Are you getting the maximum math performance from your Mac? Maybe yes, maybe no. You should know that Apple released a set of “fast math” routines, known as Omega SANE with System 7.0.1. These routines allow an FPU-equipped Macintosh to do floating-point math somewhat faster.
Who needs this? Maybe you do. If you do any math-intensive work, you may see an improvement after running this application. You will definitely see some if you run “Speedometer,” the fine shareware program by Scott Berfield.
I wrote this program because no one else has, to the best of my knowledge. I have been patching in the Omega SANE routines by hand for far too long. Every machine I have modified was none the worse for wear, and showed no increased instability.
This program has been tested on an SE (accelerated with a NewLife Accelerate!), a IIx, a IIcx, a IIsi, a IIci and a IIfx. I have patched Systems 7.0 and 7.1. Theoretically this should work for System 6.0.x, but I can't force myself to boot that partition anymore.
I offer this to you for free, but would appreciate a post card if you use the Omega SANE patcher. You are also free to send a small token of your gratitude if you find this program of use. (Who knows -- you might be the _first_ person to actually send me some money for something I released.)
I take no responsibility for any really grotesque tap-dancing this application may do on your System file, since I have taken great pains to tell you to use it only on a copy. In fact, it is not possible to run this application on your boot copy of the System file. But please don't try to “outsmart” me and find a way to make it do so.
Once you modify your copy of the System file, keep the old version around for a while, until you are comfortable with the performance of the patched System. The way I figure it, a floppy is only a dollar, which is roughly equivalent to one minute of my time, when I am at prime rates. Unless you are godlike in your powers, it will take somewhat more than one minute to recover from a disaster if you don't have the System backed up.
OK, enough scary stuff. Like I said before, I haven't had any problems with this program on the machines I've tested it on. Just make sure to turn off any virus protection programs before running the patcher, since it writes resources to the System file.
Any bug reports, offers of employment, marriage or cash, and other fine things should be sent to:
Jonathan Jacobs
11483 Hessler Rd. #4
Cleveland, OH 44106
or:
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Wickenden Building, 5th floor
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44109
I can be reached by E-mail at the following addresses:
Internet: jxj24@po.CWRU.edu
AOL: JonJ0 (that's a “zero”, folks)
Proddity: hckv95a
MaBellNet: (216) 231-8908 (Eastern time zone)
Suspected Incompatibilities:
A few people have reported that the Omega SANE routines and Stacker™ are not friendly. As in “you can't boot your drive” unfriendly.
As well, there appears to be some difficulty with some of the routines in DayStar Digital's SANE routines.
I have unsubstantiated reports that Apple's Hardware Updater 2.0 can not coexist peacefully, either. That seems strange, and could be due to something I do, but I can't imagine what...
Version History
1.3:
The ROM patch overrides are even more reliable now. A big “Sorry, guy” to anyone who got a chunk of their ROv# list clumsily lobotomized. This should fix at least half of the problems people have had with previous versions.
And guess what? I figured out a _much_ better way to tell if you are trying to modify a live System file. (Hint: it uses “GetFInfo” to check.)
(Oh, yeah, I also fixed this blurb. I had a little typo; it seems that in the list of machines that I tested this on, I wrote “Mac II” when I really meant “Mac IIx”. Oops. Sorry again, guys. Just proving the value of freeware...)
1.2:
The patcher now checks for the existence of an FPU before trying to install the patch. This is just a gentle reminder to those who have no need for the Omega SANE routines. (Everybody should use Gestalt; it's powerful and easy!) It also checks that you are using System 7.0 or greater.
As well, I have rewritten almost the entire ROM patch override update algorithm. It should now be more compatible with System files that have undergone previous major modification. This was not fun, though it is a good way to sink yourself deep into a study of the Resource Manager (what so proudly it hails). There is now approximately twice as much code as there was in the first release. Where will the madness end.
1.1:
A couple of people reported that the application informed them that the Omega SANE resources were already installed, yet the math test gave a non-zero result. You now have the option to strip the suspicious resources out of the System file and continue with the installation. (Keep a backup of your System file! This is the third warning.)
1.0:
Fixed a couple of silly bugs. Learned a thing or two about keeping track of
_all_ your pointers.
0.9:
First release. What did you expect?
#include <standard_disclaimer.h>
THIS SOFTWARE CONTAINS PORTIONS OF CODE COPYRIGHTED BY APPLE COMPUTER, INC. ALL THE STANDARD DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS APPLY. IT IS ILLEGAL TO ATTEMPT TO SELL THAT CODE, OR TO INCORPORATE IT IN A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLE COMPUTER, INC. THIS APPLICATION IS PROVIDED AS A COURTESY TO MACINTOSH USERS, AND THE AUTHOR EXPECTS NO RENUMERATION FOR ITS USE.
