If you use Apple's Geoport Telecom Adapter (as do I) then you may have noticed that your system memory partition grows by about 400-500k when the modem is on. This is because most all the modem software is loaded into memory. This is done so that the CPU can process in real time all of the modems MOdulation DEModulation functions as Geoport is a 'software' modem. The data pump is the Macintoshes CPU itself. There are no DSP datapumps as in a conventional modem.
This is also why your system slows down during a data call. The CPU is running all your apps and acting as a modem datapump as well.
Now, after your data call it'd be nice to have a speedy way of reclaiming that 500 odd K you lost to run the modem especially if your tight on RAM.
Geoport Shut Down accomplishes this task. Simply open it, click on the Shut Down button and 400-500k is added to the Largest Unused Block field in About This Macintosh as GSD frees up memory.
Instructions.
Most of this instruction block revolves around disabling the modem with or without the
Warning Dialog checkbox set. I decided to include this functionality after several e-mail
conversations with a member of Apple's European Geoport Telecom engineering team.
• The first time GSD is opened on the host Mac, the Warning Dialog check box is checked.
• Clicking on the Shut Down button with the check box checked brings up the warning dialog
asking if you want to go ahead with the disabling. Clicking Proceed disables the modem
and dismisses the dialog box. Clicking on the Cancel button does nothing to the operational
state of the modem.
• Unchecking the check box eliminates the Warning Dialogs appearance during Shut Down
button clicks. After you get the jist of it, I suggest disabling the Warning Dialog function;
GSD was designed to allow users to quickly disable the modem without having to deal with
System Folder navigation etc to get to the Express Modem control panel.
• Closing the control panel will set the preferences to either Warning Dialog on or off ; the
changes take effect next time GSD is opened.
System Requirements
System 7.0 or greater.
A geoport Telecom equipt Macintosh or Power Macintosh (obviously).
Installation
The control panel can reside anywhere within your disk heirarchy. Put it in Apple Menu Items for fast access (serving suggestion).
The Catch( There ain't one)
GSD is freeware: I wrote it because I like programming Macintoshes (the Razør Rug project). Though if you do download and use it, an e-mail would be nice; The addresses are below.
You are free to distribute GSD but only with this attached READ-ME. Anyone wanting to include GSD on a CD-ROM is free to do so but please notify me of this via e-mail.
If you have a web server or a page, feel free to put it in your ftp directory etc. I'd be stoked if many Geoport users got to using this.
e-mail: J_Birnbaum@fbp-ny.com
AOL: LEXICON01@aol.com (that's a zero and a one.)
Josh Birnbaum
24 East 58th Street
New York
New York
10022
Bugs/Incompatability.
Please notify me should you discover any bugs. This final build of GSD has gone through alot
of testing so it should be bug free. Still, if you find anything, contact me at the e-mail addresses below.
As regard incompatability, the control panel will run if the needed components are there; System 7 or later and a Geoport equipt Macintosh. Again, if anything weird crops up, contact me.
Version History
Version 1.0 - Initial release 07/25/1996.
Version 1.0.1 - Fixed a bug that caused modem shut down on hitting the '?' button.
Version 1.0.2 - Interface re-designed, shut down warning dialog function added and
controlled via user settable prefs.
LOOK FOR MORE SOFTWARE EMINATION FROM THE RAZØR RUG LABS IN THE FUTURE.
