If your application ever comes to a halting screech, System 7 has a built-in alternative to the old programmer's key. Just press the keys CMD-OPTION-Escape. This brings up a dialog box which allows you to force a quit of whatever application you are in. This doesn't always work, but when it does you will be in the Finder without having to restart the Macintosh. This may allow you to save documents open under other applications. To be safe, after saving all open documents you should restart the Macintosh. For Mac Plus users without an escape key, use: Command-Option-` (that's the one leaning to the left - either the accent or grave key; never could remember which was which even though my French Teacher in high school was very pretty!).
System 7 & Bad Blocks
The new disk initialization package will mark bad blocks on SCSI hard drives and 1.4 meg floppies. There seems to be some question as to whether it will do so for 800K floppies (some say yes, some say no). If you ever notice the initialization process taking a lot of time, the chances are it it rechecking a disk having marked-out one or more bad sectors. So, those of us that used the utility named "Bad" to initialize bad disks can throw away another INIT.
Where's My Drive Button? (and New Features)
Under System 6, if you had more than one mounted volume (another hard disk drive or floppy), a save or open dialog box had a button marked "Drive." Pressing this button would rotate you to the next drive. A very useful shortcut was the use of the TAB key to do the same thing. Under System 7.0 the "Drive" button has been replaced by a "DeskTop" button. If you press that button you are given a list of all icons on the desktop, including all mounted drives. You can double-click a drive to open that up in your dialog box. This is a much more roundabout way to get at another drive. Although I (finally) began to see the value of Apple's new desktop concept (just barely!), I sure did miss the drive button and the TAB shortcut.
Then I found out about the "workarounds" (mostly new features not really "workarounds). First of all, Command-Left or Right Arrow with rotate you through the mounted drives. Not as easy as the TAB key, but as we'll soon see there are some nice new uses of the TAB key. While we are talking about using Command plus arrow keys, remember that Command-Down Arrow will open a selected folder whether you are on the Finder desktop or in a file dialog box. Command-Up Arrow will close the current folder. This is a quick way to move up and down the file hierarchy.
Now back to the TAB key. Under System 6, while in a "Save As..." dialog box I use to make the same error too often. I would see a list of files, and to locate a file (usually I was looking for a folder) I used to do the natural thing: I would press the keys of the starting letters of the file. The problem was that in a "Save As..." dialog box, the current filename is highlighted waiting for you to give the file a new name. So by pressing a key I would overwrite the name whether I wanted to or not. Well, under System 7.0, it works the same way, except for a very useful new feature. In a "Save As..." dialog box you have the current filename below (highlighted as noted above) and you have a box above listing the files in the current folder. If you press TAB, you move the cursor out of the current filename box and up to the file list box. Now, having done so, you can press the first letter of a filename, or use the other shortcuts, home, end, page up, page down and the up an down arrow keys, to maneuver up and down the filelist. By the way, note that the up and down arrow keys move to folders, which is what you are usually looking for in a "Save As..." dialog box. Of course I can still accidentally overwrite the highlighted filename if I forget to press TAB. But these new features are so great I now rarely make that mistake. But, I do wish Apple would change the default so that the cursor is up in the filelist box when you first do a "Save As..."
TrashChute Warning
There is a System 7 only file called "TrashChute" that I briefly demonstrated at the June Main Meeting. Just so people not at that meeting know what I'm talking about, TrashChute is an application. When another icon is dragged onto the TrashChute icon, it is the same as dumping that file into the Trashcan with one notable exception. The trashcan is emptied immediately, that is without you having to "manually" empty it. Another feature is that you can put the TrashChute file (or an alias) in the Startup Items Folder. This will cause TrashChute to run when you start (or restart) the Mac, assuring you of a fresh, empty trashcan on startup. TrashChute is on America Online and may end up in our library or on our BBS.
I did warn that it could be dangerous to use. And that was before I found the following problem. Dumping an Alias of an application into the Trash Chute results in the actual application being trashed instead of the alias. Of course that means it is gone right now. The person who uploaded the file to America Online.said (or at least implied that) the author was working on a change fix this problem. I hope so, since I find TrashChute to be a real timesaver. But, sooner or later, it will probably getcha, no matter how careful you try to be.
Z-Term and System 7
I don't use Z-Term, but I have heard that some control-character commands are not recognized under System 7. There is a reported fix for this. Using ResEdit, copy Zterm's kchr resources into the system file. To repeat, this is only hearsay, and don't blame me if things go awry.
HyperCard 2.1
HyperCard 2.1 adds these features:
l Aliases
l Apple events
l Change Item delimiters
l Owners of windows
l IDs of windows
l Disabling error dialogs
These notes were assembled from an early version of Claris' "New Features" stack, and from two documents posted by Kevin Calhoun on AppleLink. By the way, note that HyperCard 2.1 is compatible with System 6.0.5 or higher.
Controlling Extensions in 7.0
The program "Extensions Manager" (now at version 1.1) is a Control Panel Device written by Ricardo Batista. It is copyrighted by Apple Computer, Inc., but has been made available on Commercial Bulletin Board Systems. By the way, the term "extensions" is the new, System 7 term for INITs and Cdevs collectively. Since extensions can now be in several folders, the old INIT handlers (such as INIT Manager or INIT Cdev 3.0) do not work. As one tries to find out what works and what doesn't with System 7, an extension manager is muchly needed. Extension Manager comes to the rescue while the others are being updated for use with System 7. Here is a description from the documentation by the author:
"Extensions Manager allows you turn "off" or "on" the code that executes at startup in certain "extension documents" such as Control Panels, Chooser devices and INITs (known before as startup documents).
With System 7.0 there are a few folders where system extensions can be located, therefore the old style "INIT Managers" do not work well.
Extensions Manager is made with System 7.0 in mind. The main features of Extensions Manager are:
1) Fast file catalog scan.
2) System 7 folder structure aware. Still compatible with system 6.0.x
3) Context sensitive help. (aka Balloon Help)
4) Icons do not get lost when disabling a system extension.
5) Updated as necessary. (while makes sense)
6) System 4.2 to 7.0 compatibility
You can turn specific extensions off or on by holding down the space bar on startup. You will get a list of extensions and can turn them on or off by clicking them. The extensions are "turned-off" by moving each into a separate folder labeled the same as the original but, with the text ' (disabled)' appended to folder's name. This allows people to copy extensions and not have to re-enable an extension before making a copy or giving it to someone. You can also disable extensions by double-clicking the Extensions Manager icon after startup to produce the same list. This version does not disable extensions under system 6. This is temporary." End of quote.
Even though the Extension Manager is a control panel device, you should place it in the Extensions Folder. This is done since the extensions folder loads first, and you want to be able to disable extensions there too.
By the way, a widely used INIT manager: "INIT Picker" has been updated. There is a version 2.02 to be used with System 7. Version 2.01 should be used with prior systems. Both offer increased speed and other features. You can call MicroSeeds to order the upgrade, which is free I believe. Or you can call MicroSeeds Bulletin Board System to download it, if you are in a hurry and don't mind the long distance charges. Each of the new versions takes about 10 minutes at 2400 Baud. The MicroSeeds BBS number is: (813) 885-2686 after 7PM EST. The Microseeds BBS is now online 24 hours a day at 300, 1200, and 2400 baud. To download INITPicker, you must first become validated by signing on the BBS and leaving your name, address, and serial number. Allow one business day for validation, and you will be able to download INITPicker after that day.
Now Utilities Upgrade to Version 3.0 is Shipping
A lot of people have been waiting for this one. According to information Gary Fields obtained it should have started shipping on August 1st. You can order by phone if you haven't got the upgrade notice. The upgrade price is Only $15 dollars (plus a small amount for shipping. Now's ordering telephone number is (800) 522-5939.
Although most people are anxiously awaiting a fully System 7 compatible version of SuperBoomerang, I'll probably stick with Shortcut (although I'll sure give SuperBoomerang a looksee). What I'm waiting for is the new hierarchical menu feature. As I understand it, this will allow you to put folders in the Apple Menu Items folder, then see those items in a hierarchical menu when you select the folder from the Apple drop-down menu. You can reportedly get 5 or so layers of hierarchical menus this way. Of course the Now Utilities features its own INIT/Cdev handling utility too, as well as many other utilities.
Corrupt or Conflicting Fonts
Apparently System 7 is much less tolerant of corrupt fonts than is its predecessors. There have been a number of reports of System files refusing to open, and other problems that could be related, such as freezes. Here's what an Apple technical representative says about it:
"We've run across the "can't open System" problem a few times. It is usually caused by corrupt or conflicting fonts. It is entirely possible that you have corrupt fonts which work fine under 6.0 but cause problems for 7.0. Here's what I suggest (as painful as it's going to be):
Use Font/DA Mover to create a separate suitcase for each of your font families. Do a clean install of 7.0. Then, drag your suitcases to the System one at a time. After each one, try to open the System.
By doing this, you can eliminate those fonts which 7.0 doesn't like. Finally, get updates (or try to, anyway) for each of the bad fonts. Unfortunately, there's probably not much that can be done to fix bad any bad fonts that you might have. Chris Derossi, .......Blue Meanie." End of quote. By the way. although Chris was emphasizing the problem of not being able to open the System, don't forget to check for bad fonts if you are having other problems you can't pin down.
Using WordFinder with MicroSoft Word Under System 7.0
It is possible to use WordFinder under System 7.0. To do so, you must install the WordFinder DA into the Microsoft Word Application, rather than into the Apple Menu Items folder. To do so:
1. Remove the Finder from your System Folder to the Desktop.
2. Reboot from a 6.0.x System Tools Disk.
3. Open the Font/DA Mover.
4. Below the left window select Open and open the WordFinder DA.
5. Hold down the OPTION key and click Open below the right window.
6. Open the MS Word Application.
7. Select WordFinder in the left window and click the Copy button.
8. Quit the Font/DA Mover, replace the Finder to the System Folder and restart.
You have now installed WordFinder into your MS Word application and it will be appended to your Apple menu each time you open Word. (Note: the above is taken from a post by Mark Roebke of Microsoft
Merging Suitcase Files
Here's a rather obscure but potentially useful tip for those (like me) who are stubbornly hanging on to Suitcase under System 7. You can merge the contents of two suitcase files by simply dragging one on top of the other! A small caveat though: If you are merging two fonts files I don't know what happens if there are conflicts. The Font/DA Mover (from 3.8 and upwards) would cure such conflicts as it copied them. So, you could be taking a risk to merge without using Font/DA mover. But in today's troubling world this seems to be a not unduly rash action. By the way, I haven't tried this yet, so if it works without any problems let me know (my prior advice to go ahead and be rash applies mostly to other people, not to myself).
Wonder Where Your Floppy Space Went?
Here's a little feature that may instead be a gotcha. If you've used System 7 any time at all, you've learned that the trash can doesn't empty automatically at those places at which it formerly did. It will not empty even if you quit and restart unless you specifically tell it to do so. I had no problem grasping this with regard to my hard disk drive. I did have a problem in realizing that this applies to any other volume (floppy or perhaps a 45 MEG removable cartridge) that one might routinely unmount.
So, I mounted a floppy I "knew" was empty, only to see that the Finder told me it was using 44K or so. "Gee," I said; "What a large desktop file". So, I rebuilt the desktop file of the floppy expecting that to take care of the problem. It didn't! I kept fiddling with it until I happened to notice the bulging trashcan. After emptying the trashcan, I had my space back.
The RAM Cache
Under prior systems many of us were unsure as to how large to set the RAM Cache. If you set it too large, you could actually cause things to slow down!. This is changed under System 7. Here is a quote from an Apple technical representative"
"Actually, under System 6 and before, the cache actually COST you time instead of saving you time if it was set too high. The overhead of maintaining the large cache too more time than just getting things off disk.
In System 7, we rewrote the caching code and it works much better. You can now set it as high as you want (assuming you have enough memory), and you'll benefit.
The other thing we did in System 7 was to make the cache always active. The difference in performance between no cache and even a minimal cache makes the cache always worthwhile." Chris Derossi,......Blue Meanie,.........Apple Computer, Inc.
By the way, notice the "Use Defaults" button in the Memory Control Panel. If you press this button, it will set RAM Cache to a best guess size taking into consideration the amount of memory your machine has installed. .That's a nice touch. if you want something to compare to your setup, on my 8 MEGer, it sets it to 256K. On a 4 MEG Mac, it sets the Cache to 128K. If you use the uparrow in the Disc Cache area to its size, you will also get a different maximum it will set with the arrow. On my 8 MEGer the maximum is 2560.
Finder Speed
In a previous column we remarked that the operational speed of the Finder appeared slower than with previous systems (with some exceptions such as disk copying). Lou Florence (an AMUG member) reports that changing the Finder's memory partition "definitely increased the Finders speed & I think it helped on applications." On the other hand, I have received a couple of comments (from people who seem like they know what they are saying) that under System 7, this should not have an effect on Finder speed.
If you decide to try it anyhow, note that System 7 doesn't allow you to change the Partition of the Finder. System 6 does allow you to do it, except that you can't change it for the currently active Finder. So, you have to boot from a system 6.0.x system (the Disk Tools floppy that comes with the System 7.0 set of disks will do). Then do a "Get Info" on the Finder you want to change, and increase the memory noted in the the "Current Size" box. Lou increased it from 295 to 500. Whether you do this or not, and how much you increase the size will depend on how much RAM you feel you can spare.
Note that while some say this will not help under System 7, you definitely should consider doing this if you operate under System 6.0.x and use MultiFinder. Assuming, of course that you can spare the RAM you decide to set it to. Under System 6.0.x, increasing the Partition for the Finder does increase the speed of some operations, and reduces the frequency that you get the "some files can't be copied" alert when trying to copy a lot of files, as when copying an entire disk.
