From: ace@tidbits.halcyon.com (Adam C. Engst)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.digest
Subject: TidBITS#119/13-Apr-92
Date: 14 Apr 92 05:40:12 GMT
Reply-To: ace@tidbits.halcyon.com (Adam C. Engst)
Distribution: world
Organization: TidBITS

TidBITS#119/13-Apr-92
=====================
 
 It's not as big a deal as when a car company does it, but Apple
   recalled Tune-Up 1.1 last week and replaced it with 1.1.1.
   That's embarrassing, but not nearly as embarrassed as you'd
   be if your portable caused a plane to have problems due to
   the radio frequency interference we discuss this issue. The
   latest rumors from Claris aren't in the slightest bit
   embarrassing though, and neither is Dan Walkowski's
   excellent trash management utility, TrashMan.
 
 Copyright 1990-1992 Adam & Tonya Engst. Non-profit, non-commercial
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 ace@tidbits.halcyon.com -- CIS: 72511,306 -- AOL: Adam Engst
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 --------------------------------------------------------------
 
Topics:
    MailBITS/13-Apr-92
    Sorry, Charlie! (Tune-Up Recalled)
    RFI Interference Letter
    RFI Follow-up
    Claris Windows Rumors
    The TrashMan Cometh
    Reviews/13-Apr-92
 
[Archived as /info-mac/digest/tb/tidbits-119.etx; 26K]
 
 
MailBITS/13-Apr-92
------------------
  Stimpson J. Millians writes: "The Ashton-Tate/Fox suit got dropped
  as a result of the Borland/Ashton-Tate suit buyout. It was part of
  the Justice Department anti-trust agreement. I'm not pleased about
  Microsoft buying Fox at all. I program FoxPro 2.0, and it's the
  only one out there that civilizes (i.e. GUI-izes) DOS databases in
  a quick, attractive manner. I hate to see a killer program hacked
  to pieces by Microsoft, although the Windows and Mac versions
  might come out sooner because of it. This surprised me even more
  because all of the regional Microsoft salesthings got training on
  the Microsoft database over the Christmas holidays, and said it
  would be out in the summer."
 
  Information from:
    Stimpson J. Millians -- millia@athena.cs.uga.edu
 
 
Tune-Up Printing Bug
  Geoff Bronner writes, "In the hoopla surrounding the release of
  Tune-Up 1.1 and its companion files one thing has gone
  unmentioned. The release of LaserWriter 7.1 with Tune-Up 1.0
  introduced a bug that caused random PostScript errors when
  printing to Novell NetWare for Macintosh 3.01 queues. The release
  of LaserWriter 7.1.1 with Tune-Up 1.1 has not fixed this problem.
  [And there's no reason to expect this will be fixed in 1.1.1 as
  discussed below. -Adam]
 
  Users at sites using Novell NetWare may get caught by surprise
  when the Installer that comes with Tune-Up 1.1 replaces their copy
  of LaserWriter 7.0 with 7.1.1 and everything stops printing.
 
  The original bug in LaserWriter 7.1 was confirmed by a MacWEEK
  article (MacWEEK 10-Feb-92, pg. 5) but nothing else has been
  mentioned since then.
 
  So be warned! If you are using NetWare for Mac and System 7 stay
  with LaserWriter 7.0."
 
  Information from:
    Geoff Bronner -- geoffb@dartmouth.edu
 
 
Sorry, Charlie! (Tune-Up Recalled)
----------------------------------
  by Mark H. Anbinder, TidBITS Contributing Editor
 
  What could be more embarrassing than having to release a bug fix
  to protect users from a bug that can destroy their data? Having to
  release a bug fix to protect users from the first bug fix! Apple
  was embarrassed in just this way last week, when they realized
  that System 7 Tune-Up 1.1 was defective, and needed to be
  replaced. System 7 Tune-Up 1.1.1 was released at the end of last
  week to fix the problem.
 
  According to an anonymous source, when the final version of System
  7 Tune-Up 1.1 was compiled, a previous version of a header file
  was used. As a result, the Tuner accessed the wrong Process
  Manager globals, creating a potential crash hazard in the
  application purging routines. The problem apparently would only
  appear in certain kinds of low-memory situations, so it went
  unnoticed until after Tune-Up 1.1 had been released.
 
  Apple is currently recommending that all users of System 7 (both
  7.0 and 7.0.1) install the System 7 Tune-Up 1.1.1 package.
  Previous versions of the Tune-Up package will be replaced by the
  Installer.
 
  In addition to using the Installer, which comes with the Tune-Up,
  users have the option of dragging the "Tuner Parts" folder from
  the distribution disk to their System Folders. An undocumented
  feature of Finder 7 will automatically install the contents of any
  folder that's dropped on the System Folder. (Try it! It works!)
 
  Users wishing to protect themselves from the dreaded Disappearing
  Folders bug should immediately install System 7 Tune-Up 1.1.1.
  Tune-Up 1.1.1 should be available from the usual suspects, and can
  be obtained on the Internet from Apple's FTP server at
  ftp.apple.com [130.43.2.3] in the directory
  dts/mac/sys.soft/7.0.tuneup/
 
  Information from:
    Pythaeus
    Mark B. Johnson - mjohnson@apple.com
    Mark H. Anbinder -- mha@memory.ithaca.ny.us
 
 
RFI Interference Letter
-----------------------
  From Cliff Wildes, President and CEO of Microtech International
 
To the Editor:
  Recent articles and discussions in the Macintosh community have
  focused on safety concerns related to the marvelous machinery we
  rely on for our work and enjoyment. As a manufacturer of
  peripherals for the Macintosh market I've been surprised to see a
  crucial safety and quality standard missing from the demands we
  make of our industry. I'm referring to the importance of strict
  adherence to FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Part 15. This
  federal regulation governs the release of radio frequency
  interference (RFI) generated by computer hardware. For many of us
  the words "FCC certified" have simply meant that our systems won't
  stumble when we turn on a radio or our neighbors won't complain
  that each time we fire up our Macs, their TV goes scrambly. But
  the real issue is far more serious.
 
  RFI poses a threat to aircraft control towers, police and fire
  emergency response radio transmissions and medical life support
  systems. With the greater proliferation and mobility of our
  computer systems, this potential danger increases. An uncertified
  monitor attached to an otherwise "clean" system may cause your
  hard drive to fail intermittently. That's annoying at best, but
  consider the potential for tragedy if a "noisy" modem delays your
  local fire department from reaching a blaze. Or if interference
  from a laptop with an unfiltered power supply conflicts with the
  air traffic control communications on the next plane you fly. The
  value of strict compliance with FCC Part 15 certification becomes
  clear.
 
  Sadly, noncompliance is frequent in our industry. At the Fall 1991
  Comdex computer trade show, more than 100 companies were fined by
  the FCC. Last summer, 3 stores were fined $2,000 each for the sale
  of uncertified equipment to home users. Our own research has shown
  that the majority of Macintosh subsystem manufacturers are
  shipping hard drives, optical drives and tape systems that are
  uncertified. Manufacturers fail to do the required testing or
  fraudulently use old or fictitious FCC registration numbers. As
  noncompliance has become more commonplace, so has the potential
  for problems. With the growth of ever more complex business
  networks, the risk of serious interference problems explodes with
  so many different computer peripherals interfacing throughout our
  systems.
 
  The publications which test and review products in the marketplace
  have themselves been slow to require authentic proof of
  certification as a qualification for hardware reviews. All too
  often, benchmark tests and "best buy" recommendations lead
  consumers to products which manage a lower price point by
  sidestepping the admittedly expensive but legally and morally
  essential RFI review process. And those of us who take the time
  and expense to meet these critical safety standards often cannot
  match pricing based on such unethical practices.
 
  For the past two years, I have raised this issue with trade
  publications. Demanding compliance and certification is merely a
  demand for meeting minimum legal requirements for the products we
  sell, a demand for responsible journalism. When publications
  ignore noncompliance, they shortchange consumers, degrade our
  industry and condone unfair competition. If the trades placed more
  of their emphasis on investigating the companies which advertise
  in their pages, they might prevent a product that is not tested
  and certified by the FCC from appearing in their recommendation
  lists or on the cover of respected industry publications. I would
  hate to think that these publications have given major awards to
  companies that manufacture illegal products!
 
  Our industry has moved into a "commodity" phase and the temptation
  grows to rush development, use lower quality or used components,
  or degrade standards in order to ship faster and sell cheaper.
  Sound managers however recognize that such economies are self-
  defeating. When we try to pass off lesser components and
  potentially dangerous products to our consumers, we may gain a
  quick profit but we undermine long range achievement. While we
  decry the success of Japanese manufacturers, we cannot compete as
  quality producers if we ignore even basic safety standards. What
  kind of lessons are we teaching the new developers, dreamers,
  users in our industry? That it's okay to ignore the law if it
  brings in more advertising dollars, cuts corners for profit or
  market share? Do we really want "As long as you make a buck, it's
  okay?" to be our industry's message?
 
  As manufacturers of storage solutions, Microtech has made it a
  point to market only products which comply with and are certified
  under the FCC rules. We've spoken up for effective enforcement by
  the FCC. We've advocated strict standards amongst our colleagues
  in the marketplace. We've adopted a policy of nonparticipation in
  reviews which do not demand FCC compliance and certification for
  recommendation. We know all too well the costs of this process -
  Microtech alone has invested an estimated half million dollars in
  our own compliance efforts. Obviously, we'd love to be able to
  bring to market a new drive without facing the rigors of this
  process, the delays, the costs and the paperwork required. But we
  know that not only would that be illegal, it would be immoral. And
  we know that the long term health of our company and our industry
  rests on maintaining the highest quality. We require this of
  ourselves and we ask that all members of the Macintosh community
  demand the same from themselves, the companies they deal with and
  the publications we all rely on.
 
    Sincerely,
 
    Cliff Wildes
    President and CEO
    Microtech International, Inc.
 
  Information from:
    Christina O'Connell, Microtech -- 70214.2231@compuserve.com
 
 
RFI Follow-up
-------------
  Just so you don't all think I'm being a slug and just printing the
  above letter to the editor, here's some more information that
  might be of interest on this subject.
 
  Essentially, there are two levels of FCC certification, A and B.
  Class A certification for devices used in office environments is
  easy to get since the vendor does the testing itself and doesn't
  have to file anything with the government. Class B, which covers
  devices used in the home, is much more difficult to get, since it
  requires an independent testing lab to do the work and the FCC to
  certify the device. Any device certified as a Class B device must
  carry a sticker with its FCC ID number prominently (which usually
  seems to mean on the bottom or back) displayed. Class B
  certification, because of the independent testing and the FCC
  certification, isn't all that cheap at about $3000 to $4000,
  according to Tom Hora of the FCC, as quoted in a MacWEEK Special
  Report on the subject. (Incidentally, if you're interested in this
  subject, you should definitely find the issue listed below and
  read the full article - it's an excellent treatment.)
 
  All of the devices I use regularly (and could easily tip over or
  read the back of) had an FCC ID sticker, but that doesn't
  necessarily mean that the device is clean because in some
  instances, the ID number could refer to the case of a hard drive
  rather than the mechanism, or could refer to a certain size
  mechanism but be used for numerous different size drives. It
  appears, from some conversations on ZiffNet/Mac and CompuServe,
  that some vendors don't even realize they have to get FCC
  certification, and others may have sold uncertified drives in the
  past.
 
  I've implied, as does Cliff Wildes above, that the problem is
  limited to hard drives. Many types of electronic equipment can
  have problems with radio frequency interference, and even my
  keyboard, mouse, answering machine, and telephone have FCC ID
  numbers. My impression is that every electronic device that can
  create or react to radio frequency interference must be certified
  if it is to be used in the home.
 
  Perhaps the most important place where RFI can cause problems is
  on an airplane. Airplane pilots can refuse to allow passengers to
  use any device that will create RFI, so those two guys in the
  Apple PowerBook commercial who connect their machines via
  LocalTalk might be shut down. (Ten to one they're really playing
  Spaceward Ho! over that impromptu network - I sure would be!)
  Interestingly, there was some discussion on the nets about a new
  FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rule that bans the use of
  laptop computers with mouses (and the accompanying cords) because
  the cords radiate interfering radio waves. Needless to say, this
  is a serious problem on newer planes that do not use mechanical
  controls. This cropped up as an issue because some dealer
  advertised that the PowerBook was the only (an exaggeration, of
  course) legal airborne computer. Although the problem and the ban
  are real, laptops without mouses or laptops that use an internal
  pointing device like the Outbound Portable are fine.
 
  If you're concerned about this (as I am - I'm leery enough of
  airplanes and don't need any more cause for concern such as
  someone with a DOS laptop and mouse interfering with the plane),
  you can check on FCC Class B certification before purchasing a
  piece of hardware. It's a simple question and one which the
  companies ought to at least know the answer to since it is a big
  deal in certain situations. You can also check your existing
  devices by calling an FCC BBS, the Public Access Link (PAL). The
  phone number is 301/725-1072 and is available all the time, though
  only at 300 and 1200 baud. The other settings are eight bits, no
  parity, and one stop bit (8N1). Just hit return a couple of times
  after the modem connects, and then enter the FCC ID number in
  question when PAL requests the "CODE." You get five minutes per
  call between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern time and fifteen minutes the
  rest of the day. If you have other questions or want to check on
  the status of a pending certification you can call the FCC
  directly at the number below between 2 PM and 4 PM Eastern time.
 
  Of course, as serious as RFI problems can be today, can you
  imagine the utter chaos and confusion that will result if and when
  we start using wireless networks for real? I can imagine the
  conversations: "Hang on a minute, I'm getting a lot of errors on
  that file transfer, let me move the Mac to the other table..."
 
    FCC PAL -- 301/725-1072
    FCC Questions -- 301/725-1585
 
  Information from:
    Cory Kempf -- cory@enigami.mv.com
    James Kroger -- kroger@tinman.cognet.ucla.edu
    Jim Bailey -- jb@lexicon.com
    Christina O'Connell, Microtech -- 70214.2231@compuserve.com
 
  Related articles:
    MacWEEK -- 06-Apr-92, Vol. 6, #14, pg. 38
 
 
Claris Windows Rumors
---------------------
  We've been muttering about a version of FileMaker Pro for Windows
  for quite some time now, and we've finally gotten some
  confirmation of that project. Claris reportedly showed an early
  version of FileMaker Pro running under Windows in a private suite
  at Comdex last week. Reportedly the Windows version will be very
  similar to FileMaker Pro 2.0 on the Macintosh, so there were some
  added features like improved speed, improved scripting, and
  QuickTime support. Not only will the Windows version have all
  that, but it will look like a Claris product, rather than using
  one of the strange interfaces that are still popping up in Windows
  programs.
 
  Claris is working on ways of making other ports of its Macintosh
  products to Windows easier, but that does not mean that you'll see
  the full Claris suite ported to Windows any time soon. We've heard
  that MacDraw Pro code is unlikely to ever show up in a Windows
  product, although Claris might use some of the code from Hollywood
  in a Windows MacDraw. Resolve and MacWrite II, not to mention
  ClarisCAD and SmartForms, just aren't likely to make enough money
  to be worth the effort of porting them.
 
  The big surprise, perhaps, is ClarisWorks. It's a great product
  written by a team of programmers with vision, and rumor has it
  that it will be the next Claris application to make the jump to
  Windows. I'd love to see it (and if I had a PC clone, I'd love to
  use it), but the one thing that worries me a little bit is that
  Claris may have to scale back its efforts aimed at the Mac and
  future Macintosh systems to get this Windows software out the
  door. Of course, no need to turn down all the money that Windows
  users will want to give Claris for FileMaker Pro for Windows and
  ClarisWorks for Windows.
 
  Information from:
    Pythaeus
 
  Related articles:
    MacWEEK -- 13-Apr-92, Vol. 6, #15, pg. 1
 
 
The TrashMan Cometh
-------------------
  When I was growing up, my family took our garbage to the town dump
  every week. The best part was tossing it over the cliff, and much
  of the excitement went out of the weekly expedition when the dump
  was full and the town bought a trash compactor truck (which could
  be fun on occasion if it actually compacted the trash while you
  were there). As a result of these town policies, I never
  experienced the joys of listening to garbage trucks rumbling by
  early in the morning until I went to college. The noise was
  bothersome, but the benefit was obvious - I carried the garbage a
  short way and the garbagemen (excuse me, sanitation engineers) did
  the rest.
 
  The Mac under System 7 is a lot the same way except you have to do
  both jobs, take the trash out and empty it. No one can do the
  first task for you because only you can decide what's trash and
  what's not, but why should you be bothered by the humdrum task of
  emptying the trash? Well, now you don't have to with the System
  7-specific utility TrashMan 4.0.1, a $10 shareware trash
  management utility from Dan Walkowski.
 
  TrashMan has three parts, TrashMan Controls, which is a Control
  Panel for TrashMan's settings, TrashMan Engine, a special
  application that scans the trash and deletes files, and TrashMan
  Emptier, on which you drop disks to delete the trashed files from
  those disks.
 
  TrashMan Controls allows you to set the amount of time that a file
  will spend in the trash purgatory before being deleted. You can
  set the days, hours, and minutes a file can last in the trash - I
  personally have it set to three days. I'll explain why later.
  There's also a checkbox to set whether or not TrashMan deletes
  locked files, which can stick around for a long time if you don't
  set it to delete them. You can increase or decrease the Engine
  Speed, which controls how often the Engine will scan. I see no
  reason not to leave it on the lowest setting so TrashMan uses the
  least possible CPU time. You can also stop (or start) the Engine
  if you wish. The final checkbox controls whether disks are
  automatically ejected after you drag them on the TrashMan Emptier.
  Holding down the option key will produce the opposite result, so
  you can decide whether you generally want disks ejected or not. I
  don't. One added bonus to TrashMan Controls is that Dan has added
  some unobtrusive yet effective sounds to the controls. I approve
  of that sort of thing when it's done well.
 
  TrashMan Engine is a strange new type of application that appeared
  with System 7. You drop the TrashMan Engine into the Extensions
  folder, and it runs automatically on startup, but does not appear
  in any application lists (such as the MultiFinder menu or About
  This Macintosh...). There's not much else to say about the
  TrashMan Engine, except that it is completely unnoticeable when
  it's scanning. Previous versions would pause the Mac temporarily
  while scanning, but this version is really smooth.
 
  The final piece of the TrashMan puzzle is the TrashMan Emptier, a
  tiny application that acts as a front end on which you can drop
  disks. It's really nice that you don't have all the files in the
  trash emptied all the time under System 7, but that feature
  suddenly disappears the first time you throw out some files on a
  floppy and want to copy more on. The Finder will happily empty the
  trash for you if you wish, but it will delete all the files in the
  trash, not just the files that were originally on that floppy.
  With TrashMan Emptier, you can just drop the floppy on TrashMan
  Emptier and only the trashed files from that floppy will be
  deleted, and all others will stay put.
 
  When all is said and done, though, why is TrashMan neat? It allows
  you turn a mindless task over to an automated program so you don't
  have to keep deciding if you want to empty the trash or not. In
  addition, TrashMan allows the trash to live up to its potential as
  promised by System 7. You not only get a second chance, as you did
  in System 6, or even a third or fourth chance, as in System 7, but
  as many chances you want when using TrashMan. An added feature is
  that TrashMan works well on AppleShare servers to ensure that
  users don't waste disk space by leaving files in the trash (and
  Dan says that AppleShare servers have separate Trash folders for
  each user, so there's no need to worry about it emptying
  everyone's trash).
 
  I said earlier that I have TrashMan empty the trash after three
  days. I often will drag one of my partitions to the TrashMan
  Emptier to clean it off manually, but I prefer to leave files in
  the trash when I can. That's because there's a neat trick you can
  do with Nisus have it save its secondary backup files into the
  trash. That's _secondary_ backup files, and I almost never need
  them, and I never need them after three days. With the amount I
  use Nisus and the number of files I use, though, I could easily
  use up several megabytes of space on my hard disk with just those
  secondary backups. Now TrashMan makes sure that I have access to
  the secondary backups I've made in the last three days, and also
  makes sure that I'm not wasting large portions of my ever-
  shrinking hard disk on lots of backup files that just aren't
  necessary.
 
  Now of course you're going to want to know the trick with Nisus
  (and this may work with WordPerfect or other programs that can
  save a secondary backup file in addition to the primary file).
  It's pretty easy, and there are two methods.
 
 
Method A
  Boot with System 6 (if possible), run Nisus, and select the Trash
  folder in the secondary backup Saving Preferences. Then reboot
  under System 7. Neat, eh?
 
 
Method B
  If you feel like a macho hacker and want to use ResEdit, or you
  can't run System 6 on your machine because it's too new, first run
  Nisus and set your secondary backup folder to a five-letter folder
  at the top level of your hard disk. I used "Perseus:Games". Then,
  after quitting Nisus, open the Nisus Preferences 3.0 file in
  ResEdit and open the DFLT resource. There should only be one entry
  (mine was ID 301), so open that. Scroll down until you see the
  name of your secondary backup folder in the ASCII on the right
  hand side of the window. Then select the five letters of the
  folder name and replace them with "Trash". So I changed my setting
  from "Perseus:Games" to "Perseus:Trash". (You may see some
  additional letters there if you at one time selected a folder with
  a longer name, but as long as there is a colon after the "h" in
  "Trash" you'll be fine.) Then save the file, quit ResEdit, and
  create and save a new file in Nisus. Then look in the trash to
  make sure the secondary backup is in there.
 
  Whether or not you use Nisus and find this trick useful, I highly
  recommend TrashMan 4.0.1. It's a mere $10 shareware and Dan
  Walkowski has done an excellent job making it safe, stable, and
  unobtrusive. It should be available at your local purveyor of
  shareware software. There are a few commercial utilities that
  offer the same functionality and even more features, but I feel
  that TrashMan is a clean (and cheap) compromise between ease of
  use and power. The one additional capability Dan will be adding in
  a future version of TrashMan is a TrashMan Burner that will
  immediately delete a file, so if you create a massive temporary
  file you can get rid of it immediately without having to disturb
  the other files resting quietly in your trash. Highly recommended.
 
  Information from:
    Dan Walkowski -- walkowsk@cs.uiuc.edu
    TrashMan documentation
 
 
Reviews/13-Apr-92
-----------------
 
* MacWEEK
    FirstClass BBS 1.65 -- pg. 47
    TeleFinder 2.4 -- pg. 47
    TurboCASE 4.0 -- pg. 48
    The Incubator -- pg. 48
    BBN/Catalyst 1.4 -- pg. 52
    TelePort/FullFax -- pg. 53
    MiCC Pocket Fax Modem -- pg. 53
 
References:
    MacWEEK -- 06-Apr-92, Vol. 6, #14
 
 
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