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From: rmh@apple.com (Rick Holzgrafe)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Getting started with Mac programming
Message-ID: <4543@internal.Apple.COM>
Date: 4 Oct 89 02:02:17 GMT
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References:<7893@leadsv.UUCP> <11542@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> <15913@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>

In article <15913@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> mjm@eleazar.dartmouth.edu 
(Michael McClennen) writes:
> In article <11542@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> dave@PRC.Unisys.COM
> (David Lee Matuszek) writes:
> 
> >You *must* have Inside Mac.  There is no substitute.
> >
> >In my experience, the first volume contains 90% of what I need to
> >know.  Most of the rest is in volume II, and I've hardly used III.
> >Volumes IV and V are more relevant to the SE and the MacII, but I have
> >only a lowly Mac+, so I haven't purchased them.  If you don't have a
> >lot of $$, you might wish to postpone getting the later volumes; but
> >sooner or later, you'll need them, so it's a matter of when to buy
> >them, not whether to buy them.
> 
> True, volume I does contain a lot of what you need to know, but a few 
critical
> managers (memory, file i/o) are documented in vol. II.  And the worst is 
yet
> to come:
> 
> MUCH OF VOLUMES I AND II IS OBSOLETE!!!!  EVEN IF YOU ARE WORKING ON A 
MAC+!!!
> 
> In particular, the file manager chapter in volume II is worthless
> and should be torn out of the book.  It documents the original flat 
Macintosh
> File System.

I have to agree with Mr. Matuszek, and disagree with Mr. McClennen's 
rebuttal. 90% of what you need is in Vol I,  and most of the rest is in 
Vol II. Eventually you'll want the rest, but a novice won't need them 
right away. (One error Mr. Matuszek made: Vol IV applies to the Mac Plus, 
and came out before the SE and II.)

The file manager chapter in volume II is not worthless. It is correct and 
usable as is, whether your file system is hierarchical (HFS) or flat 
(MFS). If you need to know about the special features of HFS, then you 
need Vol IV. But the majority of Mac applications work just fine with 
Standard File (Vol I) and the MFS File Manager (Vol II). And so they 
should: the flat file system still exists on single-sided floppies, and 
even the most modern applications on the latest machines will encounter 
them.

Most of Vols I - III is correct and still applies to modern machines and 
systems. But yes, there are some errors and updates. Mr. McClennen is 
correct to recommend the Tech Notes as a supplement to Inside Mac. Apple 
allows them to be freely copied and distributed, so they will cost you 
nothing but copy fees (Xerox, download time, whatever) if you can find 
anyone who has a set and will share. Or you can order them from APDA. New 
ones are posted to comp.binaries.mac as they become available.

==========================================================================
Rick Holzgrafe              |    {sun,voder,nsc,mtxinu,dual}!apple!rmh
Software Engineer           | AppleLink HOLZGRAFE1          rmh@apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc.        |  "All opinions expressed are mine, and do
20525 Mariani Ave. MS: 27-O |    not necessarily represent those of my
Cupertino, CA 95014         |        employer, Apple Computer Inc."