9.2.3

[Protools5LEGuy]

Wellcome Cliff!

Thanks!

[DieHard]

I released it on your request but don't start shouting if you don't like it.

You are very talented and we thank you    The only "shouting" will be screams of Nirvana.

I changed it to make it work on a 1280 x 1024 screen.

Wow !!!  Let the testing begin by all !

[MacOS Plus]

  It's wonderful that a handful of people are actively working on this general concept of the OS 9 update, but I'm getting concerned that a lot of it is happening in isolation and with different and possibly incompatible goals in mind.  I hope there will eventually be some way to merge all the fixes into one project before it branches too far apart.  (Perhaps all of this can eventually come together in a 9.3 final-release version.)   I also hope that there won't be any problematic limitations like fixed screen resolutions or loss of G3 support.  Most of the things that have been added in the 9.2.3 project are not of direct use to my workflow but they may be of interest to others.  Personally, I'd prefer to not have the menu bar packed full of add-ons that may not be optional.  The "pear" icon may also lead to some confusion with the PearPC project.

  Getting basic standing bugs out of the core system should be the number one priority, followed by incorporating the latest driver updates.  Even the "Universal 9.2.2" I downloaded doesn't have the final ATI driver update applied.  Expanding hardware support, particularly where it applies to video cards and basic trouble-free booting, should follow because it's going to help the maximum number of users as hardware options dry-up.  The multi-processor patch should also be part of the basic system so that it doesn't have to be manually disabled/copied.  I find it kinda sad that most users of the Universal 9.2.2 are probably disabling multiprocessor support rather than applying the patch.  The multiprocessor fix and the ATI update were a necessity on one of my MDDs (although some ATI extensions had to be disabled to prevent a boot freeze related to the particular Radeon card installed).

  My comments aside, keep up the good work, Cliff!  Everything you're doing should prove to be of value, and your knowledge is invaluable.  Welcome!

[nanopico]

I hope there will eventually be some way to merge all the fixes into one project before it branches too far apart.

Isn't that the spirit of Open Source project?

Okay joking aside.  If different goals don't conflict or overlap then multiple isolated projects isn't so much a problem, but the knowledge from each could be shared.  To me (and this is just my opinion) sharing knowledge is the biggest help anyone can provide. 

But I do like help on thing and I like to help others so joining up projects is always a cool thing.

[MacOS Plus]

  I don't mean any disrespect to Cliff, but it seemed like he may have been rather hell-bent on his particular vision of what form the updates should take.  If 9.2.3, or whatever you want to call it, truly morphs into a community-led open source project then it may be at odds with the directions others are pursuing.  Now that Cliff's joined us in the discussion here I will leave it to him to comment.

  I'm not heavily invested in any one approach, mind you, but I really hope that we can gain the best from all approaches without leading to the arbitrary exclusion of practical improvements at the fundamental level.  I will express my strong desire to not have any already compatible hardware written out of the OS support unless absolutely necessary, and I also find the locked video resolutions counter-productive.  (Most of my available screens are 1440x900 LCDs, but that's not really the majority of my concern.)

[IIO]

i would generally prefer if it hd only one menu in the menubar, because nobody will ever use all features of it but usually only a handful. and if it requires a certain space on or size of the screen, that makes it incompatible with other third party extensions which are putting items in the menubar (starting with stuff it and not ending with additional "apple menus")

[MacOS Plus]

i would generally prefer if it hd only one menu in the menubar, because nobody will ever use all features of it but usually only a handful. and if it requires a certain space on or size of the screen, that makes it incompatible with other third party extensions which are putting items in the menubar (starting with stuff it and not ending with additional "apple menus")

  I have to wonder if this was the primary reason for locking the high resolution in the first place, to fit all the extra stuff in the menu bar.

[OS923]

I can't help with the USB 2 driver. I looked into it, but I find it too difficult.

I'm capable of writing a Finder replacement. REALbasic is the right language. It supports long file names, Unicode and drag and drop. My program "Basic filter" has shown that REALbasic is fast enough. I would integrate something like "Basic filter". It would be programmable in Basic instead of AppleScript.

[DieHard]

I can't help with the USB 2 driver. I looked into it, but I find it too difficult.
I'm capable of writing a Finder replacement...

All efforts are appreciated   With over 1500 members, I am sure we will have many that can utilize an "enhanced" finder.  Most of us have adopted clever naming schemes, but it would be great to be able to bring the volume/file organization to the next level with long names, now that we have Hard drives that are bigger than anyone would have ever guessed in the era when OS9 was born.

[OS923]

Preview of release 1.0d8.

I corrected a mistake in the SIZE flags in the "Caps lock beep" extension that prevented it from quitting.

I wrote a completely new macros extension.
The previous version used GNEFilter.
Now it patches WaitNextEvent and GetNextEvent.
This is better, because it works now also in programs like the notepad.

You can define your own macros now.
If you want that control-X is replaced with "blah" then you make a file with the name "control-Y" where Y is the keycode of X, and you save the text "blah" in this file.
You may edit this file, but you have to restart to take effect.

After using the Apple Design Keyboard II for 18 years, I found a good use for Escape and the function keys:

Escape = (.+)
F1 = \1
...
F8 = \8

This is practical for regular expressions.
Many people complain that these keys are useless.
Now they are indispensable.

Then I had this idea:
If the macro file has a resource fork, then it places these resources on the clipboard and replaces the key event with command-V.
Then you can use everything that you can place on the clipboard as a macro, like styled text or pictures.
You may edit these macro files with ResEdit or your own program.

What do you think of it?

Then I need also a program that can save the clipboard as a resource file.

I'm searching whether it exists already.

[OS923]

As far as I can see, it doesn't exist.
It has to be a separate process that you bring to the front to force the front application to export the private scrap to the global scrap.
Then I consider to program 3 versions:

• a faceless application that saves the scrap and quits,
• a program with a window with a button and a menu with a command that saves the scrap when you click the button or type the command,
• a console program which types info about the saved resources and then you can choose to save this text.

This is all very basic stuff.
I'm surprised that it didn't exist already.

[IIO]

i was looking, too, but it seems it doesnt exist.

i cant check now but doesnt the copypaste extension support apple events?

[OS923]

I don't know whether CopyPaste supports Apple events.
It allows you to use 10 clipboards.
It does something else than my extension.

My extension allows you to paste the contents of a resource file or a text file when you type a key combination.

For example, save the text "bool" in file "Alpha B ctrl" and put it in the preferences folder.
If you type Control-B then it will place "bool" on the clipboard and replace the key event with Command-V.

[OS923]

The extension is finished and works like expected.
The filenames start with the key code followed by the modifiers.
That's the only way to do it right.
The key codes can be found with my program "Key event calculator".
The filenames may start with a remark which ends on =.
This allows to sort better.
For example, "B=11 control" defines CONTROL + B.

[Steve_W]

Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for your hard work!!!

[OS923]

Temporary download:
http://www.fileconvoy.com/dfl.php?id=gd39878dd4751b92a9998416543c02daedffbc650e
Move "C++ macros" to "Extensions".
Move "C++ macro definitions" to "Preferences".

[ProfileName]

This is a huge undertaking for one man.
Keep up the good work.
How did you learn all that?

[OS923]

From Inside Mac.

[OS923]

My website has moved to www.gangstalking.eu
The OS 9.2.3 documentation is now at https://www.gangstalking.eu/os923/index.htm

I'm currently reordering and relinking all the projects. Compilation is now much faster. The programs will be a bit smaller and faster and waste less processor time. You will also be able to write full paths in the reports instead of specs.

"Check volumes" will not be completed because this will be done by the new Finder.

In the upcoming version there will be an extension that deletes "Thumbs.db" files and one that deletes ".DS_Store" files.

[OS923]

The OS 9.2.3 documentation is now at https://www.gangstalking.eu/shareware/macos/os923/index.htm

The Async Tools have to be relinked.
I'm going to replace the "Lock volumes" control strip module with a system menu.

I found a better way to resolve aliases.
The instruction for resolving alias files can return the right target even if it returns -43.
I use this to create a new alias handle.
Then I replace the resource in the alias file.