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From: ospwd@mathcs.emory.edu (Peter Day {EUCC})
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
Subject: MaxAppleZoom theory
Keywords: MaxAppleZoom
Message-ID: <7709@emory.mathcs.emory.edu>
Date: 25 Jun 91 12:49:11 GMT
References: <77@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu> <7700@emory.mathcs.emory.edu>
Organization: Emory University Information Technology Division
Lines: 27

After being amazed that moving the video board to another slot made
MaxAppleZoom (MAZ) start working again, I came up with the following
theory. MAZ has a built-in length of time that it will allow you to try
it. It enforces that time limit by putting the date you first use it
into memory on the video board. Each time you boot, it checks to see if
a date is stored in video memory, and if so, adds the limit to that
date and compares it to your system date. If the system date is greater
than the computed date, it refuses to work.

I can make some predictions based on this theory.

(1) Everyone who had MAZ fail after the same date started using MAZ on
the same date.

(2) If MAZ stops working, you can make it start working again by
removing the video card and replacing it in the SAME slot, since
removing the card apparently clears the memory where MAZ keeps its
date.

(3) After resetting the video memory, you can determine the date it
will stop working again by moving the Mac clock forward a year
until it fails, then using a binary search to find the exact date.
-- 
Peter Day              | DOMAIN: ospwd@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu
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