Category : Utilities for DOS and Windows Machines
Archive   : MACETTE3.ZIP
Filename : MAC-ETTE.DOC

MAC-ETTE v3.0U
Copyright 1994 Paul E. Thomson All Rights Reserved


INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------
Mac-ette is a PC utility which can read, write, format and duplicate Macintosh
HFS format 1.4 Meg diskettes on a PC equipped with a 3.5 inch high density
diskette drive.

DISCLAIMER ---------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS SOFTWARE AND ANY SUPPORT FROM ACUTE SYSTEMS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND
WITHOUT WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. ACUTE SYSTEMS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT WILL ACUTE SYSTEMS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR ANY INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, WHETHER RESULTING FROM IMPAIRED OR LOST DATA, SOFTWARE OR COMPUTER
FAILURE OR ANY OTHER CAUSE, OR FOR ANY OTHER CLAIM BY USER OR FOR ANY THIRD
PARTY CLAIM.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION -------------------------------------------------------
Mac-ette v3.0U may be distributed freely as long as it is not sold and all
original files are included. If you try Mac-ette and decide to keep it, a
registration fee of $34.00 is required as described below. This will entitle
you to an enhanced version of Mac-ette with several extra features (file/folder
renaming, file/folder deleting, and folder creation).

Mac-ette may be registered in one of the following ways:
1) Check or MO - Send $34.00 Check or MO to:

Acute Systems
PO Box 37
Algonquin, IL 60102.

For credit card orders see (2) below.

2) Credit card - You can register Mac-ette (Part No. 10652) from:
Public (software) Library with your MC, VISA, AmEX or Discover card
by calling: 800-242-4775 or 713-524-6394
or by FAX to: 713-524-6398
or by mail to: PsL, PO Box 35705, Houston, Texas 77235-5705

THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY. PsL CANNOT ANSWER ANY OTHER
QUESTIONS. Any questions should be directed to Acute Systems.

OTHER SOFTWARE AVAILABLE FROM ACUTE SYSTEMS ------------------------------------
MAC-ETTE PLUS:
Mac-ette Plus has all the features of the registered version of Mac-ette,
but also allows access to CDROM and BIOS/ASPI SCSI devices connected to
your PC. Many Mac HFS formatted CDROMS, SyQuest disks, optical disks, etc.
can be accessed with this version for a $64.00 registration fee (Registered
Mac-ette users can obtain Mac-ette Pro for a $30.00 upgrade fee).
AT THIS TIME MAC-ETTE PLUS CAN ONLY BE OBTAINED BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER
FROM ACUTE SYSTEMS AT THE ADDRESS IN (1) ABOVE.

WREFONT:
Wrefont (Windows Refont) is the registered version of the shareware
program Refont. Wrefont is a Windows font utility that converts Mac Type1
and TrueType fonts to PC format. It can also generate PFM, INF, and AFM
files from a Type1 font outline (PFB) as well as change the encoding of
Type 1 fonts. You can order Wrefont for $20.00 + $4.00 S&H. See ordering
information above (PsL Part No. 10385).

ABOUT MAC AND DOS FILE SYSTEMS -------------------------------------------------
A file system is a way of organizing large numbers of files on some sort of
recording media (most commonly a disk drive). Early versions of the Macintosh
used what was called a Macintosh File System (MFS). Although simpler to
implement, the MFS was inefficient on larger volumes and was soon abandoned in
favor of the Hierarchical File System. HFS has a tree-like structure which
helps manage large numbers of files using folders. Each folder can contain
both files and other folders, which appear graphically on the Mac as icons.
Since the MFS is not widely used any more, Mac-ette does not support it.

The DOS file structure appears very similar to HFS, except that folders are
referred to as directories. There are several differences in the way Macs and
PCs deal with files. In DOS, a file appears as a sequence of bytes which can
store any type of information. On the Mac, a file has two separate parts called
forks. The resource fork contains resources used by an application (menus,
icons, fonts, sounds, pictures, etc.). The data fork can contain any type of
data used by the application.

Not all files from one platform are useful on the other platform. Pure
ASCII text files can be exchanged using text translation, but if there are any
formatting codes they may not be compatible. Platform-independent graphics
formats (like TIFF, GIF or JPG) are basically the same on the Mac and the PC.
Of course you can't run Mac programs on the PC or vice versa, however most
major applications have a version for both machines. These applications may
have the same file format on each platform, but it is up to the author of the
application to make them compatible. Some Mac resources may also be useful on
the PC. Mac TrueType and PostScript Type1 fonts are not significantly different
than those on the PC, but they still require some translation. (Acute Systems
makes a utility for converting fonts between the Mac and PC called Wrefont.
See above for more information.)

DISKETTES ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mac-ette can access 1.4 Meg diskettes, but not 400K or 800K disks. These disks
can't be read on a PC without special hardware. 1.4 Meg disks have an open
square hole on the side opposite the write protect switch, 400K and 800K disks
do not.

CAUTION -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading a drive is a fairly safe operation, but be careful when writing. Always
keep backups of your critical files. If you have access to a Mac, use a disk
verification program (like Apple Disk First Aid, Norton Disk Doctor, or Central
Point DiskFix) to check disk integrity.

USING MAC-ETTE -----------------------------------------------------------------
To run the program enter "MAC-ETTE" at the DOS prompt. The current DOS
directory will be shown on the right and a list of (possible) Mac devices will
appear on the left. Below is a brief description of the Mac and DOS directory
headings.

Mac Name: Mac file, directory, volume or drive name (31 character
maximum, upper and lower case, can contain spaces).

File Type: Mac finder file type (4 characters, upper and lower case). This
name tells the Mac what type of file it is.

Data Size: Length of file's data fork in bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.

Rsrc Size: Length of file's resource fork in bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.

Date: Date file was last modified.

DOS Name: DOS file, directory, or drive name (8 character basename and 3
character extension, upper case only, no spaces).

Size: Length of file in bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.

Date: Date file was last modified.

A menu of commands appears in inverse characters at the bottom of the screen.
Use the left and right arrow keys to select between DOS and Mac operations.
The cursor is important. When it appears on the Mac side, Mac operations are
enabled. When it is on the DOS side, DOS operations are enabled. Below is a
summary of the commands.

M: Mark a file for copy.

Alt+Up: Mark files while scrolling up.

Alt+Dwn: Mark files while scrolling down.

Alt+M: Mark all files in current directory/folder.

Alt+C: Clear all marks.

Enter: Enter a directory/folder. The first item in the list box ("..") will
transfer you to the parent directory/folder.

F: Format a diskette as a Mac disk. First move cursor to an "FPDRV" entry.

T: Select translation mode for file copy as below.
Data fork mode: Copy to or from data fork of Mac file.
Rsrc fork mode: Copy to or from resource fork of Mac file.
Text mode: Convert line end codes between CRLF (DOS) and CR (Mac).
Macbinary mode: Copy to or from Macbinary file transfer format.

A: Select Mac finder file type and creator for files copied to Mac disk.

C: Copy marked files or file at cursor.

S: Select a field to sort directory/folder by as below.
File size: Sort by file size in descending order.
File date: Sort by file modification date, newest to oldest.
File name: Sort by file name in alphabetical order.
File type: Sort by type for Mac files and by extension for PC files.

D: Duplicate a Mac or DOS format diskette. Disk will be formatted if
necessary.

Q: Quit program.

Esc: Cancel current operation.

H: Switch between help menus. One contains a list of commands, the other
shows paths, free space, and other info.

->: DOS operations.

<-: Mac operations.

Up: Scroll up through file list.

Down: Scroll down through file list.

Pg Up: Scroll up through file list one screeen at a time.

Pg Down: Scroll down through file list one screeen at a time.

Home: Go to top of file list.

End: Go to end of file list.

Between the directory list and the menu is a blank line. This is the status
line. All errors, messages and prompts will appear here.

Copy is the only operation that works with marked files. If no files are
marked, the file at the cursor is copied. If you wish to cancel an
operation you have started, press Escape.

TRANSLATION --------------------------------------------------------------------
The translation mode you use will depend on the type of file you are copying.
Use Text mode for unformatted text files for which you want line termination
codes converted (between CRLF for DOS and CR for Mac). Using Text mode on
binary files can corrupt them. Data fork mode should be used with formatted
text files, graphic files, and other data files. Resource fork mode is only
needed in special circumstances such as copying fonts, sounds, etc. These
files will almost always require external translation to make them useful on
the opposite platform. The MacBinary file format was developed for
telecommunicating Mac files or storing them on a foreign file system (such as
DOS). All the information needed to recreate a Mac file is stored as a
continuous stream of bytes. If you download a file from a Mac BBS to a PC,
chances are it is in this format.

Each translation mode has its own type and creator strings. These are each four
characters long. They are used to tell the finder what type of data is in the
file and which application created it. The "A" command allows you to change
these attributes for files copied to the Mac (they are of no use going the
other way). Since a Macbinary file has the correct type and creator in its
header, the "A" command has no effect.

FILE NAMES ---------------------------------------------------------------------
DOS filenames can be used as is on the Mac, but the reverse is not true.
Mac filenames can be as long as 31 characters and can use characters that are
not valid in DOS. The Mac filenames must be changed into valid DOS names.
Mac-ette uses a simple method for doing this. The filename is truncated to 8
characters if necessary. The last three characters after the last period in the
filename are used as the file's extension. Any invalid DOS characters are
changed to an underscore ("_"). If the filename already exists, the user will
be prompted to overwrite or rename the file.

MORE INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------------------------
Transporting files between the Mac and PC can be confusing. This document
is not meant to be a tutorial on either file system or on moving files between
them. For more information, there are many books on the DOS operating system
and several on the Mac. Apple's Inside Macintosh series has much information on
the HFS (see the sections on the File Manager).