Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ucbvax!slb-test.CSNET!SHULMAN From: SHULMAN@slb-test.CSNET.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.mac Subject: Delphi Mac Digest V3 #20 Message-ID: <8703301833.AA00518@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 09:51:00 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8703301833.AA00518 Posted: Mon Mar 30 09:51:00 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 00:55:45 EST Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 605 Approved: info-mac@sumex-aim.arpa Delphi Mac Digest Sunday, March 29, 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 20 Today's Topics: Problems Using SuperMac SuperSpool 3.2 RE: servant RE: Stresed Nodes Re: Head parking and shutdown? Bug in Insect (2 messages) Acta converters RE: interrupts SmallTalk "resources" (2 messages) PageMaker 2.0 and WriteNow (2 messages) RE: PostScript SE internal disks efficient reading (5 messages) Font/DA mover Word - again (3 messages) Useful MPW C "Feature" 2,-108 bug; Font/DA Mover; heap space RE: 2,-108 bug; Font/DA Mover; heap spac (2 messages) TextEdit length limitations mouse feet a NEW word 3.0 bug RE: potential problem in lightspeed DAs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: SPERRAZZA Subject: Problems Using SuperMac SuperSpool 3.2 Date: 22-MAR 13:41 Bugs & Features Has anyone had unusual problems using SuperSpool? I have v. 3.2 and was very pleased with it until: MDS Edit 2.0 bombed while printing in Draft Quality (I use System 4.0 and IW driver 2.5); MockPrint won't work at all (I figured it wouldn't); and. most mysteriously, MockWrite worked for a while and now doesn't (same problem as MockPrint - It prints junk to the printer). As the problems I' ve had are spectacular paper-wasters, I haven't experimented much. Has anyone else had similar problems? I expected MockPrint not to work, hoped MockWrite would, and am distressed by Edit's problems. Thanks for the info - Joe S. P.S. Any idea when (if ever) a new version of Edit will be released. 2.0 has a problem if you're too deeply nested in HFS, but the Beta version has its own problems (I think). - JSS ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: RE: servant (Re: Msg 18448) Date: 22-MAR 18:31 Public Domain "The latest version of Servant is .92, which features Get Info, Mac II and Mac SE compatibility (with a hack for coloring existing application windows on the Mac II), and some other fun new features. I will make my next upload as soon as file copy is implemented. I'm currently working on it about half-time or so and expect the version with file copy to be available in April." [Andy Hertzfeld] Andy told me he's been delayed on Servant because he's making the Radius FPD work with the Macintosh SE - its 256K ROM is very different from the 128K ROM in the Macintosh Plus. ------------------------------ From: MOUSEKETEER Subject: RE: Stresed Nodes (Re: Msg 18443) Date: 22-MAR 21:45 Business Mac While I'm not "happy" to hear it, thanks for posting the note on MSC/pal. The brochures included with the press release seemed to show some Mac-ish looks, but I would certainly take the word of a user over a hype kit. Actually, the primary thing I found interesting about the program's release was the idea of using a somewhat crippled, but inexpensive version for students and casual interest folks. I have been hoping that one of the companies doing advanced CAD/CAM programs for the Mac would take that approach, as there are some rather basic things I would like to use a CAD/CAM program for, but could not justify the price of the nice programs. (Related...I read somewhere recently that Generic CAD or such is working on a Mac version to be offered at two levels, an inexpensive but limited set, and a full-blown mega-buck version.) Alf ------------------------------ From: BRECHER Subject: Re: Head parking and shutdown? Date: 23-MAR 06:15 MUGS Online To: Stuart Strand Subject: Re: Head parking and shutdown? The Shut Down process takes the disk offline. When an HFS volume is taken offline, the master directory block near the beginning of the volume is written to. If the disk is not taken offline before the Mac is restarted, there is a delay, possibly a substantial one, upon restarting. Hence, a head-park DA or utility really ought to also perform the Shut Down function. If it doesn't, and you Shut Down after using the head-park DA, the heads are not parked and the DA usage was a waste of time. ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: Bug in Insect (Re: Msg 18497) Date: 23-MAR 20:14 Network Digests >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 87 04:49:33 est >From: ephraim%wang.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET >Subject: Bug in Insect >There's a subtle bug in my version of the Insect DA which I recently >distributed. In my defense, let me say that it's a smaller bug than the >one it replaced! Hmmm ... if Random is the only thing you need, why not use your own pseudo-random number generator? It probably wouldn't have to score well on the spectral test to be good enough :-) peter "In any context, half of all references PEABO @ DELPHI are local and half are global." ------------------------------ From: BRECHER Subject: Re: Bug in Insect Date: 24-MAR 06:28 MUGS Online To: ephraim%wang.uucp@RELAY.CS.NET Subject: Re: Bug in Insect > A VBL which persists across program launches cannot depend on *any* qd > globals [such as RandSeed, used by Random()], because it can't tell whether > CurrentA5 is valid. The byte WWExist ("Window World Exists") at $8F2 is set to $FF by InitApplZone (and by rebooting), and cleared by InitWindows. Given the state of its values, it should really be thought of as "Window World Doesn't Exist." In short, if (WWExist)=0, then ((CurrentA5)) points to QuickDraw globals. If you need to use Random() regardless of whether QD globals are available, and are willing to get a little tricky, you could temporarily set A5 to a value such that Move.L (A5),An Lea -124(An),An will cause An to point to your own private random seed. Or, you could just not use Random, which is a simple linear congruential generator, and substitute your own routine. ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: Acta converters (Re: Msg 18497) Date: 24-MAR 21:10 Network Digests > From: (Thomas Fruin) > Subject: WANTED: converting Acta documents to others and v.v. Offhand I know of the following programs which use Acta format: Convert/Configure [Symmetry, part of Acta] - ThinkTank and TEXT to Acta Ripper [Jim Hopper, shareware] - PageMaker 1.2 to Acta Quacta [Daniel Smith] - Rolodex and Scrapbook (and ?) to Acta Dir-Acta-ry [David Dunham, free] - Disk directory to Acta Laser Author [Icon Technology, $?] - opens Acta documents with styles I'll be interested in seeing your summary, since I have the feeling I've forgotten someone. I can't say much about it, but the next release of Acta will work with a _lot_ more file formats, including MORE. Right now, your friend will have to open Acta and paste topics into MORE (MORE 1.1 does a reasonable job with this). To get from MORE to Acta, use Acta's "smart paste," or save the document in ThinkTank format and use Convert/Configure. Just as a reminder, the Acta file format is available on the nets (don't ask me where, I only posted on Delphi and Compu$erve) or from Symmetry Corp. It's only one page long (someone once wrote asking for the missing pages). David Dunham "Whenever you see a sign 'No Exit,' it means Maitreya Design there is an exit." ------------------------------ From: JOSEF Subject: RE: interrupts (Re: Msg 1353) Date: 24-MAR 00:37 Programming Techniques I found out the answer to my problem: apparently the hardware on the Mac detects the fact that both the level 1 and level 2 interrupts have been applied and then masks the level 1 interrupt. So the level 3 interrupt only appears for a fleeting instant if at all. Very clever solution--only takes a gate or 2 and competely avoids the necessity of fancy decoder logic. Joe ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: SmallTalk "resources" Date: 24-MAR 01:12 Tools for Developers Does anyone know where I can get the various cursors used in Smalltalk? I'd also like the font. (I have 0.3, but it doesn't use resources to speak of.) ------------------------------ From: RCONGDON Subject: RE: SmallTalk "resources" (Re: Msg 1369) Date: 24-MAR 03:28 Tools for Developers Cursor bitmaps are hardcoded. The Cursor class initialization code has code to build each of the various cursor types which are referenced as class variables by Cursor class. If you have the 0.3 source you can browse the class methods of Cursor class to look at the code that does this. I'm not too sure about the fonts: it's likely to be somewhere among the classes DisplayText, Text and TextStyle likely to be hard-coded as well. ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: PageMaker 2.0 and WriteNow Date: 24-MAR 22:24 Business Mac .. just looked at a press release for PageMaker 2.0, still scheduled for the end of March... It's supposed to support *WriteNow* formatted documents. In addition, it's supposed to also support Glue documents for "placing" into PageMaker layouts. I sure hope they have more bug-free conversion than MS Word 3.0 does. (And PM 2.0 is supposed to be able to *save* documents in Word 3.0 format. But I'll still be glad to have Ripper around...) Ric "A Mac program never makes you type a filename twice" ------------------------------ From: JIMH Subject: RE: PageMaker 2.0 and WriteNow (Re: Msg 18515) Date: 25-MAR 19:29 Business Mac Ric, Pagemaker 2.0 has gone to everything in the data fork (PC type implementaition) So i havnt the foggiest of how to decode it. unless they wont give me the file specs, i afraid there will be no ripper for 2.0. Oh and by the by, someone i know took a small file from current pagemaker ( something like 17k) and resaved id in 2.0 and it became a 44k file. He is seriously unhappy about the data file size expansion with no increased functions. best jim ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: RE: PostScript (Re: Msg 18521) Date: 25-MAR 11:27 Creative Pursuits I think the only option would be to save the file by hitting Command-F or Command-G just after telling the Mac to print, then sending the saved file with a telecommunications program like MockTerminal or Red Ryder. Ric Ford ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: SE internal disks Date: 25-MAR 21:28 Business Mac I've just been reading some technical information from Apple, and it says that Mac SE's with internal 20 MB hard disks can *NOT* be "upgraded" to a two-800K configuration; also, the two-800K configuration can *not* be changed to a 20MB configuration. Does anyone know of any reasons this would be true? Are the logic boards different somehow? Ric Ford ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: efficient reading Date: 25-MAR 03:37 Programming Techniques Is it bad practice to read through a file as in: count = 1L; /* Read a single character */ error = FSRead(infil,&count,&c); IV-95 indicates that this will only hit the disk one time in 512, so it seems like a good idea to keep the de-buffering overhead in the ROM and out of my program. ------------------------------ From: DWB Subject: RE: efficient reading (Re: Msg 1371) Date: 25-MAR 07:56 Programming Techniques Other than the fact that it's a lot more to type than c = getchar(infil); I guess not. I have a preference for hiding that type of stuff even farther away. David ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: efficient reading (Re: Msg 1371) Date: 25-MAR 22:57 Programming Techniques I like to use moderate sized buffers because I think that the overhead of calling the read subroutine (even with 512 bytes in a I/O buffer somewhere) is substantial enough to make the program run maybe half as fast as it might. There are cases where the read logic really wants only one character at a time and keeping track of the unbuffering is enough of a pain that it's not a good idea to buffer the read within the application code. peter ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: RE: efficient reading (Re: Msg 1372) Date: 26-MAR 22:04 Programming Techniques Problem with using stdio is in converting from Standard File to Unix files (or is that in the part of the LsC manual I haven't read?). Plus the atrocious overhead you get with libraries like that. (The specific example is from a non- application program, i.e. a code resource like a desk accessory segment.) ------------------------------ From: DWB Subject: RE: efficient reading (Re: Msg 1374) Date: 27-MAR 04:50 Programming Techniques Who said anything about standard io. I was talking about writing a very simple routine which did basically what you code segment had in it, and calling that from all over the place. Isolate that nasty bit of code. Guess I wasn't really very clear on that was I. For what it's worth, I havn't used LS stdio yet. David (oh yeah, and I'm a unix hack too!) ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: Font/DA mover (Re: Msg 18436) Date: 27-MAR 10:08 Network Digests Jan, did you patch 3.4? How do you do it? I tried Nevai's Font/DA Mover patch on F/DAM 3.4 with poor results. The program came up with Fonts, rather than DAs selected, despite the fact that the MacUser patches had been applied; and I could not install a DA (got the "too many DA's" message) after patching, although I could do it with the patched 3.2 F/DAM. Ric (Maybe I should have turned cache off ...) ------------------------------ From: MOUSE1 Subject: Word - again Date: 27-MAR 20:24 SIG Business I quote from a letter just received from Microsoft: " Your document has been reformatted and hopefully looks like what you desired. One thing that helps me when reformating is to "show paragraphs" which shows paragraph returns, line feeds, tabs and spaces." That is all fine and nice of MS to re do my document ( which I havent received yet) but did nothing to answer my question why did it loose formatting when converted from Word 1 to Word 3. I am well aware that showing paragraphs can help in formatting if you need it. As you may - or may not- recall, I had a 14 page document which was formatted in columns, sometimes 2 to a page, sometimes just a regular page, and when I converted it, all formatting was lost, headers disappeared, plain text became underlined when only headers were underlined, etc. At the time this happened, I screamed, kicked the Mac -- and made 3 phone calls to MS before I got someone reasonably intelligent who informed me something must have happened in the converting process. Obviously. And I still dont know what or why! Oh, well, as I said, I have a love/hate relationship with Word, and I just had to vent out a little steam. Thank God, I printed the document before converting or I would have been in terrible trouble. And may God also be good enough that I may never have to format in columns again! Judy ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: RE: Word - again (Re: Msg 18566) Date: 28-MAR 09:14 SIG Business Judy, Sorry to hear about the lousy experience you're having. I'm very disappointed in the quality of Word 3.0 myself, especially the translation programs, but Rick LePage reminds me that Word 1.00 wasn't too swift either, and it wasn't until Word 1.05 came out that we had something useful. Of course, even then, we had a lot of trouble losing data and everything until we learned the little idiosyncracies of its temporary files and the way it keeps files "open" even after you "close" them ... (apparently also still a problem that causes crashes in Word 3.0). I don't know what Microsoft is going to do about distributing fixes. They're going to get an "ear-full" of reaction if they *charge* to fix these bugs, but I expect a $20 "upgrade" fee, being a pessimist. Anyway, it's reasons like this that have built ICONtact, user groups like the BCS and BMUG, and newsletters like MacInTouch. Hope we can help! Ric ------------------------------ From: MOUSE1 Subject: RE: Word - again (Re: Msg 18582) Date: 28-MAR 13:46 SIG Business As an addendum to my message, the "corrected" disk arrived today -- and still needed some reformatting. When I checked page preview, I found errors that did not show up in viewing the screen. And Im damned if I can figure out why they put division breaks in where there should have been page breaks -- but at least it looks ok on page preview and mine not to reason why --especially with MS! Interestingly enough, the only document that I had problems with was the one formatted in columns -- the others converted just fine. Judy ------------------------------ From: DSCHLESINGER Subject: Useful MPW C "Feature" Date: 26-MAR 23:47 Tools for Developers I've discovered a very useful undocumented "feature" in MPW C. In addition to being able to define pascal routines as follows: pascal void myMDEF(message, theMenu, theRect, thePoint, theItem) short message; MenuHandle theMenu; Rect *theRect; Point thePoint; short *theItem; you can alternatively use the following: pascal void myMDEF(short, MenuHandle, Rect *, Point, short *); The second format is very useful for defining fields in structures which are actually ProcPtr's (or ProcHandles). I'm defining the MenuInfo structure as follows now: typedef struct MenuInfo { short menuID; short menuWidth; short menuHeight; pascal void (**menuProc)(short,MenuHandle,Rect *,Point,short *); long enableFlags; Str255 menuData; } MenuInfo, *MenuPtr, **MenuHandle; I can then call the MDEF directly as follow: (**((*theMenu)->menuProc))(message,theMenu,&theRect,hitPoint,&itemHit); Comes in handy when you need it... It saved me some assembler glue... ------------------------------ From: MACINTOUCH Subject: 2,-108 bug; Font/DA Mover; heap space Date: 27-MAR 23:01 Bugs & Features A lot of you probably already know this and a lot probably don't. I wasn't paying attention, and only got enlightened by Jan Eugenides... Ever get "Serious System error 2,-108" in Font/DA Mover? And not know why? It turns out to be simply a case of insufficient heap space. What's that mean? It means you've got to get out Fedit and modify your boot blocks to give more space to the System heap. Works like a charm. Ric ------------------------------ From: PEABO Subject: RE: 2,-108 bug; Font/DA Mover; heap spac (Re: Msg 18571) Date: 28-MAR 03:54 Bugs & Features Or, alternatively don't try to update the system you're running on ... boot a floppy with Font/DA Mover on it. peter ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: RE: 2,-108 bug; Font/DA Mover; heap spac (Re: Msg 18571) Date: 28-MAR 04:28 Bugs & Features That's exactly what the error means. You need to use Fedit+ if you've got 128K ROMs. A simpler solution for people who don't own/are afraid of Fedit+ is never to install anything into an active System -- boot from a floppy with a System, Finder, and Font/DA Mover on it, and run that copy of F/DAM. ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: TextEdit length limitations (Re: Msg 18568) Date: 28-MAR 04:27 Network Digests > Subject: TextEdit length limitations > From: David M. Gelphman According to IM V-13.2, if txSize >= 0, fields have their old meanings. If txSize == -1, edit record has style info. It doesn't say what happens if txSize < 0. I've heard rumours that the TextEdit from the Mac II would appear on the Mac Plus/SE as System patches... David Dunham "Whenever you see a sign 'No Exit,' it means Maitreya Design there is an exit." ------------------------------ From: DDUNHAM Subject: mouse feet (Re: Msg 18570) Date: 28-MAR 04:28 Network Digests > From: agh@rayssde.RAY.COM (Armond G. Hall) > Subject: mouse-feet I've gotten mouse feet from Tacklind Design, 250 Cowper St, Palo Alto, CA 94301. They're made of teflon, and cost something like $3. Disclaimer: Tacklind once sent me a free set of mouse feet, thinking I was a dealer. But I liked them well enough to buy a set for another Mac. David Dunham "Efficiency is intelligent laziness." Maitreya Design ------------------------------ From: CHUQ Subject: a NEW word 3.0 bug Date: 28-MAR 22:26 Bugs & Features I just found out after an hour of beating my head against a wall that side-by- side paragraphs do not work in a header. The same format that works fine in a regular document window will not format when moved to the header (or in my case, special first page header -- I was trying to clean up my brute force letterhead into something elegant). foo. to reproduce, open a new document, set the 'first page special' in the section, open the special header, and type in two paragraphs. right justify the second paragraph, select each paragraph and turn on the side-by-side option. works fine in the main document, not in the header. Sigh. So I got to redesign my letterhead. Another rough edge on the diamond in the raw. I'm beginning to wonder if all those glowing reviews in the magazines this month were done after the reporters were promised all the bugs would be fixed, or whether they were so enamoured at getting advanced copies they forgot to be critical? I think word 3.0 brings the whole question of doing reviews from advanced software into question, frankly -- MacUser, Macworld, and just about everyone else who drooled over this product blew it royally. It's good, but it is really not shippable software. feh. chuq ------------------------------ From: RMUHA Subject: RE: potential problem in lightspeed DAs (Re: Msg 1363) Date: 29-MAR 03:12 Programming Techniques Incidentally, the lightspeed DA glue routines lock and unlock the handles directly (via BSET and BCLR). According to IM-IV (the Memory Manager Chpt) this virtually guarantees incompatibility with future versions of Mac... I'm definitely going to call and complain about that one. ------------------------------ End of Delphi Mac Digest ************************