Since November, 1995, I have maintained the "PowerMac Pruning Page" on the Web. This site has been the best guide around for information on extensions and control panels -- it was mentioned in the June, '96 issue of MacWorld under the title "When Software Dreams Come True." I have taken the theme of the Pruning Page, expanded it, and written The InformInit, a shareware application. Here you can find almost every init Apple has ever produced, with information on what they do, who needs them, version numbers, RAM consumption, tips and tricks, and URLs for further information on confusing items. There is an ever-growing section on non-Apple inits. A chapter on System Folder contents gives information on some of the common items found loose in the System Folder. There is a summary of Apple information on System 7.5.3, such as which computers need which of the various updates (7.5 update 2.0, Revision 2), how to best install the updates, and what changes have been made in each update. Finally, there is extensive information about PRAM, how to reset it on various Macs, and what actually gets "reset." Use this guide to satisfy your curiosity about unidentified files, to help you cut down on all the spurious extensions that you don't really need, and to generally improve the performance of your Mac.
You can download the latest version of The InformInit from:
<ftp://ftp.AmbrosiaSW.com/pub/DEF/InformInit.hqx>
Update summaries/revision histories can be found at:
<http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/DEF/InformUD.html>
The final chapter of The InformInit also lists its revision history.
THE INFORMINIT IS SHAREWARE
This document is shareware. That means that if you find it useful, you are expected to pay for it.
"What? But this information is freely available! Why should I pay anything for it?"
Well, the fact that you downloaded The InformInit, or that you visited the Pruning Page, proves that having all this information in one place, and not having to spend a large number of hours (or even days) searching through every Apple Tech Note, Web page, book, and manual (Apple or otherwise) is valuable to you. Also, there IS some info here which is not available anywhere else. I find it appropriate to think of The InformInit as a book you might find in the Mac help section of your local bookstore. That is, assuming your local bookstore has a Mac help section ;-)
The truth is that The InformInit, which in my opinion should have been written by Apple long ago and should be part of the documentation on every Macintosh, has taken me months of work to produce. Many, many hours have been spent putting it together. Like many wonderful shareware products out there, this project started out as a personal interest/hobby, and soon snowballed into proportions that I never imagined. Because of the Pruning Page on the Web and this document, everyday I get many emails from people asking me for help on an extension, or a crash, or some other problem. I do my best to help out everybody who asks.
THE SHAREWARE AUTHORS' DILEMMA:
A GENERAL REMINDER
Shareware authoring seems rather unrewarding at times, especially when the authors have to make a decision between spending time with their families, doing their real jobs, studying, etc., and working on their 'wares. The small fee most shareware authors ask usually can't compensate fully for the time spent on their wares; however, it provides encouragement, shows appreciation, gives a bit of hard cash, and provides a bit of inspiration for updating the product ("Hey, people actually use this... I should put some work into updating it!). I say this not only for my own sake, but for the sake of shareware products everywhere. If you use a shareware product, pay for it. How many of you have actually registered that certain piece of software you use everyday? (I bet you've even forgotten that it's shareware!)
I considered limiting the features of this document (no printing, no "find," etc.) until I received a registration. However, I decided to follow the Ambrosia Software lead, and provide a full-featured version and trust that the user would live up to his/her end of the bargain.
BENEFITS OF REGISTERING?
Since I took the leap of faith of providing a fully-functioning version here, registering won't get you a "better" version. However, it will get you:
• On the mailing list of updates (whenever a new version is released, you'll be the first to know, including what changes were made).
• On the optional list of actual updated files (whenever a new version is released, I'll email it to you).
• If you purchase a site or world license, you will receive a version personalized for your company/ organization/ institution.
• The option of being on a "help" list. For those of you who would like to provide info, I will send out requests for help on unidentified files.
• My gratitude and a personal "thank you" :-). Oh, and good shareware karma... some people have said that the more unregistered software you have on your hard drive, the greater chance of a "mysterious" crash... ;-)
• If you have any other ideas for registered-user benefits, I'm very open to suggestions.
•A single user license covers the use of one copy on one computer.
•A site license covers all locations for your organization within a 100 mile (160km) radius of your site.
•A world-wide license covers all locations for your organization on the planet.
•• If you or your organization simply cannot afford the fees, email me. ••
There are two ways to register:
1) If you are paying with U.S. cash or USD check, please send your payment to the address below. Include your email address, which of the lists (see above) you would like to be on, and any suggestions or comments you might have. Also, let me know if you need an invoice/receipt.
Dan Frakes
838 S. Barrington Ave. #103
Los Angeles, CA 90049
2) If you would like to pay by credit card, First Virtual, or with international currency, please use the Kagi "Register" program which is in the InformInit folder. Complete instructions for this method of payment follow (please do not use this method for US cash or USD check because processing fees will be removed from the payment before it is sent to me):
Paying for The InformInit using the Register program is fairly simple. Open the Register program in The InformInit folder. Enter your name, your email address, and the number of single user licenses you desire (or Site or World-Wide licenses). If you are an educational institution purchasing a Site or World-Wide license, check the appropriate box. Save or Copy or Print the data from the Register program and send the data and payment to Kagi via one of the following methods:
• If paying with Credit Card or First Virtual, you can email or fax the data to Kagi. Their email address is sales@kagi.com and their fax number is +1 510 652-6589. You can either Copy the data from Register and paste into the body of an email message or you can Save the data to a file and you can attach that file to an email message. There is no need to compress the data file, it's already pretty small. If you have a fax modem, just Print the data to the Kagi fax number.
Payments sent via email are processed within 3 to 4 days. You will receive an email acknowledgement when it is processed. Payments sent via fax take up to 10 days and if you provide a correct internet email address you will receive an email acknowledgement.
• If you are paying with non-US currency you should print the data using the Register application and send it to the address shown on the form, which is:
Kagi
1442-A Walnut Street #392-DF
Berkeley, California 94709-1405
USA
You can pay with a wide variety of cash from different countries but at the present time Kagi cannot accept checks in other currencies. The conversion rate for non-USD checks is around USD 15 per check and that is just not practical.
• If you have a purchasing department, you can enter all the data into the Register program and then select Invoice as your payment method. Print three copies of the form and send it to your accounts payable people. You might want to highlight the line that mentions that they must include a copy of the form with their payment.
Kagi can not invoice your company, you need to act on my behalf and generate the invoice and handle all the paperwork on your end. Please do not fax or email payment forms that indicate Cash, Check or Invoice as the payment method. As far as we know, there is still no technology to transfer physical objects via fax or email and without the payment, the form cannot be processed. Payments send via postal mail take time to reach Kagi and then up to 10 days for processing. Again, if you include a correct email address, you will hear from Kagi when the form is processed.
