This ReadMe file contains important late-breaking information about Maxima 3.0.
It is divided into the following sections:
1. Compatibility
2. Installing Over An Existing RAM Disk
3. What's New In Version 3.0
4. Special Notes
• Using the “Programmers Switch”
• Using Maxima and RAM Doubler
• Selecting Applications in EasySetup
• Changing Backup Methods
• Advice on loading aliased fonts and inits
• Advice on using the double-size disk
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COMPATIBILITY
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Maxima 3.0. is compatible with the following Macintosh computers:
• All Power Macintosh models
• All Quadras
• All Centris models
• All Performas
• the LC III
• All Mac II models (EXCEPT the original Macintosh II--see Special Cases)
• All PowerBooks and Duos (EXCEPT the Model 100)
• SE/30
Special compatibility cases:
• The original Mac II requires a 68030 or 68040 accelerator, or a 68851 PMMU
• Machines with accelerators must use the 68030 or 68040 processor and work with virtual memory
The following Macintosh models ARE NOT compatible:
• Original Portable
• PowerBook 100
• Macintosh 128 and 512
• Macintosh Plus
• Macintosh SE
• Original Classic and Classic II
• Original LC and LC II
• Accelerated versions of any of the above machines
Maxima 3.0 is fully compatible with Apple's virtual memory from System 7.0 forward and it is also compatible with Connectix RAM Doubler.
Maxima 3.0 is not compatible with the 32-Bit System Enabler. If you are using this product, we recommend that you use Mode32 instead (Mode32 is supplied on the Maxima disk for those who need it).
NOTE: machines that do not support Apple's built-in RAM disk (all Mac II models and the SE/30, for example) must have more than 8MBs of RAM to use Maxima.
Call Connectix Technical Support at 1-800-950-9880 if you suspect that you’ve found any software or hardware incompatibilities with Maxima 3.0.
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INSTALLING OVER AN EXISTING RAM DISK
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If you are using either the Apple RAM disk or a Maxima 2.x RAM when you attempt to install, Maxima 3.0 makes a copy of the contents of the existing RAM disk and uses this to reload the new Maxima 3.0 RAM disk after restart. If the RAM disk cannot be unmounted for some reason, the installer cannot backup the disk and will not run.
The most likely reasons why the RAM disk will not unmount are: 1) the RAM disk is the startup volume, 2) file-sharing is active, and 3) one or more of the files on the RAM disk is in use. If you are booted from the Apple RAM disk, you should open the Startup Disk control panel, select a different disk, and restart. If you are booted from a Maxima 2.X RAM disk, you should restart and hold down the Option key to prevent a switch-launch to the RAM disk. Cases 2 and 3 can generally be handled by turning off file-sharing in the Sharing Setup control panel and by quitting out of all open applications. Once you have corrected these situations, the installer should proceed without complaint.
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WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 3.0?
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Version 3.0.0
• Added double-capacity option to increase size of RAM disk without using more memory.
• Added EasySetup to Installer so that System Folder and applications can be automatically added to the new RAM disk, if desired.
• New, simplified UI in control panel. Progress bars during copying and backup operations.
• Added Backup Now button to control panel so it is no longer necessary to restart back up the RAM disk.
• Made safeguarding (renamed from Write Protect) compatible with the 68040 and PowerMac, and improved its performance.
• In the file-by-file backup method, the Desktop no longer rebuilds itself when RAM disk started; instead, file numbers are preserved, which makes the RAM disk fully compatible with products that track file numbers, like Suitcase and Disk Express.
• Power Macintosh compatibility, including special PowerPC routines in time-critical portions of the code.
• Full compatible with machines since the IIfx, including 24-bit Memory Extension for machines which offer 24-bit mode.
• Made Maxima fully compatible with RAM Doubler and System 7 virtual memory.
• During boot up, Maxima can use aliases to load fonts and extensions from the hard disk.
• The shift key no longer bypasses the Maxima RAM disk at startup. This prevents accidental loss of the RAM disk data when you are trying to disable other extensions. To intentionally disable Maxima at startup, hold down the tab key instead.
• If you double click on a document icon on your hard disk and the corresponding application is on the RAM disk, the application on the RAM disk will be launched rather than the one on the hard disk.
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SPECIAL NOTES
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• If you are a user who does not have a “programmer’s switch” installed on your machine, we strongly suggest you find it and put it on your machine. Every Mac originally comes with a set of these small plastic switches (some machines have them built-in on the front, side, or back panel), which can be used to “RESET” your Macintosh without turning the power off and back on. Not only is this easier on the machine, but it also means that your RAM disk’s contents will always be preserved by Maxima. If you cycle the power after a system crash the RAM disk’s contents will be lost entirely or corrupted. Some newer Macs support resets via the keyboard by restarting when the power key is pressed along with Command and Control.
• If you are using RAM Doubler and intend to boot from the Maxima RAM disk, it is recommended that you first install RAM Doubler and restart at least once from your hard disk to get it started before booting from the RAM disk. Then simply drag the RAM Doubler extension from the System Folder on the hard disk to the System Folder on the RAM disk.
• When selecting applications in EasySetup, only select applications that you frequently have open together AT THE SAME TIME. EasySetup uses these selections to determine how much application space you generally work with. If you select too many applications, EasySetup will determine that you have no RAM to spare for a RAM disk and be unable to construct a useful configuration for you. Note that EasySetup cannot find applications that have been compressed by file-level compression programs, such as AutoDoubler. You must copy compressed applications to the RAM disk manually by dragging them there after the installation process.
• When you change the method and/or location of your backups, the changes do not take effect until after a restart. When you change the backup method/location, it is recommended that you perform a restart immediately; do not perform a shutdown or change the disk size. At the restart, the current contents of the disk will be backed up according to the previous method, not the new method. If you perform a shutdown or change the size of the disk when you change the backup method, you may cause an additional backup of the disk, this time using the newly selected method. This is different from the behavior of earlier versions of Maxima, and provides for stronger data preservation. Maxima never deletes its backup folders or Image files, in case the user needs to recover those disk configurations at a later point.
• Aliasing fonts and inits at startup can allow you to boot from a smaller than normal system without having to strip the system of all your indispensable extensions and accessories. Keep in mind that there is a performance penalty associated with using aliased extensions: all accesses to those files will be accesses to the slow hard disk, not your fast RAM disk. Also, on PowerBooks, accesses to aliased items will spin up the hard disk. It is therefore recommended that you do not alias your most frequently accessed fonts and inits. For example, you will generally want to keep standard fonts (e.g., Geneva, Chicago and New York) on the RAM disk. Also, not every init and control panel will function properly when aliased. Use the aliased system created by EasySetup as a starting point and then gradually add in other aliased inits, so that it is easy to identify which extension responsible when a problem arises.
• The double size disk expands the amount of information that can be placed on the RAM disk by using compression techniques. The compressed nature of the double size RAM disk is invisible to all programs which access it. To get the best performance out of the double size disk, do not overfill it. Unlike hard disk compression, the RAM disk delays compression for as long as possible. As the disk fills, it compresses more of its data. Try filling the disk two-thirds full to begin with. If you need better performance, try enlarging the disk slightly; sometimes just slightly more RAM gives you a big boost. One further note: Sometimes the disk may become full before you have doubled its information. This generally occurs when the data you placed on it does not compress well. Typically, this is due to the fact that the data has already been compressed. Try to avoid placing large compressed files on the double-size disk. If the disk runs out of room, it will begin reporting IO errors when it is written to. Do not be alarmed! The disk is not damaged; it is just full before it expected. All the data that has already been written to the disk can still be read without any problems.
