Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site sjuvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cadre!psuvax1!burdvax!sjuvax!jss
From: jss@sjuvax.UUCP (J. Shapiro)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Re: A Finder Suggestion
Message-ID: <1210@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Jul-85 22:23:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.1210
Posted: Thu Jul 25 22:23:07 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Jul-85 06:10:56 EDT
References: <251@sask.UUCP> <1314@uwmacc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Haverford College, Haverford, Pa.
Lines: 22

> > Unfortunately dragging the system disk to the trash
> > produces the message:
> > "Can't throw away the image of the startup disk."
> > 
> >...

My understanding of this is that the Mac wants the startup disk on the
assumption that it will soon need resources not presently in memory to
do such things as find standard icons, etc. If you eject the main disk, and
make the Mac forget about it, then not only doesn't the mac have this
stuff, but it has no idea where to find it.

The insistance on the startup disk is pretty well hard coded into the system.
I suspect there is no particularly good way to avoid it.

If you have a fat mac, find one of the RamDisk programs which makes the ram-
disk your startup disk, and watch the sparks (and the mac) fly. Contrary
to popular opinion, the bounding factor on a typical application's speed on
the Mac is not adequate memory. It is adequate disk speed.

Jon Shapiro
Haverford College