PD ROM 1/PD ROM Volume I - Macintosh Software from BMUG (1988).iso/Electronic Messages/InfoMac Digests/InfoMac Vol. 6/InfoMac 6.08

Text File | 1988-02-07 | 16.1 KB | 405 lines | [TEXT/ttxt]

INFO-MAC Digest           Monday, 8 Feb 1988        Volume 6 : Issue 8

Today's Topics:
                                  Re: C
                                  Re: C
                             Re: C compilers
            automatically creating a new stack in hyperarrgh
                       Default tab settings in LSC
                          Programming languages
                           February Vaporware


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Date: Sun, 31 Jan 88 01:13:16 -0500 (EST)
From: Richard Siegel <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: C


Agreed that MPW is an Apple product, but it's not supported
directly by them unless you have $600 per year to spend on
being a Registered Developer. Most of the third-party
compiler makers (us, Manx, Consulair) offer direct
support via telephone.

You'll find that LightspeedC is nearly as fast as MPW running
on a Mac II, as is Aztec C. (I'm referring to code quality,
of course). MPW does allocate registers automatically, but
with only a little effort, a programmer can specify variables
to be allocated as register variables, and achieve the same
results.

Besides that, the Other Two (Manx and LightspeedC) are cheaper.

        --Rich

Rich Siegel, THINK Technologies.
Of COURSE my opinion's biased! :-]

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Subject: Re: C
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 88 02:16:18 -0800
From: Jerry Sweet <[e-mail]>


Hi, Rich.  Thanks for the C compiler comparison info.  Let me clarify
the remark that you addressed concerning support.  You said:

> Agreed that MPW is an Apple product, but it's not supported
> directly by them unless you have $600 per year to spend on
> being a Registered Developer.

I meant "supported" in the sense that Apple is likely to continue to
maintain MPW for a long time to come.  No, I haven't heard any rumors
of any company's demise.  My primary recommendation for MPW is as a
generalized software development platform.  For example, the company
for which I work (when I'm not wearing my ARPAnaut hat) is about to
release a full Ada compiler running under MPW.  I believe that another
company has a Modula-2 compiler available for MPW.  It would be
interesting/neat if other C compilers ran under MPW too, although I
recognize that there are merits to fast, specialized third party
platforms as well.

But tell me more.

-jns

------------------------------

Date: Mon,  1 Feb 88 10:48:10 -0500 (EST)
From: Walter Ray Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: C compilers


I have not performed a detailad comparison, but my feeling after using both
compilers (and debugging their machine code) is that MPW C produces better
code than Lightspeed.  MPW C is made by Green Hills Software, which is
well-known for its excellent C compilers, and MPW C is nowhere near as fast as
Lightspeed, so this seems plausible.

By the way, if anyone tries to tell you MPW is "almost as fast" as Lightspeed,
they're just trying to rationalize it to themselves.  MPW is, as I said, not
even close.  And I'm not counting the link phase, which in MPW (even on a
MacII) is about as slow as any system I've ever used, including a loaded
11/750, and which almost doesn't exist in Lightspeed.

- Walt

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 2 Feb 88 16:29
From: [e-mail]
Subject: automatically creating a new stack in hyperarrgh

Hi, everyone,

I am constructing a project handling stack to help my shop keep track of
the various projects we undertake.  One of the buttons is called 'BillMtl'
and will transfer us to a stack where we can update/add to the  materials
required for that particular project.  Each project will have it's own
bill of materials stack named BoMtl<proj>.  The script (in conceptual lingo)
will run something like this:

on mouseUp
is there a stack named 'BoMtl<proj>'?  {<proj> is the project name which is
                                         pulled from the 'projname' field}
yes: open stack 'BoMtl<proj>'
     go to the last card

no:  create a new stack named 'BoMtl<proj>
     copy the 'BoMtl background into the new stack


What do I put after doMenu "New Stack.." to automatically name my new stack,
completely bypassing the usual dialog box?  Or is doMenu the proper attack?

This program, er, stackware, is very similar to the 'visual outliner'
presented in Goodman's hypercard book.  I think he has already solved
my problem, but I cannot make heads or tails of what he is doing, where
his scripts are suuposed to be located, etc.  That program, er, stackware,
is one of the most poorly presented...(fill in usual bitching about poorly
organized documentation).

Any and all help and guidance is appreciated.  Please reply to me directly as
I think that the answer is something obvious that everbody else already knows,
so there is no use cluttering up their systems.

Thanks!

Lee Thomison
BITNET: OPTON@UHVAX1
landline: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 1 Feb 88 12:24:29 PST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Default tab settings in LSC

I use Lightspeed C extensively not only for Mac development, but also
as a text editor for files residing on our VAXes.  In the VAX world,
a tab is normally 8 spaces, so....

Is there any way to change the default number of spaces per tab in
LSC?  I would very much like to not have to do a "Set Tabs" each
time I edit a host file. . .

While we are at it, how about the default font?  It sure would
be nice for a document to come up in 12 point Monaco, instead of
9 point!

Dan Stanfill         NASA/JPL Multimission Image Processing Lab

Arpa:  [e-mail]
Span:  mipl3::dfs059

(no cute saying)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 03 Feb 88 13:10:34 EST
From: Bull <[e-mail]>
Subject: Programming languages

Some help in selecting a programming language for the Mac +, please.
It would be used mostly for engineering applications, so FORTRAN would
be my first choice. However, the premiere issue of MacGuide gave
Microsoft's version a pretty poor review. If the only problem with it
is poor documentation ("It doesn't even attempt to teach Fortran."),
would it necessarily be a problem for a present FORTRAN programmer?

Additional consideration: I'd like to tap into the info-mac archived
programs. I got a directory listing, but the filetypes don't suggest
what languages they're in (except for a few .Cs and .BASs). What *is*
a .HQX file?

If you haven't guessed, I'm new to Macs (it should be delivered any
day now). That explains it, eh?

Thanks,

Bull

[ Moderator's Note:
All .Hqx, .Hcx, .Dqx, etc files are binary files coded into a generic
ASCII file by either Binhex or StuffIt (which now does Binhex!).  This
makes all the binaries generic enough to pass through any mailer.
Most of the source files are encoded this way because they are
packed together into a PackIt or Stuff library before being encoded.

Jon]28-Jan-88 21:09:21-PST,10147;000000000001

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 Jan 88  23:02 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: February Vaporware

                         VAPORWARE
                       Murphy Sewall
             From the December 1987 APPLE PULP
        H.U.G.E. Apple Club (E. Hartford) News Letter
                          $15/year
                       P.O. Box 18027
                  East Hartford, CT 06118
            Call the "Bit Bucket" [phone]
     Permission granted to copy with the above citation

Steve's Revenge?
Finally, a Macintosh clone appears imminent.  Former
Commodore and current Atari boss, Jack Tramiel, is readying
a pair of 68020 machines that will run Macintosh software as
well as ST programs.  Supposedly, the machines are products
of a collaboration between Atari and NeXt.
- InfoWorld 11 January

16.8 Million Colors.
The Palette Manager, the programming resource within the
Macintosh operating system that will control colors in the
Mac II, still isn't finished.  The Mac II was released with
an incomplete version.  Although the QuickDraw routines can
write up to 48 bits of color data per pixel, Apple's current
operating system supports only eight.  Third party
developers are hard at work trying to bring the promise of
16.8 million colors to life.  Both Supermac Technology and
Rasterops Corporation have already shown 24 bit per pixel
color devices that are likely to be on the market (for about
$3,000) before Apple completes the Palette Manager.
Meanwhile, Orchid Technologies expects to begin shipping a
color card for the Mac SE later this month.  The card will
support sixteen colors from a palette of 4,096 colors and
retail for $695 ($1,000 to $1,300 bundled with a color
monitor.)
- InfoWorld 21 December, 4 and 18 January and
  PC Week 12 January

Will the II Talk?
An Apple II AppleTalk card (for the IIgs anyway) is rumored
for later this year.  It's targeted at the education market
that appears increasingly restive about their inability to
create their own local networks.  Best guess on the price is
$300 per card (plus a Mac II to act as a file server).
- Comp.Sys.Apple (Internet Apple Newsgroup) 5 January

IIgs Office System (Continued from Last Month).
Spinnaker is in the process of porting its MS-DOS
productivity package "8 in 1" to the IIgs.  A IIgs
translation of MECA's Managing Your Money also will be
available soon. - InCider February

Trade Bill.
Apple owners should be happy to hear that the 1,000 page
trade bill is bogged down in Congressional committees
because of its complexity.  That bill contains a proposal to
punish Toshiba for selling advanced technology to the Soviet
Union by prohibiting the company from doing business with
American firms.  However, Toshiba is the sole source of the
popular ImageWriter printer. - A+ February

Two Macs; No Mice.
When Apple finally announces their own laptop Macintosh
later this year (see last September's column) there will be
two versions.  One will have a backlit LCD screen and the
second will have an even better display (best guess: gas
plasma).  Neither machine will have a mouse; they have
trackballs on the sides of their keyboards.
- InfoWorld 11 January

Have a Really Big Spreadsheet Application?
Within the next five months Smart Software plans to begin
shipping a robust 32,767 by 32,767 cell spreadsheet program
with sophisticated 3-dimensional graphics and word
processing modules.  Code-named "Wingz," the program which
will run under either Apple Unix (A/Ux) or the native Mac
operating system will retail for under $500.
- InfoWorld 4 January and PC Week 5 January

Speedier dBase Mac and Other New Macware.
Ashton-Tate is said to have plans for a whole series of
Macintosh products in 1988.  Among them are a faster version
of dBase Mac this Spring and a revised version of the, as
yet unreleased in the first version, GraphSheet Mac
integrated spreadsheet and chart program (by the end of the
year).  Meanwhile Lotus will try again with Modern Jazz
($395), a much enhanced product which will be available to
purchasers of Jazz and Jazz 1A for $95.  Modern Jazz
includes a command language compatible with the one in 1-2-3
and Symphony.  Innovative Data Design, publishers of Mac
Draft, will ship Dreams, a high-end, color drawing tool for
architects, engineers, and graphic artists in July.  Dreams
will be $500 (upgrade from Mac Draft for $200).  Acius' 4th
Dimension will become five to six times faster and offer a
built-in script manager for foreign language support with
the release of version 1.1 in April or May.  Acius already
is planning version 2.0 which might be ready by Christmas.
That version will contain improvements for performance at
the level of Foxbase, the speedy dBase work-alike.  Finally,
Word Perfect, embarrassed by the lateness of their program
for the Mac, has introduced a $99 beta version of the
program for a limited time (the final version will be priced
at $395, but will be sent to betaware buyers at no charge).
As users find bugs in the beta version, they will be able to
return disks with a documented problem and receive a
replacement.
- PC Week 22/29 December, 19 January and
  InfoWorld 18 January

Who Needs Applications?
Most future Macintosh applications software will run without
modifications under A/Ux as well as the native operating
system.  Apple's Unix is so large that it will require 70
Mac disks to hold it all (40 Mbytes of code).  A/Ux actually
will be the first piece of software distributed primarily by
hard disk - an 80 Mbyte drive pluggable into the Mac II (the
price for A/Ux alone is expected to be just under $1,500).
Surely an operating system that massive must already include
nearly every application any user could want (and everything
else is on stackware no doubt).  - PC Week 5 January

All New Macintosh OS.
At a conference of financial analysts, Apple President John
Sculley, said that a complete rewrite of the Macintosh
operating system is underway.  The purpose is to provide
greater support for multitasking and a robust environment
for connectivity in a multivendor environment.  He indicted
that the task is expected to take three or four years to
complete and upward compatibility with the present operating
system will be maintained.
- InfoWorld 14 December and PC Week 15 December

Return of Kaypro.
Before Independence Day, Kaypro may become the first vendor
to actually market a PS/2 compatible.  David Kay says that
his firm's forthcoming release will be "in the same genre"
as IBM's PS/2 Models 50 and 60 (80286 based) and will be
compatible with Micro Channel architecture.  Kaypro is
expected to announce a licensing agreement for PS/2
technology when the machine is introduced.  Kaypro also
plans a springtime introduction of a 20 MHz 80386 based
laptop (not PS/2 compatible). - PC Week 5 and 12 January

Macintosh Screen Projection.
Eastman Kodak has unveiled a LCD display system allowing
overhead projection of Mac SE and Mac+ displays at 512 by
432 pixel resolution.  The product, the Datashow HR, should
be ready to ship by April at a list of $1,595 (a $99 video
adapter also will be needed).  A cooling fan (with cleanable
filter) is part of the package and Showmaker II software
(for less than $100) will be offered as an option.
- InfoWorld 18 January

Slow, Memory Hog.
If you're appalled that it takes 1.5 Mbytes of memory just
to load the OS/2 operating system, wait until you have a
look at IBM's Extended Edition 1.0 due out in July.  It will
require 3 Mbytes of RAM.  Software applications will require
additional memory (512K no doubt).  In addition, benchmark
tests by Neal Nelson & Associates indicates that some
multitasking operations under OS/2 run up to seven times
slower than Xenix, Release 5.2.2 from Santa Cruz Operations.
- InfoWorld 4 January and PC Week 5 January

All the Script That's Fit to Print.
CCS Labs of Irvine, California plans to offer a Postscript
compatible (CSS Labs' own clone) printer built around and
Inmos T-414 Transputer chip.  That's a 7.5 MIP processor
(see Vaporware from May '86 and November '87) capable of
delivering output at 40 pages per minute.  For the present,
a laser engine in the planned price range (target list is
$2,800) faster than 8 pages per minute isn't available, but
buyers will be able to upgrade the engine later without
changing controllers. - InfoWorld 14 December

Just the Thing to Backup Your Hard Drive.
Sharp has announced a new optical-magneto disk drive that
can erase and rewrite on 5.25 inch (optical) disks.  Each
disk can hold 422 megabytes (yes, 422 Mbytes).
- Random Access 3 January

Planned Obsolescence.
Owners of Radio Shack Model 4's (the last of the TRS-80
series) were surprised to discover that the current TRS-DOS
6.02 is not programmed to recognize years past 1987.  The
story is that TRS-DOS 6.02 accesses the system clock on
bootup and has refused to proceed since 1988 began.  That
certainly tops the glitch in older versions of Apple II
ProDOS that, when used with some clock cards, insists that
1988 is really 1982. - InfoWorld 11 January

---------------------
Disclaimer: My employer often is appalled by my opinions, and
            my facts may be only vaguely right <slippery when wet>.

ARPA:   [e-mail]       Murphy A. Sewall
BITNET: SEWALL@UCONNVM                          School of Business Admin.
UUCP:   ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL  University of Connecticut

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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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