understand why apps could be nice, but I (usually a user) like things just
the way they are.  Why start botching things up just because some programmer
types think their way is much better?  Would it really benefit the average 
user?
 
-- 
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