Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.advocacy,comp.sys.acorn,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: New MultiTOS PC (Atari Falcon)
From: julian@bridge.welly.gen.nz (Julian Wright)
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 00:13:45 +1200
Reply-To: wright_j@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (Julian Wright)
Organization: USS Enterprise, NCC 1701a

mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:

> Yeah, but if I install a filing system with (say) 32-character filenames,
> would all my software still work?

Certainly. When you drag a file onto a task to load it into that task,
the task gets sent the entire pathname of the file, which it can then
pass to whatever low-level file-load/file-open OS routine it prefers.
This pathname may well contain components longer than 10 characters...
but the task doesn't need to worry about that.

The original RISC OS filer had problems with leafnames longer than 11
characters - it would throw up an error dialogue. However once you
removed that dialogue you could still continue the operation you were
performing afterwards. Not to mention all subsequent versions of the
filer have not had this problem, and will cope with filenames of any
practical length.

> >                                                         Risc-OS 3.1
> > even allows easy access to MS-DOS and Atari format disks, I can put
> > one in and display its directory in a window along side one from an
> > ADFS "E" format disc - without loading special software.
> 
> If I wanted to do that on the Mac I could, but by and large I find the free
> Apple File Exchange program good enough.

Yes I am sure AFE performs a satisfactory job of transferring files to/from
foreign filing system format discs. But I personally feel there is a
distinct advantage in being able to directly access files on foreign discs
in an identical way to that of accessing native format discs. There is
no need to physically transfer the data onto one's own discs (with all
the extra disc swapping that entails)... simply drag the file from the
(eg) DOS disc's filer window onto the task you want to load it. Or drop to
the command line and use standard RISC OS commands for navigating any
format of disc in the traditional way.

RISC OS low-level formats Atari and DOS discs too... and considerably faster
than the DOS machines I have seen.

> > Does it fully support a 3 button mouse as standard?
> 
> Believe it or not, some of us don't want a 3 button mouse.  Especially not
> without standardization over which button does what.  My Mac's trackball has
> one button, and that does me well enough.

Fair enough, except that under RISC OS the use of all three buttons *is*
standardised. The left button is the normal click/drag/double-click button
(SELECT), the middle always pop's up the application's menu (MENU), and
the right one adjusts a selection (ADJUST), the way you do on a Mac by
holding down the SHIFT key while clicking. QED.

> > Are menus context sensitive?
> 
> I hope not.  Context sensitive menus are bloody confusing.  (Go to
> comp.human-factors if you want to discuss it.)

Hmm. I have never found them confusing.

> > Do menus stay on screen when you take your finger of the mouse?
> 
> Better than that, I can tear off menus and use them as tool palettes. 
> (I've heard rumours System 7.1 will do that for all menus...)

Yes well that can be done with dialogue boxes (which can be the leaf item
in a menu hierarchy) as well. But in normal use I prefer to only have
menus cluttering the screen while I am in the process of choosing options
from them, and for them to disappear when not in use. This is achieved in
RISC OS by choosing a menu item with the left button to select that item
and close the menu tree, or with the right button to select that item and
keep the menu open, updating it if necessary.

    Cheers, Julian.
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