Inside the Apple Macintosh

627 Pages·1989·122.16 MB·English

by  Norton

Inside the Apple Macintosh®
Jim Heid
Peter Norton
Brady
New York
Copyright © 1989 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
All rights reserved
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
BRADY
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
15 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10023
DISTRIBUTED BY PRENTICE HALL TRADE
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Heid,Jim.
Inside the Apple Macintosh I Jim Heid, Peter Norton.
p. em.
ISBN 0-13-467622-X
1. Macintosh (Computer) I. Norton, Peter, 1943- . II. Title.
QA76.8.M3H39 1989
004.165-dc20 89-22378
CIP
For information about our audio products, write us at:
Newbridge Book Clubs, 3000 Ondel Drive, Delran, NJ 08370
Contents
Contents iii
Acknowledgments vii
Read This First ix
Welcome to Macintosh ix
What's Inside X
Whom This Book is For X
What Isn't Inside xi
A Roadmap for Using This Book xi
A Word About System Versions xii
A Final Note xiii
Section I Introdudng the Mac 1
1 Computer Fundaments 3
A joint Effort 3
Dealing With Data 5
A Closer Look At Hardware 8
Types of Software 12
Chapter Summary 14
2 A Standard is Born 17
The Dawn of Mac 17
Interacting With Computers 18
Chapter Summary 30
3 The Macintosh Interface 31
The Bit-Mapped Display 32
The Machine of Metaphors 35
Interacting With The Mac 39
The Finder 49
The Mac's Filing System 55
iii
iv Inside the Apple Macintosh
MultiFinder 60
System Disk Basics 66
The Clipboard 71
Desk Accessories 71
Color in the Mac Interface 81
Sound in the Mac Interface 82
Chapter Summary 83
4 The Macintosh Family 85
Mac Categories and Capabilities 86
Assessing Your Needs 86
The Mac Family 90
5 System Folder Details 109
System Version Numbering 110
The Primary Players 112
Miscellaneous Files 129
Keeping Up to Date 131
The Evolution of the Mac System 135
Chapter Summary 143
6 Macintosh Video 145
Video Recap 146
Bit-Mapped Versus Character-Based Displays 146
Video Details 147
Mac II Video 151
Color Architectures 160
Chapter Summary 163
Section II Mastering the Mac 165
7 Fonts 167
Font and Type Basics 167
Mac Font Basics 172
Font Structure 172
Font Details 185
Chapter Summary 194
8 Printing 197
Mac Printing Overview 197
The ImageWriter Family 202
Laser Printers 211
Chapter Summary 250
Contents v
9 Setup and Operating Tips 251
System Folder Setup 251
Operating Tips 257
Hardware Setup Tips 305
10 Customizing Tips 313
Resource Details 313
Customizing Projects 326
Customizing With Accessories 369
Section Ill Exchanging and Sharing 379
11 Exchanging Data 381
Clipboard Details 382
Exchanging Data With Disk Files 390
Exchanging Files With an MS-DOS Computer 401
Using Transferred Files 415
Chapter Summary 424
12 Networking 427
Why Network? 428
Network Concepts 430
A Network Scenario 439
Chapter Summary 497
Section IV How the Mac Works 499
13 Hardware Details SOl
Hardware Concepts 502
Under The Hood 506
Memory Details 519
Expansion Slots 526
The Mac's Microprocessors 529
The Start-up Process 533
Chapter Summary 536
14 Input and Output 539
The Keyboard and Mouse 539
Sound Details 546
SCSI Details 554
The Serial Ports 562
Chapter Summary 567
vi Inside the Apple Macintosh
15 Disk Details 569
Disk Basics 570
Hard Disks 576
Removeable-Media Drives 577
Shopping For Storage 581
How the Mac Saves Files 585
Disk Troubleshooting 591
Chapter Summary 599
Appendix A: Mac Applications Glossary 601
Appendix 8: For More Information 605
Index 615
Acknowledgments
We're deeply indebted to everyone who helped make this book a reality. At
Apple Computer, Frank Casanova always found time to provide encourage
ment and technical insights. We also relied on the assistance and expertise of
Steve Goldberg, Jim Gable, Donn Denman, Mark Lentczner, Neil Cormia,
Mark Orr, and Scott Darling. Martha Steffen also provided cheerful assistance,
and jackie Perez answered frequent pleas for photographs.
At Norton Computing, Marvin Carlberg, Gary Amstutz, and john Socha
provided enthusiastic support and technical assistance, and Kevin Goldstein
offered editorial and technical suggestions that were often so good they stung.
Thanks also to Linda Brent at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center and to the
staff of the Computer Museum in Boston.
Also taking time from busy schedules to discuss technie details were joel
West, Dennis Cohen, Richard Hill, and Erik Smith. Diane Whittaker of Diver
sified Computers in Keene, NH proved herself an able logic board juggler as
she kept Macs healthy and customers happy. And Jeffrey Thompson was abso
lutely, positively there when we needed him.
At Brady Books, Milissa Koloski, Michael Mellin, and Mia McCroskey sup
ported us with humor and good company. They got the book off the ground,
while Burt Gabriel saw to it that it landed on time. (Well, almost on time.)
Tom Dillon expertly kept track of the project even as last-minute changes
spilled out of express envelopes and FAX machines. And the Brady Books pro
duction staff together with Carol Barth and the rest of the gang at Modern
Design put it all together.
Finally, Jim Heid would like to extend a special thanks to his colleagues and
friends at Macworld magazine, who patiently endured missed deadlines as the
book came together, and whose guidance and support over the years have
been an inspiration. And he can't begin to thank Maryellen Kelly, his loving
and lovable wife, who edited pages, listened to rages, and had the good sense,
when it was all over, to say, "Let's move to California."
vii
Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty
The Author and publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing
this book and the programs contained in it. These efforts include the develop
ment, research, and testing of the theories and programs to determine their
effectiveness. The author _and publisher make no warranty of any kind, ex
pressed or implied, with regard to these programs or the documentation con
tained in this book. The author and publisher shall not be liable in any event
for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of,
the furnishing, performace, or use of these programs.
Trademarks
Apple, Apple Computer, Inc., AppleShare, AppleTalk, A/UX, ImageWriter,
LaserWriter, Mac, Macintosh, ProDOS, and QuickDraw are registered trade
marks of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple Desktop Bus, EtherTalk, Finder, Hyper
Card, HyperTalk, LocalTalk, and MultiFinder are trademarks of Apple Com
puter, Inc.
All other product and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective holders and are used for purposes of identification only.
Read This First
WELCOME TO MACINTOSH
It's that start-up message-and the smiling Mac that precedes it-that clue
you in to the fact that the Apple Macintosh is a different kind of computer. It's
an approachable computer that hides its complexities behind a facade of pull
down menus, sharp graphics, trash cans, and desktops. Rather than giving you
the job of memorizing and typing arcane commands, the Macintosh invites
exploration. Go ahead, point to something. What's in that menu? With a Mac,
you don't feel like a stranger in a strange land; you feel like an explorer em
barking on a new adventure.
But behind the Mac's facade is a sophisticated machine that, in some ways,
is more complex than a room-sized computer. Eventually, you'll encounter
those complexities. Maybe you'll want to add or remove some fonts. Or you'll
wish a certain menu command had a keyboard shortcut. Or you might want to
share information with other computers in your office. Or, as you decide how
to best equip your Mac, you'll want to know how it creates screen displays,
how its memory can be expanded, or how it accesses external add-ons.
At times like those, Inside the Apple Macintosh will be there. This book is your
guide to mastering the Mac and understanding the technology behind it.
Some people use the phrase "power user" to describe someone who knows the
nooks and crannies of a machine. To us, a power user is a person who gets an
electric bill each month. A knowledgeable user is someone whose understand
ing goes beyond the basics needed to make the computer work. After all,
knowledge, not power, is what separates novice from master.
ix