[WinMac] Re: Film Bureau and Platforms

Daniel L. Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Fri, 24 Sep 1999 12:40:45 -0400

        I'll reply to both Aaron's & John's notes inline...

        "Aaron Ciesar" <<aciesar@stroke.upmc.edu> wrote:

>

>Dan,

>

>I have responded in line and clipped extra text.

>

>----------

>>From: "Daniel L. Schwartz" <<expresso@snip.net>

>>To: "The Windows-MacOS cooperation list"
<<winmac@xerxes.frit.utexas.edu>

>>Subject: Re: Film Bureau and Platforms

>>Date: Thu, Sep 23, 1999, 4:37 PM

>

>

>>>Never underestimate the power of duct-tape. ;)

>>

>> That's right: It's hard to get out of after it's wrapped around
your

>> wrists, ankles... And neck!

>

>Uh... okay..., I'm getting scared now! ;)

        It's not THAT funny when you have a pissed-off customer staring at
you...

>> The single biggest issue I personally have with Win2k is that it is
trying

>> to accommodate too many video drivers. Up through NT 3.51, the GDI ran
in

>> protected (user) mode - CPU Ring 3. Starting with NT4, the GDI was
moved

>> into CPU Ring 0 - Kernel (real) mode, (along with the server and
spooler

>> services), so that a buggy video card driver would bring the system to
a

>> BSOD. As long as, for a server, stuck to generic chipsets with their

>> generic drivers, all runs nicely. Going beyond that, sticking closely
with

>> the Windows Hardware Compatibility List

>> <<http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/hcl> for NT compatibility is
critical for

>> video - And other PCI option card systems such as SCSI and NIC.

>

>You know, this is exactly what is wrong with Microsoft. In their effort
to

>make NT the all knowing, all seeing, all doing OS, MS continues to jam
more

>and more unneeded features into NT while continuously sacrificing
stability.

        Agreed: They tried to combine the windoze 98 and NT code bases into one
product, and it's fraying at some of the edges. In fact, I'm taking a
closer look at OpenVMS... One can easily get a "Hobbyist" license from
the Q. The only key component that is missing - And this is the
deal-breaker - is support for AFP/IP.

>Considering that drivers are the single greatest source for BSOD's in
NT,

>the decision to move more drivers out of CPU Ring 3 to Ring 0 is truly
brain

>dead. Microsoft has the potential to be the greatest source of
quality

>software in the world. Instead we get dancing paperclips.

        Now, here's the clinker: It was Dave Cutler himself who was so proud of
moving the GDI down into kernel mode in NT4! For your reading pleasure
and a trip down memory lane:

<<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/server/beta/hall/99Aug04.asp>; and
from that article a quote from Cutler himself:

<fontfamily><param>Arial</param>

"'We talk about how the operating system evolved with each release, from
memory optimizations and Power PC support in versions 3.5 and 3.51 to
kernel-mode GDI and User, plus a new user interface in version 4.0. "The
basic, internal architecture has not changed, except for Plug and Play,'
Cutler says."

</fontfamily>

>>>Well, my servers run with ASIP 6.2.1 which requires MacOS 8.6. You
can run

>>>ASIP 6.2 on MacOS 8.5.1, but some of the bug fixes in ASIP are
dependent

>>>upon MacOS 8.6.

>>

>> That is a bit disheartening, in that the bug fixes in ASIP 6.2
require bug

>> fixes to be applied to the OS as well. They *should* be independent
-

>> Especially since many companies are in Y2k lockdown, and *cannot*
"upgrade"

>> their OS.

>

>Very true, fortunately, our department is not in a Y2K lockdown. It
really

>nice when you get to make your own rules. Plus, I was very happy with
the

>upgrade, it was free, and I have enjoyed stability improvements
throughout

>my department's Macs.

        Not everybody has the luxury of breaking Y2k lockdown, although the
MacOS and its' apps are already pretty much - But *not* 100% - Y2k
compliant.

>>>Plus, the improved multitasking in 8.6 actually increases the
performance of

>>>my print server, as it runs in the background.

>>

>> Why are you running a print server? For PC's? At least (background)

>> printing has been the one *really good* aspect of System 7 & 8 due
to

>> AppleTalk's PAP; Desktop Printing notwithstanding.

>>

>> SEE, Thare ARE a few things I like about System 7 & 8! :)

>

>I need a print server to sever my Windows machines. My department is
a

>50/50 mix of Macs and PC's.

        Actually, in a mixed environment I prefer to just let the Macs print
directly (with a few exceptions, like to imagesetters); and then you can
use any NT box (like a secretary's) to run the Spooler service for any
number of network printers. Surprisingly, the Spooler service uses very
little CPU overhead, plus you gain the ability to tap into the parallel
port instead of the extra expense of an MIO (JetDirect) card.

<color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>

        NT SPOOLER HINTS: Log on as local administrator to do these tricks...

        HINT 1: Be sure to increase the priority: Start -> Settings -> Printers;
then right-click printer -> Properties -> Scheduling -> Priority ->
(Slider)

        HINT 2: Be sure to move the spool folder to a better location, instead
of buried in the User profile. Personally, I like to put the spool folder
on a RAID 0 (striped) partition along with the pagefile. Start ->
Settings -> Printers -> File -> Server Properties -> Advanced.

</color>>I agree with you that AppleTalk's PAP rules. Of course, since
PAP is such a

>great technology, Apple is currently planning on dumping it with no

>foreseeable replacement (except for LPR, which BTW sucks). Talk about

>another brain dead decision.

        Yeah, it's a PAP smear, alright!

>Aaron B. Ciesar

>Data Manager/Analyst

>UPMC Stroke Institute

>

At 11:06 AM 9/24/99 -0400, "Welch, John C." <<jwelch@aer.com> wrote:

>Careful Dan, that's how it starts. First you like the background
printing,

>then the desktop printers. Soon it's open transport. Next thing you
know,

>you're lying in an alley, confused and mumbling, with a bondi - blue
iMac

>tattooed to your chest, and an Apple logo on your forehead. Get help,
before

>it's too late!

>

>;)

>

>> Why are you running a print server? For PC's? At least (background)

>> printing has been the one *really good* aspect of System 7 & 8 due
to

>> AppleTalk's PAP; Desktop Printing notwithstanding.

>>

>> SEE, Thare ARE a few things I like about System 7 & 8! :)

>>

>> Balance trimmed

>> Cheers!

>> Dan

        Actually, Apple's Desktop printing is a cheap rip-off of OS2 2.1's
utility. And I can't stand LPR, period, because it's not bidirectional.
AND, LPR on the Mac requires Apple's Desktop Printing utility. As for
Open Transport, I'm not too sure it scales across multiple CPU's. [This
is actually one of the reasons that, a couple of months ago, when
Microsoft and RedHat had their second round NT-Linux shootout, Linux
didn't do too well on the 4 CPU Dell box: NT's IP stack scales across
multiple CPU's, while Linux' IP stack only runs on one CPU in a
"symmetric" multiprocessor environment.]

        SIDEBAR: I *really* like multiple CPU machines, especially with NT. It's
a nice way to use inexpensive CPU's to get REALLY good performance. If
you want to assemble a rock-solid machine, Computer Geeks
<<http://www.compgeeks.com> has the Intel PR440FX motherboard for $77,
including the second VRM module. The board supports one or two 180 & 200
mHz Pentium Pro CPU's, with 200 mHz CPU's running $57 apiece now. Pop it
in an ATX case and add a video card, RAM, & HDD, and you're all set - The
board has four PCI Option slots, plus built-in Crystal sound, built-in
Adaptec 7880 (2940-series) Ultra-Wide SCSI, and built-in 82557 10/100
ethernet. I've built 3 of these machines, and one of them is my testbed:
it triple-boots Win 95 (with DVD deck & decoder board), NT4/Server, and
Win2000ß3/Server.

        Cheers!

        Dan

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