Info-Mac Digest V7 #102
The Moderators
Info-Mac Digest Wed, 14 Jun 89 Volume 7 : Issue 102
Today's Topics:
800K MFS disk
Cairo-Shootout.hqx
Current directory & disk
Fixing 3.5" disk errors
Help!!! Strange behavior noted while loading INFO-MAC archives...
Info-Mac Digest V7 #95
MS-DOS CD-ROM databases on Macs
Persistent alarms?
PUZZL.HQX
Selecting a folder in SFGetFile
Stunt Copter
SuperClock 3.3 bug
Undigestifier
Zero-Gravity.HQX
Your Info-Mac Moderators are Lance Nakata, Jon Pugh, and Bill Lipa.
The Info-Mac archives are available (by using FTP, account anonymous, any
password) in the info-mac directory on sumex-aim.stanford.edu [36.44.0.6].
Please send articles and binaries to info...@sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
Send administrative mail to info-mac...@sumex-aim.stanford.edu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2 Jun 89 14:35:00 MST
From: "2614 Rieb, Declan A." <dar...@sandia.gov>
Subject: 800K MFS disk
> Is there a way to initialize an 800K floppy so that it does not use HFS?
>
(By the way, the application is for moving files via floppy between other
systems and Macintosh. At least one application (IBMPC side) needs flat disks.)
Thanks to all of you who answered. To summarize the results, one must use an
old MFS system to initialize such a disk. Most correspondents agree that
System 2.0 and Finder 4.1 will do the trick -- clearly you will have to boot
>From an OLD system disk, do the ERASE, and then boot back into the real world.
The other suggestion (untried) is to do the above once, and then use a disk
copy routine (SUM's Quick Copy, e.g.) to build new MFS disks. (Therefore,
initialize the first disk once, and write protect it, and DON'T LOSE it!)
Seems as if it should work.
There were some suggestions that some combination of option,clover,shift and
ERASE would work. I tried those, and no luck.
Declan A. Rieb INTERnet:DAR...@Sandia.GOV
Org 2614 (Computer Consulting) DAR...@Sandia-2.ARPA
Sandia National Laboratories dx...@LANL.GOV
Albuquerque, NM 87185-5800 Bell: (505) 844-6338
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 10:10:56 ADT
From: Peter J Gergely <GERGELY@[192.12.62.20]>
Subject: Cairo-Shootout.hqx
New unlocked version of the great arcade game by Duane Blehm. All
features of this shooting gallery game are unlocked and functioning.
The game requires an increasing amount of skill with great animated
graphics and sound. This version is being released in Duane's memory at
the request of his parents. Please download this version and help them
distribute the new one to replace the locked editions. Keywords: Game,
Cairo, Shootout, Arcade
- Peter
[Archived as /info-mac/game/cairo-shootout.hqx; 67K]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 89 10:28:49 CST
From: Michael Hanrahan <C09615MH%WUVMD....@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Current directory & disk
In the Mac digest I received Thursday, June 1, there were a few
questions on determining the current working directory, etc.
using the File Manager routines. I guess I'm not the only one who
would vote "The File Manager" chapter in Inside Mac Volume IV
the single most confusing piece of published material ever written.
I have a couple of questions related to that which hopefully aren't
just restatements of those same questions.
1) From within an application, how could one determine the
reference number of the directory (folder) in which the
application is stored? I am aware of the GetAppParms procedure
(described in Chap 2, Volume II) but it returns a reference #
for the path to the RESOURCE file being used by the application.
(Note that since the application's resources are typically
stored in the resource fork of the application, this ref #
is essentially the ref number for the application itself.)
However, if I understand the File Manager chapter in Vol IV
correctly, a "path" to a file is NOT the same as the volume
reference for the disk/folder containing that file. Is this
correct? How could one find the vol ref from the path ref?
2) The File Manager chapter (in both Volume II and IV) describes
two routines, GetVol and GetVRef which can be used to get
volume reference info related to a disk or file. For reference,
the Pascal declarations are shown below...
FUNCTION GetVRefNum(pathRefNum:INTEGER; VAR vRefNum:INTEGER):OSErr;
FUNCTION GetVol(volName:StringPtr; VAR vRefNum:INTEGER):OSErr;
From my efforts at using these, it appears that if one uses
GetAppParms to find the path reference to the application's
resource file and pass it to GetVRefNum, that function will
set vRefNum to a number which indicates the physical drive on
which the file associated with pathRefNum resides.
Regardless of what a SFPutFile or SFGetFile dialog brings up
as the current directory, vRefNum is always -1 if the application
was stored on the internal hard drive, -2 if it was on the internal
floppy, etc.
When GetVol is used, vRefNum DOES change as one changes the
current directory via SFPut or SFGet. I was encouraged by this
but, as a test, I tried calling GetVol while in directory A and
stored the returned vol Ref in the global variable theDir. I
then used the Open item in my program to load a file in some
other directory, (presumably setting the current directory to
that other directory) then called a procedure which contained
the statement
theError:=SetVol(nil,theDir)
Upon return, theError equaled 0 (meaning no error) yet when
I tried opening another file, I was NOT back in directory A.
(Note that SetVol is designed to use either the first OR the
second parameter to set the default volume, hence the nil pointer.)
I guess my question comes down to this: Can information about
the current directory & related stuff be determined using the
"high level" File Manager routines or does this require the
use of the lower level PB________ routines?
Thanks in advance for any pointers (no pun intended) you can supply.
Michael Hanrahan
Educational Computing Services
Washington University
St. Louis, MO 63130
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 04 Jun 89 20:51:16 MST
From: bkl...@sedona.intel.com
Subject: Fixing 3.5" disk errors
Hi,
Does anyone know of a utility that will mark bad sectors on a floppy
disk. I have several disks that have one bad sector on them, but the
Mac refuses to initialize them.
Thanks,
******************************************************************************
* Brian Klaas, Design Engineer * DISCLAIMER: All opinions *
* Intel Corporation * stated here are strictly my own. *
******************************************************************************
* InterNET: bklaas%sedona.i...@relay.cs.NET *
* UUCP: *
* {hplabs,decwrl,oliveb,pur-ee,qantel,amdcad}!intelca!mipos3!sedona!bklaas *
* *
* US Snail: Brian Klaas, 5000 W. Chandler Blvd, Mailstop CH3-69, *
* Phoenix, AZ 85226 *
* DATCLAIMER: I didn't say nothing *
******************************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5-Jun-1989 18:16:22.24 CST
From: <rcd2403%tamchem...@forsythe.stanford.edu> (R. C. Davis)
Subject: Help!!! Strange behavior noted while loading INFO-MAC archives...
Hello, MacUsers!
I have a serious concern with my recently purchased Mac Plus (w/68020 add-on).
Last week I un-Stuffed (thanx Ray!) some archives from Info-Mac. The archives
in mention are SCSI Bus, Staircase 1.0.3, SuperClock! 3.3, Spy!, TappyType,
and Windows. I promptly ran Disinfectant to check for viruses on the floppy
they were on. I also have GateKeeper installed, and it didn't detect any virus-
like behavior.
I proceeded to place these INIT/Cdev's in my hard disk's system folder to "try
them out." (BTW, I'm running on System 6.0.2.) I noticed when I looked at
Staircase from the control panel, there was no "help." And there was no
indication what exactly this thing was supposed to do; just an advertisement
about some software to be available soon. So I proceeded to take it out of my
System Folder.
I don't remember exactly the sequence of events that happened, but I think
after trying to use Staircase...
1. I could not launch a program by clicking a document created by
that program UNLESS the program was in a window open on the desktop.
This was not the case UNTIL I put the above mentioned stuff in my
System Folder. (Note: this did not change when I tried to boot my
Mac from a floppy in the internal drive.)
2. A few of the icons changed to the "generic" icon (blank document
page for cdev's, "MacWrite"-like icon for applications). If I tried to
copy an INIT or Cdev from the floppy to the hard disk, the icon
of the copied program (on the hard disk) would be the "generic" icon.
No other items in the System Folder were changed -- only items that
are added are changed ... except the follwing...
3. All MacWrite (I'm using v4.5) documents on the whole hard drive
where changed to the "generic" document icon (blank page). They were
still MacWrite documents, though.
Well, I deleted all these new items and tried to figure out what happened.
I went to Dallas over the weekend, but in thinking about it I can't understand
what happened. I'm just a MacNovice, and since the Mac was purchased used
without documentation (I know, but since it was in very good shape and at the
price it was hard to pass up!), I just can't turn to page N in the manuals and
do this and that (BTW, if anyone can tell me where I can get these, I'd
appreciate it!)
One thing that was pecular was that when I copied Staircase to my hard disk,
it sure took a long time (especially for a 25K file). Today, I copied
Staircase to my hard disk again, then looked at the size of the files using
Disk Librarian. When I copied Staircase, the unusually long time to copy got
me suspicious. The space used had really jumped. What had happened is that
the invisible file Desktop had increased in size 32K. Isn't this unusual?!
Please, if you have any suggestions or comments SEND/MAIL THEM DIRECTLY TO ME.
I need to figure out this problem A.S.A.P., the Mac will be used heavily this
summer...
Is this a new "virus"? Or is this something much simpler and easier to take
care of?
Again, thanks for any help.
Ricardo Davis
..............................................................................
Dept. of Chemistry THEnet: CHEMVX::RCD2403
Texas A & M University BITnet: RCD2403@TAMCHEM
College Station, TX 77843-3255 USA Internet: RCD...@CHEMVX.TAMU.EDU
Tel. (409) 845-0612
..............................................................................
Quote for the day:
"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the
spiritual fiber of a nation more than its wealth."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
------------------------------
Date: 2 Jun 89 21:09:29 GMT
From: apctrc!gpb6!zcn...@uunet.uu.net (Cecil N. Jones)
Subject: Info-Mac Digest V7 #95
>------------------------------
>
>Date: 24 May 89 09:21:00 PST
>From: a...@sage.acc.com
>Subject: Looking for Geological materials for MACs
>
>I am interested in finding any available material, that runs on a MAC,
>which would be useful for teaching Geology and/or Paleontology. I would
>be interested in any graphics, MAC programs or HyperCard stacks.
>
>Please respond directly to me, since I don't normally read this list.
>
>Thanks in advance for any leads.
>
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>| Art Berggreen Advanced Computer Communications |
>| <a...@sage.acc.com> Santa Barbara Street |
>| (805)963-9431 Santa Barbara, CA 93101 |
>+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
>
>------------------------------
Here are some companies which sell geological software. I don't know
anything about their products. Some may not be available on the mac,
but some are. I don't know if they would be suitable for teaching
purposes.
Computer Systemics geoLogic systems, ltd.
806 Hill Wood Drive 1325 South Kihei Road, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78745 Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96793
808-879-7796
Geotech Computer Systems RockWare, Inc.
7338 S. Alton Way 4251 Kipling St. #595
Suite 16F Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Englewood CO 80112 303-423-6171
303-740-9432
Cecil N. Jones Amoco Production Co. Tulsa, OK
@apctrc.uucp
The opinions expressed are solely my own.
------------------------------
Date: 2 Jun 89 15:08 EST
From: WMLBTAM%UCCCVM1...@forsythe.stanford.edu
Subject: MS-DOS CD-ROM databases on Macs
Disappointingly few CD-ROM database publishers are releasing MacOS-version
search software for their database disks. Even though the disks are in
High Sierra format (and thus the data, itself, is "readable"), they perceive
the Mac as a "secondary" market which they'll get to "later this year" or
"soon." I was at the Medical Library Association Annual Conference last
week in Boston, and although CD-ROM databases were all the rage, only one,
small, vendor had Mac-version searching for his Medline CD-ROM disks.
Well, fools rush in...
A sister organization is contemplating the purchase and installation of the
SilverPlatter "MultiPlatter" package, a 6-disk jukebox with up to four
Ethernetted MS-DOS boxes for searching. We're already working up a 9-
workstation Mac Ethernet, so...
To pick up on the learning curve, we've borrowed an Apple CD drive from our
local Apple District office. We're also using a Mac II (our IIx is tied up
right now), 4Meg, 40M HD, and SoftPC 1.3. We've gotten so far as to get
SoftPC to recognize the CD-ROM drive/diskvolume as an MS-DOS-readable drive
volume, and gotten the database publisher's search software loaded into the
MS-DOS partitions under SoftPC appropriately. The MacOS recognizes the High
Sierra-format data disk in the Apple CD Drive (at least, it comes up in the
desktop and SoftPC recognizes it's subdirectory(folder) names.
Now comes the rub (we're so close!). MS-DOS search software expects to have
to rely on the Microsoft CD Extensions (MSCDEX.EXE) to talk to the CD drive
hardware. As far as SoftPC itself is concerned, MacOS has taken care of
making the connection to the CD drive. The particular publisher we got this
database from supplied HITACHI.SYS for their Hitachi-bundled drives; I think
the Apple CD Drive is a Toshiba.
1) Can we fake MSCDEX.EXE into not bothering with looking for <drive>.SYS?
2) Can we obtain a <AppleCD/Toshiba(?)>.SYS?
3) Can we stand to have MacOS trying to interface with the CD drive, and
MS-DOS-under-SoftPC trying to, also?
If we can solve these problems, I think we'll have opened up a LARGE market
for what is currently an under-served population. If anyone has any insights,
or a device driver <driver>.SYS we can try, please let me know. Meanwhile,
we've got our Apple folks checking, Insignia (publishers of SoftPC) checking,
and will call MicroSoft if we have to!
Thanks in advance for any help/comments.
Ted
===============================================================================
Theodore A. Morris, Univ. of Cincinnati | Bitnet: WMLBTAM @ UCCCVM1
Med. Ctr. Information & Communications | AppleLink: U1091 NTS: WB8VNV
231 Bethesda Avenue, Mail Location #574 | Ma Bell: 513-558-6046
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0574 | Call me up and I'll talk data to ya'
===============================================================================
------------------------------
Date: 2 Jun 89 13:52:00 MST
From: "2614 Rieb, Declan A." <dar...@sandia.gov>
Subject: Persistent alarms?
Has anybody know of the whereabouts (name, publisher, cost, etc.) of a
small utility, DA or CDEV which allows a user to keep an appointment
calendar (date, time, text info) which would cause the alarm to ring when
appointment time is near....and KEEP RINGING it at (selectable?) intervals
until the user has cleared it.?.?.?
I've looked at the HyperCard Stack BPhone, and the Reminder? DA, but neither
will persist in reminders (at least I can't find such a feature.)
Declan A. Rieb INTERnet:DAR...@Sandia.GOV
Org 2614 (Computer Consulting) DAR...@Sandia-2.ARPA
Sandia National Laboratories dx...@LANL.GOV
Albuquerque, NM 87185-5800 Bell: (505) 844-6338
or
Pablo Garcia PGa...@Sandia.GOV
Org 1414
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 10:08:20 ADT
From: Peter J Gergely <GERGELY@[192.12.62.20]>
Subject: PUZZL.HQX
New unlocked version of the great jigsaw puzzle by Duane Blehm. All
features of this puzzle game are unlocked and functioning. The program
will convert any MacPaint type drawing into a jigsaw puzzle. You drag
the pieces into the frame and build the picture. Very challenging and
fun. This version is being released in Duane's memory at the request of
his parents. Please download this version and help them distribute the
new one to replace the locked editions. Keywords: Puzzle, Jigsaw,
MacPaint, Game
- Peter
[Archived as /info-mac/game/puzzl.hqx; 64K]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 89 11:06:38 PDT
From: USER...@cc.sfu.ca
Subject: Selecting a folder in SFGetFile
A while back somebody wanted to know how to select a folder in SFGetFile.
Well, everything you need is in the File Mgr/SFGetFile chapters in IM vol. 4.
But -- here's a Pascal function that'll do the trick.
Pass this as the "theHook" routine to SFGetFile/SFPGetFile
FUNCTION theHook (theItem:integer; dialog:DialogPtr): integer;
VAR
dirparamblock: CInfoPBRec;
dirname: Str255;
SFSaveDiskPtr: ^integer;
BEGIN
IF theItem = 103 THEN {fake event for opening of folder}
BEGIN
dirparamblock.ioCompletion := NIL;
dirparamblock.ioNamePtr := dirname;
SFSaveDiskPtr := Pointer ($0214);{low-memory global}
dirparamblock.ioVrefNum := -1 * SFSaveDiskPtr^;
dirparamblock.ioFDirIndex := -1;
dirparamblock.ioDirID := longint(reply.fType);
{N.B. "reply" above is the reply parameter to SFGetFile}
err := PBGetCatInfo(@dirparamblock, false);
END {oh yeah - "err" is just a scratch integer}
theHook := theItem;
END;
and once you call PBGetCatInfo, "dirname" will have the name of your directory.
Note that as written SFGetFile will proceed to open the directory as usual.
Presumably you do not want to do that and would want to change "theItem" to
something like 100 (nullEvt) or getCancel.
As long as I have everybody's attention, I'm looking for a Co-op job for the
fall (Sep-Dec) term and would like to work with Macs. If anyone out there
wants a dedicated Mac student, please call or fax:
Alex Curylo phone (604) 298-8913 fax (604) 858-7844
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 10:05:20 ADT
From: Peter J Gergely <GERGELY@[192.12.62.20]>
Subject: Stunt Copter
Programmed by Duane Blehm. Latest version with dragable window. Very
challenging and fun. This version is being released in Duane's memory at
the request of his parents. Please download this version and help them
distribute the new one to replace the old editions. Keywords: Copter,
Stunt, Game, Arcade
- Peter
[Archived as /info-mac/game/stunt-copter.hqx; 50K]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 09:27:26 CST
From: d.m.p.@pro-party.cts.com (Don Peaslee)
Subject: SuperClock 3.3 bug
Jon Newman writes the following regarding a bug in SuperClock 3.3:
>OK, try this:
>When you first get SuperClock 3.3, the new check box (I forget, this was a
>select-sound box? A select-something box, anyhow) is unchecked. When you
>check it, the window expands to let you choose one from a list of things.
>If you click the box again WITHOUT selecting any of these things, the
>window shrinks back and the Mac dies. Confirmed?
I tried what Jon suggested re: hitting the "chime on hour" check box twice
without doing anything else, and he's certainly correct. Just came back
>From a restart! I had the gatekeeper init in overide, so it had no effect.
Looks, acts, and walks like a bug to me... <grin>
Don
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Jun 89 18:17:50 IST
From: "Jonathan B. Owen" <GDAU100%BGUVM....@forsythe.stanford.edu>
Subject: Undigestifier
Does anyone know of an undigestifier which runs on an IBM or preferebly
on a Mac. For those of you who never the term undigestifier before,
it is a program that breaks up a digest, such as the one you are reading
now, into individual files, each containing only one letter.
Also, I would be very interested in hearing about the street-price of
swapping an SE logic board with an SE/30.
Thanx,
Jonathan
______________________________________________________________________________
(--) /--) /-(\ Email: gdau100@bguvm (bitnet)
\ / /--K | \|/\ /\/) /|-\ Snail: 55 Hovevei Zion
_/_/o /L__)_/o \/\__/ \X/ \_/ | |_/ Tel-Aviv, 63346 ISRAEL
(/ Jonathan B. Owen Voice: (03) 281-422
Point of view: A chicken is the means by which an egg reproduces an egg.
______________________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 89 10:02:24 ADT
From: Peter J Gergely <GERGELY@[192.12.62.20]>
Subject: Zero-Gravity.HQX
Programmed by Duane Blehm. You guide a spaceman around his spaceship and
keep him off the walls. The game requires an increasing amount of skill
with animated graphics and sound. This version is being released in
Duane's memory at the request of his parents. Please download this
version and help them distribute the new one to replace the old
editions. Keywords: Gravity, Space, Game, Animated, Arcade
- Peter
[Archived as /info-mac/game/zero-gravity.hqx; 52K]
------------------------------
End of Info-Mac Digest
******************************