MPEG-FAQ 4.0:

Sparcle

From: maynard@elwing.otago.ac.nz (Maynard James Handley)

Subject: Sparkle 2.1.2 MPEG player for Macs
Date: Thu, 28 Jul 1994 10:24:46 GMT

Sparkle 2.12 A mac-look-and-feel MPEG and QT player and converter.

This should replace Sparkle 2.1 in the info-mac archives.
This version makes the following changes to Sparkle 2.1
* A few minor bugs were fixed.
* One major bug was fixed, which required extensive reworking of Sparkle 
  internals. This is why I haven't been able to get this version out 
  sooner.
* Somewhat better (though not yet great) support for QT movies with only 
  sound and no video.
* In reponse to many mail message from people who didn't understand the 
  new features in 2.1, I've added a lot more documentation, in the 
  ReadMe 2nd file, and I've added balloon help.

You will get slightly better results with this version if you throw away 
your old Sparkle preferences file (in the Preferences folder in the 
System folder) before running Sparkle 2.12. 
This isn't essential but will improve performance a little.

This version 
* is not PPC native
* does not support sound
* does not support apple events
* does not support online help
These are all high priorities, pretty much in that order.

As always, if you find any bug or anomaly in this code please tell me. 
The sooner you tell me, the sooner I'll fix it.
As always there remain a few rough edges to this program, though I hope 
most of them won't be too distressing to users. Like previous rough 
edges, they'll be done away with in time.

%%%
!!! If you write to me PLEASE give me a decent address I can reply to.
!!!	About 10% of the e-mail I receive has a bogus return address---I try 
!!!	to reply to you and a few hours or days later I get a message from the 
!!!	mail system that my mail could not be delivered.
!!!	This is very frustrating to me and a waste of your and my time. 
!!!	I have NEVER just ignored mail sent to me about Sparkle. If I don't 
!!!	reply to you, it's because you sent me mail with a garbage return address.
!!!	Check out your mail system and write to me again when it works properly.
%%%

WHAT IS IT?
Sparkle plays MPEGs, PICTs and QT movies and converts between them. It is
multifinder friendly and, with enough memory, will open multiple 
documents at once.
It is free. 

REQUIRES: 
System 7 or greater.
QuickTime 1.6 or greater.
An 020 based mac or greater.
This version requires the Thread Manager.

You can ftp Sparkle from

URL=ftp://sumex-aim.stanford.edu/info-mac/grf/util/

(or a mirror like mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu)
You can ftp the Thread Manager from

URL=ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/mac/sys.soft/extensions/Thread_manager_201.hqx

Maynard Handley
maynard@elwing.otago.ac.nz 

July 28 1994