Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!apple!mattd
From: mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Greetings
Summary: Comments on many messages
Keywords: Finder,Desktop,Small C
Message-ID: <27447@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 17 Mar 89 03:08:31 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 67

Hello.  I am Matt Deatherage, and I work for Apple in the Apple II Developer
Technical Support group.  After reading over people's shoulders for many
months now, I've decided to try my hand at this (the fourth or fifth national
network I regularly call).  Most of you will properly recognize this as a
non-event, but thanks to those who think there is some significance to this.
I feel better already.

Like Keith and Mark, I do this on my own time (I'm at home right now) and
can't accept official-type questions through mail or on here.  Anything sent
in mail may or may not get answered.  When I find another one of me (God,
what a scary thought) I'll have more time to answer things in mail.  Sorry,
but resources are limited.

Having gotten that pain-in-the-boat (stupid editor) out of the way, let me
try my hand at a few topics I've seen lately.  (If I do something majorly
wrong, be gentle.  I'm new at this.)

Small C:  David Douthitt writes:
>But of course, you need to buy ORCA/M first.  So there is a Small-C for
>ORCA/M - is there a Small-C for *PRODOS?

(I did that myself, with the ">"'s.  I'm so proud.)

ProDOS is a disk operating system.  If you're looking for a program that does
nothing but compile text files in small C, I don't think one exists.  On the
other side, Byte Works small C does require their ORCA/M 8-bit program, but
that gives you an editor and utilities and a lot of other things that most
people find handy when writing programs.  It also comes with the source code
to the compiler, so you can even do Bad Things Upon Small C if you so desire.
(As if anyone would want to...)

The Desktop program:  ProDOS 8 through and through; it was a temporary
solution to the problem that until Finder was written, Launcher was graphical;
but wouldn't manipulate files, and System Utilities would manipulate files
but wasn't graphical.  Desktop used a non-standard interface (it had to do
everything itself; the tools don't operate in double hi-res) and was not
exactly what I would call enjoyable software.  I personally never used it.
(For those who said that Desktop was about twice as fast as Finder - that's
not surprising since Double Hi-Res screens are 16K in size and super hi-res
screens are 32K...)

GS/OS:  A while back, Kareth wrote that he was waiting for the native, true,
GSOS.FST or something like that.  I hope he's not holding his breath.  GS/OS
is an *abstract* file system, not a real one.  I can't imagine an FST being
written to actually create this abstract file system on media, especially
since the details of how files are stored on the media are deliberately
left *out* of GS/OS.  Rather, the FSTs are pieces of code that implement the
abstract file system as fully as possible within *existing* file systems
(such as ProDOS, High Sierra or ISO 9660).

This shouldn't imply that an FST couldn't or wouldn't be created for an
entirely new file system, but there isn't a "GS/OS File System" for a
GSOS.FST file to interpret.

Make sense?  Tell me if not, and I'll try using different words.

That's all I've got; please let me know how I'm doing.

==============================================================================
Matt Deatherage, Apple Computer, Inc. | "The opinions expressed in this tome
Send PERSONAL mail ONLY (please) to:  | should not be construed to imply that
AppleLink PE: Matt DTS  GEnie: AIIDTS | Apple Computer, Inc., or any of its
AppleLink AE: DEATHERAGE1             | subsidiaries, in whole or in part,
CompuServe: 76703,3030                | have any opinion on any subject."
Usenet:  I don't know - do you?       | "So there."
=============================================================================