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If you've ever wondered what all of those control panels and extensions in your System Folder are for, InformINIT is for you!
InformINIT provides information on a mind-boggling number of System Folder files: control panels, extensions, system folder contents, and more -- from both Apple and third-party developers. Information includes file descriptions, who needs what, version numbers, RAM consumption, and helpful tips (even a few "secrets"). Where appropriate, files are organized into "groups" that are mainly used together. Live URLs to information sources on the Web are provided for files that require extensive discussion.
But InformINIT is not just "INITs" -- it contains chapters on installing the latest system software, files which don't take up system RAM, items found loose in the System Folder, startup file management utilities, PRAM, the Modern Memory Manager, and a primer on system software for beginners. It also provides links to some of the best Mac info sites on the Web. Use InformINIT to satisfy your curiosity about unidentified files, to help you cut down on all the spurious extensions that you don't really need, and to generally improve the performance of your Mac.
InformINIT 7.6.1 covers MAC OS 7.6.1 and below, as well as other Apple updates and third-party files through the end of August, 1997. A version for Mac OS 8 will be released shortly.
The information contained in InformINIT is organized in a way that is more like a book than a database. It is organized in such a way that you can read it from start to finish, or you can use the search command as an index to find what you need. It is a self-contained application, so it does not need any other software, and can be used whenever you want, wherever you want.
There have been many imitations of, and efforts similar to, InformINIT, but it remains THE reference for System Folder information. Even Apple's own technical support staff uses it and recommends it to customers!
System requirements: InformINIT will run on all Mac OS computers except for those with 68000 processors. It requires 1MB of free RAM, and less than 1MB of hard drive space.
This means that if you try it out and find yourself using it, you are expected to pay for it. Please see the "Registration" chapter of InformINIT for details.
"What? Why should I pay for it?"
Well, the fact that you downloaded InformINIT, or that you visited the Mac Pruning Pages, proves that having all this information in one place, and not having to spend a large number of hours (or even days or weeks or months... hey, I've been doing it for over a year!) searching through every Apple Tech Note, Web page, book, manual, etc. (Apple or otherwise) is valuable to you. There is even some info here which is not available anywhere else.
How do you justify paying for it? I find it appropriate to think of InformINIT as a book you might find in the Mac help section of your local bookstore (that is, assuming your local bookstore has a Mac section ;-)). Or you could think of it as an encyclopedia: everything in an encyclopedia is "public" information, but the effort to compile the information and turn it into something comprehensible is truly monumental.
The truth is that this document, which in my opinion should have been written by Apple long ago and should be part of the documentation on every Macintosh, has taken up much of my free time over the past two years. Many, many hours have been spent putting it together. Like many wonderful shareware products out there, this project started out as a personal interest/hobby, and soon snowballed into proportions that I never imagined. Because of InformINIT and the Mac Pruning Pages on the Web, every day I get many emails from people asking me for help on an extension, or a crash, or some other problem. I do my best to help out everybody who asks.
I have had queries from book publishers about InformINIT, but for the most part I feel that system software changes at too rapid a pace for the printed word. I think that keeping InformINIT as a shareware application allows me to quickly update it and is the most effective way to keep the Mac community informed. (One exception: InformINIT was the basis of a small book published in July by MacFormat UK called "Inside Your System Folder," but this book was accompanied by InformINIT itself.)
I considered limiting the features of this document (no printing, no "find," less content, etc.) until I received a registration. However, I decided to follow the Ambrosia Software lead, and provide a full-featured version and trust that the user would live up to his/her end of the bargain. Information on other benefits of registration can be found in the "Register" chapter of InformINIT.
THE SHAREWARE AUTHORS' DILEMMA:
A GENERAL REMINDER (not just for my shareware)
Shareware authoring seems rather unrewarding at times, especially when the authors have to make a decision between spending time with their families, doing their real jobs, studying, etc., and working on their 'wares. The small fee most shareware authors ask usually can't compensate fully for the time spent on their wares; however, it provides encouragement, shows appreciation, gives a bit of hard cash, and provides a bit of inspiration for updating the product ("Hey, people actually use this... I should put some work into updating it!"). I say this not only for my own sake, but for the sake of shareware products everywhere. If you use a shareware product, pay for it. How many of you have actually registered that certain piece of software you use everyday? (I bet you've even forgotten that it's shareware!)
For Registration instructions and $ amounts please read the "Registration" chapter of InformINIT.
NOTE: If you would like to distribute InformINIT on CD, floppy, or other media, or to use it for training purposes, please contact the author at the above email address.
