Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!apple!blob From: blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Desktop Manager...what the @*%$#! is it? Message-ID: <21758@apple.Apple.COM> Date: 6 Dec 88 15:18:30 GMT References: <3102@cs.Buffalo.EDU> Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA Lines: 59 In article <3102@cs.Buffalo.EDU> cohen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Alexander Cohen) writes: > Ok, so I know this may have been hashed out >before on the net, but I don't recall any definitive answers >either from Apple nor from anyone on the net as to what, >precisely, does the Desktop Manager do? Replaces calls that the Finder makes using the Resource Manager with calls to specialized B-tree management for Desktop manipulation. > Once this init is placed in the system file, >rebooting you mac and rebuilding the desktop you get two new >hidden, locked files: Desktop DB and Desktop DF. They contain no >resources (at least according to ResEdit). That's right. They are data files containing the equivalent information to that contained in the old Desktop file. > My Desktop file (the old one) is not replaced by >rebuilding the desktop, what will happen if I remove it? Since you're only booting from a system with the Desktop manager installed, it will work. The first time that you access this disk from a system without the Desktop Manager installed, the Desktop file will be rebuilt. >I tried >installing the Desktop Manager on a floppy to find the answer to >this question but it did not create its unique files. Floppies use MFS, not HFS, so the Desktop Manager isn't relevant. > Where have all the icons gone? and how about the >comments? since the old desktop is no longer in use? They are in the B-tree. > Why hasn't Apple said anything about the Desktop >Manager even to its developers? i.e. you won't find a single >tech note about it. The Desktop Manager is part of the AppleShare server software. It has never been tested by Apple outside of that area. There are known problems with using the Desktop Manager on a stand-alone system. > Why doesn't Apple simply put this init into its system >software??? It doesn't seem to do any harm, after all. Because it does harm. You can't unmount removable media (floppies, CDs, hard disks) when using the Desktop Manager. You can crash rather easily under some circumstances. When you crash, you lose all comments. It isn't robust on a stand-alone system; it was never designed to be general enough for a stand-alone system. > Apple...are you listening? Yes. We are also correcting the problems with the Finder's manipulation of the desktop in a future release of the system. --Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "My opinions, not Apple's"