Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!cohen From: cohen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Alexander Cohen) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Desktop Manager...what the @*%$#! is it? Message-ID: <3102@cs.Buffalo.EDU> Date: 5 Dec 88 15:09:41 GMT Sender: nobody@cs.Buffalo.EDU Reply-To: cohen@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Alexander Cohen) Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science Lines: 50 Desktop Manager...what the @*%$#! is it? 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? 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). My own subjective tests indicate a speed up of many times when the Finder attempts to switch views in a window, say from 'small icon' to 'by name,' although this isn't too apparent on a MacII until you have over fifty some-odd files. And the general word is that people with Hard Drives of over 80 megabytes, who suffer the most with Finder, find tremendous speed improvements in Finder operation. So here are the questions: My Desktop file (the old one) is not replaced by rebuilding the desktop, what will happen if I remove it? I tried installing the Desktop Manager on a floppy to find the answer to this question but it did not create its unique files. Where have all the icons gone? and how about the comments? since the old desktop is no longer in use? 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. Why doesn't Apple simply put this init into its system software??? It doesn't seem to do any harm, after all. Apple...are you listening? Alex Cohen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Who put these fingerprints on my imagination?" --Elvis Costello-- ..!{ames,boulder,decvax,rutgers}!sunybcs!cohen internet: cohen@cs.buffalo.edu BITNET: cohen@sunybcs.BITNET GEnie: AJCOHEN >>>Alex Cohen<<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~