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Mac-2-dos v1.1b.adf
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Release-Notes
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Mac-2-Dos V1.1b Release Notes
December 7, 1989
Thanks for purchasing Mac-2-Dos. These notes include corrections and
additions to the Mac-2-Dos User's Guide, in no particular order.
************************************************************************
* These first two notes apply only to those who purchased Mac-2-Dos *
* Package B (with a Mac drive having a Mac-2-Dos label on the drive). *
* These notes DO NOT apply to Package A (which comes without a drive). *
************************************************************************
PACKAGE B SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LOAD THE MAC-2-DOS DEVICE DRIVER IN ORDER TO USE
MAC-2-DOS. The driver (called "macfloppy.device") is only for using the
Mac drive with AmigaDOS. The Mac-2-Dos program DOES NOT use this
driver. You can start using Mac-2-Dos immediately, and then, at a later
time, you can install the Mac-2-Dos driver so that you can use the Mac
drive as an AmigaDOS device.
NO InstallM2D (PACKAGE B ONLY)
The User's Guide states that a special installation program called
InstallM2D can be found in the Mac-2-Dos Workbench window, and that by
simply clicking on this icon you can install Mac-2-Dos and its special
AmigaDOS driver. This is not true. If you have clicked on the icon,
you already know that it displays a message telling you that InstallM2D
does not exist. So much for great plans.
In reality, if you plan to use your Mac-2-Dos Mac drive as an AmigaDOS
drive, you MUST install the driver manually, as described in the User's
Guide. This involves copying the AmigaDOS Mac driver from the Mac-2-Dos
disk into the DEVS: directory, adding a new device to the Mountlist
file (also in the DEVS: directory) and adding a MOUNT command to your
startup-sequence (in the S: directory), as explained in Appendix A.
The manual software installation described in the User's Guide has other
errors:
(1) The device name can be anything you wish. It does not have
to be MF0:. For example, DF3: or XXY: will work just as
well. It is usually a good idea to use the normal floppy
drive designation, i.e. DF1:, DF2:, or DF3:.
(2) The Mountlist flags parameter is ignored by the driver.
(3) The driver ALWAYS performs an autoconfiguration and
ignores the unit number you provide.
Be sure to include MOUNT=1 to force the driver to start immediately. If
you are still using WB V1.2, the MOUNT=1 parameter in the Mountlist will
cause the Mount program to report an "unknown keyword" error. In this
case just leave out the MOUNT=1 parameter. In this case the drive will
not become active until some program explicitly attempts to access the drive.
************************************************************************
* WARNING -- WARNING -- WARNING -- WARNING -- WARNING *
* A word of warning about the driver name: when you move the device *
* driver to the DEVS: directory YOU MUST make certain that the name of *
* the driver (macfloppy.device) is all in LOWER CASE! Otherwise, the *
* Mount step will fail with no warning, and the driver will not work. *
************************************************************************
***********************************************************************
* THE REMAINING NOTES APPLY TO BOTH PACKAGE A AND PACKAGE B *
***********************************************************************
PRINTING POSTSCRIPT (R) FILES ON A MACINTOSH USING SENDPS
The Mac-2-Dos User's Guide states that to print a PostScript (R)
file on the Mac, all you need to do is click on the name of the file and
select Print from the File Menu. This is not completely true, and has
caused some Mac-2-Dos users much grief. Now there is an easier way: use
the Macintosh program SendPS to send your PostScript file to the printer.
SendPS, Copyright 1986, Adobe Systems, Inc., is a Macintosh utility
program which was written by Glenn Reid. It is stored on the Mac-2-Dos
disk in MacBinary format, so that you can transfer it to any Mac disk
using Mac-2-Dos. Then, when you get ready to print a PostScript file on
the Mac, you already have a Mac program which can quickly and easily send
the PostScript file to a LaserWriter or other PostScript printer via
AppleTalk with a minimum of hassle.
Here are the steps:
1. Transfer your PostScript file to a Mac disk with Mac-2-Dos
using the PostScript conversion option.
2. Transfer SendPS to the same Mac disk (if there is room) with
Mac-2-Dos using the MacBinary conversion. SendPS takes up
about 51K of disk space. If there is no room on the disk with
the PostScript file, place SendPS on a different Mac disk.
3. On the Mac, load the SendPS disk and double-click on the
SendPS icon.
4. Select DownLoad PostScript File from the FILE menu.
5. Load the disk containing the PostScript file into the Mac (if
it is not already loaded) and select the PostScript file by
name from the dialog-box (requester). Then select OPEN.
That's it! SendPS looks for files having a file type of TEXT and ignores
the Creator Code.
If you plan to create PostScript files on your Amiga and print them using
a Mac at another location, be sure you take SendPS with you on a Mac disk
so you will be able to print your files with a minimum of bother.
CONVERTING MAC PICT COLOR FILES TO/FROM IFF
YES!!! Despite what the manual says, Cheryl Peterson reports that using
Mac-2-Dos, you CAN convert Mac PICT color files to/from IFF color files.
The process involves several steps, but at least it is possible. You
need several other programs on both ends. The process involves convert-
ing the PICT or IFF file into the GIF format, which is a graphic file
format defined and supported by CompuServe. Public domain GIF
conversion programs are available for both the Mac and Amiga on the
CompuServe Picture Support Forum (Go Picture).
Here are the steps, as Cheryl reported them to us:
Mac PICT to Amiga IFF:
1. Convert the PICT file to GIF using one of several conversion
programs on the Mac, such as GIFFER (see next note).
2. Transfer the GIF file to the Amiga with Mac-2-Dos using the
No Conversion option.
3. Display the GIF file on the Amiga using the Amiga program
HAMGIF (included on your Mac-2-Dos disk).
4. Capture the image as an IFF file using a screen grabber,
such as ScreenSave (included on your Mac-2-Dos disk).
Amiga IFF to Mac PICT:
1. Convert the IFF file to GIF using the pd program AmGIF
(included on your Mac-2-Dos disk).
2. Transfer the GIF file to a Mac disk with Mac-2-Dos using the
No Conversion option.
3. Display the GIF file on a Mac using any of several Mac GIF
file reader programs.
4. Capture the image as a PICT file using a Mac screen grabber.
We know this process is not very elegent, but for those of you who really
must convert PICT to/from IFF, and especially those using Mac IIs with
color, this opens up many possibilities. Thanks, Cheryl!
GIFFER, AmGIF, HamGIF, and ScreenSave ARE ON YOUR MAC-2-DOS DISK!
Good news! The Macintosh program Giffer (mentioned above) is now avail-
able on your Mac-2-Dos disk! Thanks to Steve Blackstock, the author, we
have placed Giffer version 1.06 and its documentation on the Mac-2-Dos
master disk in a drawer named Mac Utilities.
Giffer1.06 and Giffer1.06DOX are stored on the Mac-2-Dos disk in MacBinary
format. To use GIFFER on your Mac, transfer Giffer1.06 and Giffer1.06DOX
to a Mac disk using the MacBinary conversion option. Giffer1.06DOX is a
MacWrite document, but there is also a copy of the documentation, called
Giffer.doc, stored on the disk in Amiga ASCII format.
Note: Giffer is "Beerware". (Steve asks for a small donation). Thanks,
Steve!
AmGIF and HamGIF are Amiga GIF-IFF conversion programs written by Steve
Bennett. ScreenSave is a program which captures a screen image and saves
it to an IFF file. It was written by Carolyn Scheppner of Commodore. We
have placed these programs in a drawer named Amiga Utilities. Thank you,
Steve and Carolyn.
***************************************************************************
* DISCLAIMER *
* WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT THE THESE PROGRAMS. THEY ARE PROVIDED *
* "AS IS" AS A SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR *
* USE OF THEM AND WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL WORK FOR YOU. *
***************************************************************************
AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION
Mac-2-Dos (the program) looks for the Mac-2-Dos interface and Mac disk
drive automatically when you start it. The interface and drive respond to
control signals sent out by the Amiga. If the program does not detect the
proper response, it warns you with this message:
Can't find Mac disk drive...quitting
This message means that the Mac-2-Dos interface board and/or the Mac drive
is not responding to commands from the Amiga. Make sure that the
interface is properly attached to the last Amiga disk drive or the disk
port on the Amiga.
Be sure to read the hardware installation section of the manual (page 3)
and pay particular attention to the warning regarding power. Power MUST
be turned off before attaching the Mac-2-Dos interface and the Mac drive
to your Amiga. If all of your floppy disk drives suddenly become unusable
even after you remove Mac-2-Dos, you have probably damaged one of the 8520
CIA chips. The 8520 CIA is especially prone to damage from connecting the
interface while the power is turned on.
MAC DRIVE EJECTS DISK ON FIRST LOAD
We have observed that on some Mac drives, the first time you load a
diskette into the Mac drive after power-up, the drive ejects the disk.
We aren't yet sure what causes this. If you simply insert the disk again
everything seems to work fine. We are continuing to study this problem.
WORD PERFECT DOCUMENT CONVERSION
If you plan to convert Word Perfect documents from the Mac to the Amiga
you will need a special conversion utility program to convert the Mac
document into a Version 4.1 document on the Amiga. (This conversion is
NOT needed to go the other way.) This conversion program, cleverly called
FC (for File Converter), is available directly from Word Perfect Corp.
Contact Mike Hendirksen, at 800-321-3204 for more details.
SAVE/LOAD OPTIONS
Use Save Options from the Project Menu to preserve your preferred options
and conversion choices. If you make temporary options changes and then
wish to return to your original options choices, select the Load Options
item from the Project Menu. If you wish to force Mac-2-Dos to restore the
original default options, simply delete the options file, which is stored
in the S: directory under the name M2D.OPT. The options file has no icon.
INCLUDING/EXCLUDING FILES
Before including/excluding by name or all be sure that the COPY arrow
points in the right direction. If not, click on a file name on the side
you plan to copy FROM to set the copy arrow in the proper direction.
MAC DESKTOP FILE
When Mac-2-Dos formats a Mac disk, it initializes the directory structure,
but it does not create a desktop file for the Mac. However, when you load
the disk into a Mac, the Mac will create the disktop file and store it on
the disk. Note that on both the Mac and the Amiga the desktop file is
invisible.
PROTECTED MAC DISKS
Mac-2-Dos works only with standard Mac floppy disk formats. It does not
work with special disk formats or with disks having special
copy-protection formats.
AMIGA ICON FILES
Mac-2-Dos can copy Amiga icon files (files ending in .info) to the Mac,
but they WILL NOT work as icons on the Mac. So there really is no
reason to copy them across.
HARDWARE TIMER B
Mac-2-Dos uses CIAB Timer B to generate precise timing signals. It
verifies that the timer is not already in use before using it. However,
if the timer is already in use, Mac-2-Dos cannot function properly. If
Mac-2-Dos needs the timer (based on characteristics of the Mac drive) it
determines that fact when it first starts running, and immediately
allocates the timer. Mac-2-Dos cannot use the timer if it is already in
use by another program. If Mac-2-Dos reports a failure to allocate Timer
B, Terminate other programs to free the timer, and try running Mac-2-Dos
again.
FILE INFO/RENAME FILE
The Rename File menu item described in the manual does not exist. We
combined the Rename File menu item with the File Info menu item, and made
it possible to change more than the file name. You can also examine and
change the file's protection status (protected files cannot be deleted or
overwritten). For Mac files, you can also examine and change the file
type and creator codes. This makes it possible to change these codes on
an existing file without having to transfer the file again.
The File Info menu item applies to only a single file - the first file you
have "selected". If you have selected none, the request is ignored. If
you have selected more than one file, only the first file from the list is
displayed.
Note that the date displayed by File Info is the date of last
modification. The file date and size fields cannot be changed.
If you rename an Amiga file, you must rename the Amiga icon file
separately. The rename function DOES NOT automatically rename the icon
file. The icon file has the same name with the characters ".info" added.
MacBinary CONVERSION
The MacBinary conversion option is useful only where Mac program or data
files originated on some other computer or where you wish to transfer a
Mac program to another Mac via your Amiga. We have used MacBinary to
provide a Mac program, ResEdit, to you on the Mac-2-Dos master disk. You
may find MacBinary useful for downloading Mac programs onto your Amiga and
then transferring them to a Mac disk.
We have transferred graphic images from the IBM PC to the Mac via the
Amiga. First we used a PC program called HIJAAK (Inset Systems,
Brookfield, CT) to capture a PC screen image and save it in Mac
(MacBinary) format. Then, using our Amiga program Dos-2-Dos, we
transferred the image from a PC disk to the Amiga. Then using the
Mac-2-Dos MacBinary conversion, we transferred the image onto a Mac disk
into MacPaint format, where we displayed it on a Mac. Pretty neat!
RESEDIT
ResEdit (Resource Editor, copyright Apple Computer, Inc.) is a utility
program for the Mac which we found to be very useful while developing
Mac-2-Dos. And since Mac-2-Dos provides a neat way to store Mac programs
on an Amiga disk, we decided to provide it to you as part of the
Mac-2-Dos package. To use ResEdit, simply transfer it to a Mac disk
using the MacBinary conversion option. ResEdit has no icon on the Amiga,
but carries its own icon with it to the Mac.
ASCII Undefined Characters
For ASCII conversions in either direction, if Mac-2-Dos finds a character
for which there is no direct conversion to ASCII on the other machine, it
replaces the character with a question mark '?'.
DON'T LOSE YOUR VALUABLE DATA!
When you transfer Amiga files to a Mac, we recommend formatting a new disk
and using it to transfer the files to the Mac. You should never write
your Amiga files onto a Mac disk which has other, critical files on it.
If you do want to transfer Amiga files onto a Mac disk which already has
important files on it, make sure you have that disk backed up, in case of
problems. While we have tested Mac-2-Dos extensively, you should
understand that this is a new program which contains a virgin
implementation of the Mac filing system. There may be problems which show
up under adverse conditions. So to be safe, always use a
freshly-formatted Mac disk and make sure your critical Mac files are safe
on another disk.
DISPLAY TABS IN TEXT
If you display the contents of a text file using the Display Text option,
Mac-2-Dos interprets tabs in the text every 8 columns. Note that this is
a display function only, and tabs ARE NOT interpreted during ASCII file
conversion.
POSTSCRIPT CONVERSIONS
Mac-2-Dos provides a specific PostScript conversion option. That option
should work fine, at least in most cases. There may be times, depending
on the situation, where either No Conversion or ASCII conversion may work
better for you.
BLOCK SIZE
Mac-2-Dos displays progress in transferring a file by displaying a running
"block" count on the copy status screen. For the purposes of this status
display, a block consists of 512 bytes.
MAC FONTS
This version of Mac-2-Dos does not convert fonts from one machine to the
other. We are planning to add this feature to the next release of
Mac-2-Dos. In the meantime, you can use a public domain font conversion
program with Mac-2-Dos to accomplish transfer of Mac fonts to the Amiga.
The program is called MacFont, and it is available on Fish Disk 138. We
have not used this program and cannot verify its usefulness.
Good news! MacFont is now included with Mac-2-Dos. With permission from
the author, Rico Mariani, we have placed MacFont on the Mac-2-Dos master
disk in its own subdirectory. MacFont consists of two CLI programs: unpack
and convert. To convert Mac fonts to the Amiga, first transfer the Mac
font suitcase file to the Amiga using the No Conversion option. Use the
MacFont "unpack" program to unpack the fonts from the suitcase into
individual files. Then use the "convert" program to convert each Mac font
file into an Amiga font. Read the MacFont readme file for more details.
We understand that the MacFont programs cannot process the newer Mac fonts,
and we have heard of GURU problems with the programs. We cannot vouch for
the quality of the MacFont programs. Please no not call us if you have
problems with these programs. We did not write them and we cannot support
them. They are provided to you merely as a convenience.
***************************************************************************
* MACFONT DISCLAIMER *
* WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUPPORT THE MACFONT PROGRAMS. THEY ARE PROVIDED *
* "AS IS" AS A SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR *
* USE OF THEM AND WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THEY WILL WORK FOR YOU. *
***************************************************************************
IFF SCREEN RESOLUTION CHOICES
We have added a screen resolution menu item to the Other Options menu
which makes it possible for you to specify whether you want a MacPaint
file converted to 320x200 or 640x400 (interlace) IFF format. The actual
size of the image is not affected. It remains 640x720. But this makes it
possible for you to force the screen mode to the proper resolution for the
paint program you are using. Some paint programs, such as Graphicraft,
cannot accept hi-res images. This option applies only to transfers from
MacPaint to IFF.
"ASK" OPTIONS
The Other Options menu has two "Ask" items which direct Mac-2-Dos to ask
you for the file type and creator codes or default tool name when you
transfer files with the No Conversion option selected. If you always
transfer the same types of files, you may wish to avoid having to specify
these codes every time you select No Conversion. If so, change the menu
items to reflect your desires, and then save the options to disk. These
options apply only to the No Conversion conversion option. For all other
conversion options, you specify your desired file type, creator and
default tool codes using the Edit Types/Tools menu item.
MAC DRIVE IGNORES DISK CHANGES
Once in a while you may notice that the Mac drive seems to ignore disk
changes. This happens if you change the disk in the Mac drive while
Mac-2-Dos is busy doing something else, such as loading the Amiga
directory. The reason for this is that the drive does not "remember"
that a disk change has occurred. Drive status is based on current
conditions. If you manage to remove and load a diskette between status
checks, the drive status will appear to Mac-2-Dos not to have changed.
FORMATTING IS SLOW
When you format a Mac disk, you may notice that Mac-2-Dos takes longer to
format the disk than a Mac does. There are several reasons for this, but
the biggest reason is multi-tasking. The Mac devotes its full attention
to the formatting task (try moving the mouse pointer on a Mac while it is
formatting a disk), while Mac-2-Dos conforms to the normal Amiga
multi-tasking rules (try moving the Amiga mouse pointer while Mac-2-Dos
formats a Mac disk). We are looking at ways to speed up formatting, but
we don't expect much improvement.
NEXT RELEASE FEATURES
While we developed Mac-2-Dos we received many suggestions and requests for
additional features and conversions. We decided not to delay the product
any longer, so some of the features which you have requested are not in
this version. However, here is a partial list of enhancements we are
considering for the next release of Mac-2-Dos:
Color conversions
View ILBM
PICT/IFF
TIFF/IFF
FONTS
SMF/SMUS
HYPERCARD STACKS
RTF/DCA
Everyone who returns the product registration card to us will be notified
when the next release is available. Registered users will be able to
upgrade to the new version for a small fee. Keep in touch. If we don't
hear from you, you won't hear from us! We welcome your comments and
suggestions.
Thanks,
George and Betty Chamberlain
Central Coast Software
Co-owners