Real System Utilities, or RSU, is a program that, in my humble opinion, should replace Apple's System Utilities for all your day-to-day file maintainence needs. It is completely menu-driven and features my "5-key" interface.
The idea behind my "5-key" interface is: If at any time, there are more than 5 keys that have any sort of function within the program, things are too complicated. It is easy to get overwhelmed when learning to use a new program, and I don't intend for that to happen with RSU. You can operate the entire program with one hand on each side of the keyboard, left hand for escape and the open-apple key, and your right hand for the arrow keys and return. Of course, I freely violated that rule when it would have made things too complicated. Those two execeptions are the rename and create a subdirectory functions, where you have to type in a ProDOS pathname. But more about that later!
You don't really have to read this manual to operate the program; however, I do recommend you print it out and keep it with you for quick reference the first few times you use the program. There is always help available to you at any time by pressing open apple - ?. Additionally, as you will see when you boot the program, near the top of the screen, in a box ruled off by two lines,is a listing of all the keys that operate in that function. But, since I wrote the program and so know how it works, my directions at times may be a little unclear. Besides, a lot of the program was written in the wee hours of the morning when I might not have been thinking very clearly.
Above all, have fun! That's what you bought your
computer for! (Whether you admit it to yourself or not!)
Main Menu
The main menu is where you will come to select all of the various functions available to you. You can either use the up and down arrow keys, or the numbers/letters that are directly in front of the function's name to select a function. When a function is selected, it will be high- lighted and in all capital letters. When you have the function you want selected, press return. It's just that easy!
A note about not only the main menu, but the whole program: At any time, you can press the escape key to get back to the main menu. You can also press open apple-? to get help on the function you are in. (Open apple may be
called Command on your keyboard. They are the same key.)
Select a Disk
This function should be the first thing you select when you start up RSU. In fact, nothing else will work until you do!
When you start this function, each one of your disk drives will spin for a moment. Don't worry if it's empty, RSU will find that out and go on to the next drive. Then, you will see a list of the names of all the disks you have in your system. There will be a little folder in front of each disk's name. There will be an arrow pointing to the first one:
----> () RSU
() HARD.DISK
() GAMES
Use the up and down arrow keys to move the arrow next to the disk you want to use. Press return when you have the disk you want selected. The drive will spin, and you will go back to the main menu!
Select a Subdirectory
This function works very much like Select a Disk. Your drive will spin briefly and you will see a bunch of little folders with the names of any subdirectories that are on your disks next to them. The arrow will be pointing at the top one. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the arrow and press return to 'open' a folder. The folder will be opened, and you will see all the subdirectories inside that folder. Go back up the the third sentence in this paragraph and start over!
At some point, you will see the message:
You are at the lowest point in this disk. Press TAB to back out a level or Escape for main menu.
This means you cannot go any deeper in the current chain of directories. If you press TAB, the last name in the list will be pulled off and you can select a different directory if you want.
Note that the TAB key works any time in this function, not just when the 'lowest point' has been reached. You can peel off all of the directory names but the first one. That one is the name of the disk and you have to use the Select a Disk function to change that.
View Disk Tree
This function just lists all the directories, subdirectories, and files on the current disk. It's great for those times when you just know that a file is on a disk but you can't remember where exactly. Tree starts its list from the current directory and works all the way down. You can hit Control-S to stop the listing (just like in Applesoft).
Show Catalog
This function shows the names of all the files in the current directory in the same format as Basic. It pauses every screenful for you to hit a key. At the end, it shows the Blocks used, blocks free, total blocks, and percent of the disk used and free.
Lock or Unlock Files
This function allows you to lock or unlock selected files. First, a few words on locking files.
When a file is locked, it cannot be renamed, deleted, or written to unless it is first unlocked. This allows you to protect important files from being carelessly erased or altered. You may realize the benefits of this early some morning when, after hours of work, you mistype the name of a file after a DELETE command and, instead of losing your latest programming masterpiece, you get a "File Locked" error, reminding you of your mistake.
When you start this function, you will see a list of the first 14 files in the current directory. Use the arrow keys to move the selection arrow, and press return to 'mark' a file. When you mark a file, a check mark will appear next to it to show that it will be locked or unlocked. When you have checked all the files you want to lock or unlock, press space bar. A window will pop up to report on the progress of your locking/unlocking. When all the files you checked have been locked or unlocked, a screen with the next 14 files will appear and you can then go through the same process on them, until all the files are done.
Delete Files
This function allows you to permanently remove files from your disk. It operates the same way as Lock/Unlock does. In fact, the program is the same for both sections except for the part that deletes files instead of locking them.
Create a Subdirectory
This function allows you to create a new subdirectory on your disk. You will see a pair of lines on your screen. Type in the name of the subdirectory you want to create between the lines, and press return. The name must conform to standard ProDOS naming conventions, which are:
1) It must contain only letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9),
and the period charecter (.).
2) It must be less than 16 characters long.
3) It must not be used elsewhere in the current
subdirectory.
When you press return, the subdirectory will be created and you will be returned to the main menu.
Rename Files
This function allows you to change the name of any file in the current subdirectory. Select files the same way you did in lock and delete. When you press space, a window will pop up for each file. It will list the current name and ask you to type in the new name. Type it in and press return. The disk will spin, and the window will pop up again for the next file. When all the files are done, you will be returned to the main menu.
Copy Files
This function allows you to copy files. First, before you even select this function, you have to select a source disk. Do this from the main menu using Select a Disk and Select a Subdirectory. Now you're ready to select Copy Files from the main menu. The source path will be listed on the screen so you can remember where you're copying files from.
Next, you have to select a destination disk. This works the same way Select a Disk works. Then, you can select a directory within that disk if you want. If you don't just hit open apple - C. Otherwise, set a path as deep as you want and hit open apple - C.
Next, the source directory will open up and you can select the files you want to copy, the same way you do in Lock and Delete. When you press space, a window will pop up and show which file is currently being copied. If you try to copy a file that already exists on the destination disk, another window will pop up and ask if it's okay to overwrite the old file. You can answer Yes or No. If you hit Y, the old file will be over-written. Otherwise, it will be skipped over and you can rename one of the files from the main menu.
After all the files you marked have been copied, you will be returned to the main menu.
Format a Disk
This function formats any standard type disk. You must format a new disk before you can use it. You can also re-format old disks that are no longer needed. When you select this function, a list of all the available disk drives will come up on the screen. Use the arrow keys and return to pick a drive. After you press return, a dialog box will come up asking you what to call the new disk. MAKE SURE that before you press return at this question, the disk in the drive you picked is not something important. There is NO WAY to un-format a disk!
Format a Disk (continued)
After you press return, the disk will spin for a few minutes. When it is finished, you will be returned to the main menu and the disk will be ready for use. PLEASE NOTE - Currently, the program will have trouble formatting disks that are mirrored to slot 2. This will only happen if you have more than 2 drives on the slot 5 SmartPort. I'll try to fix that problem in the next version, for now, however, just don't format disks in drives that show up in slot 2. (Use a different drive!)
(Thanks to Shawn Quick for the formatter code!)
Quit to ProDOS
This function quits into the current ProDOS selector program. This will either be the Apple 'enter prefix of next application' very unfriendly program, or another program you have in your system, such as Squirt, Bird's Better Bye, ProSEL, Davex, etc.
Upcoming Features
Currently planned for addition to RSU is:
1) Nothing!
RSU is done! If you noticed the copy whole disk function is missing, that's because there's no more room for it in memory. As it is, the Copy Files function only copies 9 blocks at a time because there isn't much memory left. Besides, there are plenty of very capable disk copy programs around. However, if there is a lot of demand for it, I could disable your /RAM disk and use that extra 64K. Let me know if you really want it thrown in.
Closing Comments
Real System Utilities was written over a period of several months, using Merlin 8/16 by Glen Bredon. I recommend Merlin to anyone wanting to write assembly language programs of their own. RSU is under constant revision and refinement. But it can only be refined if I know what needs to be fixed. Don't ever hesitate to offer comments or criticisms on the program. Just remember not to just criticize. If you think something could be done better or differently, tell me how it should be done differently. I don't respond well to people just telling me something is stupid without telling me why they think that!
My thanks to: Dave Lyons (author of Davex, a high quality shareware program selector and utility program) for all his help at everything; Shawn Quick for the formatter code; and everyone else who has contributed one little bit of code or another that I can't think of.
Also, thanks to Roger Wagner (publisher of Merlin) for helping me out a couple of times with 'bugs' in Merlin that turned out to be my own mistakes. :)
Support Policy
I can be reached at the following on-line addresses:
SALware - America Online
SLUZYNSKI - GEnie
72677,2140 - Compuserve
Or, write me at:
SALware
3604 S. 10th St. Ct.
Blue Springs, MO 64015-6238
Note that you will get the quickest response on America Online. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. America Online is my primary support board.
SALware Catalog of Products
(As of February 1990:)
Real System Utilities V1.40
Graphics Toolkit V1.00 -
Graphics Toolkit is a collection of AppleSoft compatible programs designed to help you create Hi-res games or other programs using hi-res graphics quickly and very easily. These programs were used to create Shooting Gallery (described below). A copy of Shooting Gallery is included to give you a head start on designing your own games, as well as demonstrating the power of the Toolkit. Since some of the included programs are not the exclusive property of SALware, Toolkit is available only directly from SALware for the low price of $15.
Shooting Gallery -
Shooting Gallery is an AppleSoft Basic game available on most major networks and bulliten boards. It is freeware. It has proven to be a favorite on America Online, gathering over 650 downloads since December 1988. It doesn't have the SALware name on it, but it is (of course) the same quality as all of the author's other programs.
SALware Catalog of Products (continued)
DHRprint V1.00 -
DHRprint is a simple program for printing out double hires screen images on your ImageWriter II printer. This version is freeware as the only working function is printing DHR images in one size in black & white. Color and varied sizes are planned for future addition. If you can't find DHRprint on your favorite bulliten board, contact SALware for a free copy.
Make.Boot -
This is a SALware mini utility. It is a short AppleSoft Basic program that alters 5.25" disks to boot your 3.5" drive automatically. It is most useful if you have a Disk ][ or compatible drive in slot 6 and a SmartPort controller in slot 5. Disks altered with Make.Boot only spin for 1 or 2 seconds before they boot the SmartPort drive in slot 5. This one is freeware. It is available anywhere else SALware products can be found, or as a bonus program on your DHRprint or RSU disk.
Sneak Preview!
SALware currently has a telecommunications program under development, tentatively called MegaComm. It will support any Hayes compatible modem. Features include a dialing directory, automatic downloads from Compuserve (R) using CIS Quick B+ protocol, ZModem downloads (supported on GEnie and most MS-DOS bulliten boards), and a multitude of other features standard on most MS-DOS term programs.
MegaComm is an attempt to bring some of the tremendous power of MS-DOS communications programs to the Apple II world.
Please contact SALware if you have any ideas or features you would like to see in MegaComm.
RSU Release History
RSU has gone through several releases. Below is a listing of all the versions of RSU that were released.
V1.00 - Preliminary version of RSU. Written in compiled
ZBasic. Did not achieve wide distribution due to
bugs and slowness.
V1.10B - First true release version. Dropped the view
pictures functions from V1.00 and added several
new features. Totally re-written in assembly
language. Released 6/14/89.
V1.11 - Minor bug fixes to V1.10B. Fixed problem that
caused the Select disk function to crash if
Basic.System had not been run on the machine
prior to RSU. Also fixed percent display to add
up to 100 instead of 99. Written 6/15/89, but not
released. Sent out only to registered users as
their serialed copy.
V1.12 - Minor bug fixes to V1.11. Fixed percent display
again and set up a standard position for the
serial number. 6/15/89. Sent only to registered
users as their serialed copy. Note that V1.11 was
never actually sent to anyone.
V1.20 - Added the disk formatter function to V1.12. Written
6/27/89. Note that, once again, it was sent only to
registered users as their serialed copy and that no
one ever actually got a copy of V1.12.
V1.30 - Added the copy files function. Written 8/13/89.
V1.40 - Fixed a small bug in the copy files function.
Tentatively the final release of RSU. Written
2/13/90.
Appendix A - Error Codes
At different times while using the program, you could recieve a ProDOS MLI error. Below is a table of the possible error codes and what to do about the situation. If the error you get is not in this table, please see if you can repeat the error. If you can, write down how to create the error, the error code, and the address the error message gives you. Then send this information to me and I will see what I can do to fix it.
Error Code Meaning
$27 I/O Error - there was no disk in the drive or
it was not a ProDOS disk.
$2B Disk Write protected - remove the write
protect tab.
$47 Duplicate File Name - the file name you
entered was already used. Use a different
name and try again.
$48 Disk Full - use a different disk.
$49 Directory Full - change to another directory.
$52 Not a ProDOS disk - insert a ProDOS disk.
Any other codes should be reported to me to have them resolved.
Copyright Notice
WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. SALware believes that Real System Utilities (hereafter referred to as RSU) can be a useful tool for some people in some situations, but not necessarily for you. The author uses RSU all the time and is reasonably sure it won't do anything destructive to your data. But he DOES keep BACKUP COPIES of all important data, and so should you. SALware AND STEVEN A. LUZYNSKI SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PURCHASER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY WITH RESPECT TO ANY LIABILITY, LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED OR ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY RSU. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
The following are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.: Apple, America Online, ProDOS.
Any other copyrights and/or trademarks are held by their respective copyright/trademark holders. Said copyright/trademark holders are in no way connected with SALware.
Any mention of third party products is not an endorsement (unless otherwise mentioned in context with said third party product's name), and constitutes only an informational reference to said third party and their product. SALware assumes no responsibility for the selection, use, or performance of these products.
APPLE COMPUTER, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE ENCLOSED COMPUTER SOFTWARE PACKAGE, ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
