Macintosh Easy Open is another cutting edge technology from Apple that you should consider supporting. Macintosh Easy Open provides implicit file and scrap translation services for applications as well as a means for developers to write their own Macintosh Easy Open compatible Translation Extensions.
If you are an application developer, the changes required to support Macintosh Easy Open are usually rather minor. In most cases, the Macintosh Easy Open compatibility engine will already be providing implicit translation services to your application without any modification to it all. By making some slight modifications to it still (just add two new resources), Macintosh Easy Open will be more accurate in it’s translation decisions thus making the overall user experience much better.
If you are a translation system developer, Macintosh Easy Open compatible Translation Extensions are something you should look into. By implementing your Translation System using the Macintosh Easy Open interface, practically all applications will be able to use your translation services automatically. Macintosh Easy Open even provides a Translation System “advertisement” allowing a Translation System to inform the user about who’s performing the actual translation.
TRANSLATION MANAGER
Macintosh Easy Open implements the Translation Manager toolbox. For most developers, direct use of the Translation Manager toolbox is not required because much of it’s functionality is built into the System (Finder, Standard File, Scrap Manager, Edition Manager, and Drag Manager to name a few), but the new API’s are provided for developers which have special needs.
The Translation Manager API provides facilities that allow you to obtain the translation capabilities of the Translation Manager as well as programmatically display the Translation Dialog box. There are calls that allow you to execute a file or scrap translation based on those capabilities. Finally, there are API’s which allow you to programmatically generate “Finder-like” kind strings.
For specific details on the Translation Manager toolbox, please see Inside Macintosh: More Macintosh Toolbox - Translation Manager (either the printed or DocViewer format) OR the printed copy contained in the Macintosh Easy Open Developer’s Kit available from APDA.
Please also see the Translation Manager Tech Note (copy enclosed) for newer toolbox features which are available in Macintosh Easy Open 1.1; such as native PowerPC support and additional API’s.
USER’S GUIDE
Enclosed here is a MacWrite II format copy of the Macintosh Easy Open User’s Guide. This document contains all the end-user information needed in order to use Macintosh Easy Open.
The User’s Guide has been updated for Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 to reflect the new packaging and user interface changes.
INSTALLING
Please see the Macintosh Easy Open User’s Guide for installation instructions.
For people using Macintosh Easy Open versions 1.0.4 and earlier it’s important to point out that Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 is now just a Control Panel. You need to remove the old “Macintosh Easy Open” from the Extensions folder and replace the old “Macintosh Easy Open Setup” Control Panel with the new “Macintosh Easy Open” included here.
Macintosh Easy Open is now included standard with Macintosh System 7.5.
COMPATIBILITY
Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 requires System 7.0 or later to operate.
If you are running Macintosh Easy Open on a Quadra 660AV or Quadra 840AV it’s required that you have System Enabler 088 version 1.0.1 (or newer) OR Finder 7.1.1 (or newer) installed on your Macintosh if you want automatic translation support in the Finder. A copy of the System Enabler 088 version 1.0.1 is contained here for that specific use.
Macintosh Easy Open requires System 7 Tune Up on Macintoshes running System 7.0 if VM is turned on under the following configurations: Macintosh IIcx, IIx, SE/30, or a Macintosh II with a PMMU.
If you are a user of Super Boomerang, make sure you are using version 4.0.1p (or newer) in order to have no conflicts with Macintosh Easy Open.
WHAT IS NEW
Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 now provides these new features:
• Support for PowerPC native applications
• Native PowerPC Translation Extensions
• Reduced/optimized patch requirements
• Universal interfaces
• Extension and Control Panel rolled together into single Control Panel
• New Control Panel user interface
• New API’s allowing translation path access and kind string generation
Some of the important bug fixes in Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 are:
• Macintosh Easy Open now supports large DOS PC Exchange volumes
• Showing Finder clipboard with large movie no longer crashes
• Multiple Japanese entries no longer appear in Script menu
• Copy and Paste into MacApp applications has been fixed
• 16x16 icons in Standard File now highlight correctly
• Can now playback SPB files from disk with SndRecorder 2.1.5
• Desktop rebuilding no longer crashes if a kind string > 31 characters
• Large desktop rebuilds no longer crash
• Incorrect subheap application problem in ApplZone has been fixed
• Orphan Font Manager handles are now cleaned up from subheaps
• ‘TEXT’ and ‘FOLD’ are now automatically added to drop list for document converter
• Translation Manager internals have been upgraded to handle larger translation lists
• Macintosh Easy Open can now distinguish between TeachText and SimpleText
LICENSING
You may license Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 and include it with your products. Macintosh Easy Open 1.1 includes the Macintosh Easy Open Control Panel and Document Converter. You may not license any other files in the Developer’s Kit. Please call Apple Software Licensing via their AppleLink address SW.LICENSE for complete licensing details.
CREDITS
Macintosh Easy Open is brought to you by the following people:
Development Engineering: Dylan Ashe and Nick Kledzik
Quality Engineering: Jenny Kai and Peter Murray
Documentation: Bob Loftis and Tim Monroe
Configuration Management: Duane Byrum and Art Cohen
Management: Dave Fylstra, Debi Holmes, and Jean-Charles Mourey
Marketing: Mary Harrington and Adam Samuels
Special Thanks to: Greg Anderson, Mike Bell, Jim Berry, Timo Bruck, C3PO, Jeff Cobb, Judy Cziprian, Vanessa Feliberti, Homayoon Hashemi, C.K. Haun, Jeremy Hewes, Peter Hoddie, Aaron Hyde, Rob Johnston, Dan Jordon, Catherine Kim, Brenda Knudson, Lisa Lee, Vincent Lo, Ted Theodore Logan, Brenda Lui, Jim Luther, Scott Marcy, Brian McGhie, Hiep Nguyen, Dave Owens, Bill S. Preston - Esquire, Dave Radcliff, Alex Rosenburg, Margarita Sang, Jeroen Schalk, Mohamed Shoukry, Bob Singh, Mark Stern, Dean Yu, Jack Valois, and many others.
Also thanks to the many our seed developers: Orin Chapman, Red Dutta, Nick George, Dick Hubert, and Fumiko Makino.
