SWEEPER IS SHAREWARE. You may freely copy Sweeper and give copies away as long as this doc is included with it. You are not allowed to modify this document, the control panel, program code or any other resources in ANY WAY for distribution purposes.
If you use Sweeper and don't decide to bin it then please register by sending £7 (or equivalent in your country's currency) to me at the address below. Also please write when and where you obtained Sweeper 2.01. After receiving your letter I will send you an acknowledgement letter and a disk with the latest version of Sweeper.
Sweeper is designed as a behind-the-scenes utility, it’s only function to free valuable space on your disks and to speed up floppy disk access time (usually by 50% or more). It does this by deleting a special database used only by the Finder called the Desktop Database. This database resides on any Macintosh disk and is used to store the icons and document-to-application program links of all items on a disk. Before a disk appears on your desktop, Sweeper checks the databases' age and deletes it if it is older than the number of days set in the control panel. On a floppy disk Sweeper then rebuilds the database from scratch before returning control to the Finder, on a hard disk the Finder rebuilds the database (when using System 7 or greater it also displays a progress dialog box).
What’s the point in doing this? When you delete, copy, or rename files on a disk, the Finder does not remove the file’s old information from the Desktop Database and thus the database gets larger and larger. After a few days the database can be much larger than it should be. On a floppy disk this can be around 100K of disk space wasted. And the larger the Desktop Database the longer the Finder takes to open it.
Using Sweeper you can improve the performance of your disks and use all of the space to the maximum.
• Please note: you can still use the Command-Option key shortcut to rebuild the desktop database at any time (see the Finder Shortcuts on the Help Menu).
System requirements
Sweeper requires a Macintosh Plus or better running System 6.03 or greater.
Before installation…
To see how effectively Sweeper works, put a frequently used floppy disk in your disk drive before installing Sweeper and note the 'K in disk' and 'K available' figures at the top of the disk's window. Install Sweeper exactly as below. Press and hold the option key and insert the disk used before installing. You should see the wristwatch cursor and after a few seconds the disk appear on the desktop. Note the difference between the 'K in disk' and 'K available' figures from before. I hope you are impressed!
Installation
System 7 or greater: drop the Sweeper Control Panel into your System Folder, click OK on the message that appears and restart.
System 6.x: drop the Sweeper Control Panel into your System Folder and restart.
Using the Control Panel
• Use the 'On' and 'Off' buttons to turn Sweeper on or off at any time. Sweeper is always loaded at startup.
• The number of days between sweeps on a disk is displayed in the 'days' edit box.
• When 'Startup Disk Only' is on Sweeper will only work on the startup disk (usually your hard disk).
• When 'Any Disk' is on Sweeper will work on any disk.
• When 'Always sweep when option key is down' is checked Sweeper will immediately sweep any disk when you insert it while holding down the option key.
• When 'Beep On Sweep' is checked Sweeper will play the current Alert Sound after successfully sweeping a disk.
If running on System 7 or greater you can also use Balloon Help to learn about each item.
Disclaimer
I make no warranty, either express or implied, with respect to this software, its performance, merchantability, or quality. As a result this software is distributed "as is", and the person using it is assuming the entire risk as to its quality and performance. In no event will I be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in this software, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
And finally…
I enjoy writing Macintosh programs endlessly and only your registration fees will keep the lights on late at night. At present (30th January 1996) I am working on 3 programs/ideas and have another 2 on the back burner. I hope to have my next program out in April 1996.
If you want to make any comments on Sweeper, make any suggestions for future versions, ask any questions about the Macintosh, or even make me an offer I can't refuse then contact me.
