A couple of simple questions about MacIvory & Genera 8

[Palter@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM (Gary M. Palter)]

    Date: Tue, 11 Sep 1990 18:55 EDT
    From: larry@atc.boeing.com (Larry Baum)

    1) Is there a way to make "Movable Screen" the default setting? (This 
    makes the Ivory window like a Mac window that can be resized).

You can control the default (Fixed vs. Movable) using the variable
RPC:*RPC-SCREEN-USE-HOST-SCREEN-STYLE*.  If it's value is T before you
startup the Genera application, Genera will default to a movable screen.

    2) What does "Enable Background Screen" do?  (It is in the Options
    menu).

If you enable the background screen, Genera will perform all its screen
operations to the actual screen and a copy of the screen it keeps in
Macintosh memory.  It uses this backup screen to update the screen image
in response to update events (i.e., the events you get when windows are
moved or resized on a Macintosh).  

This mode corrects two bugs -- First, if a Macintosh window is in front
of the Genera screen and the Genera screen scrolls, part of the
Macintosh window scrolls with it.  Second, old style windows without
bitsave arrays do not refresh properly after Macintosh windows which
obscured the old Genera windows are closed.

However, this mode is not enabled by default as it halves the speed of
Genera's window system.  On a Macintosh II or IIx, the degredation is
quite noticable.  (It's also noticable on a Macintosh IIfx but drawing
is fast enough that the half speed window system is still acceptably
quick.)

    3) Are these things documented anywhere?  If so, where?  If not, why
    not?

They are documented in the MacIvory User's Manual in the section
"Controlling the Genera Screen on a MacIvory".  However the
documentation doesn't mention how to control the default setting and, in
the case of backup screens, doesn't properly explain its purpose.  (I'll
see what I can do about getting the documentation fixed for 8.1.)

    Larry Baum
    Advanced Technology Center              
    Boeing Computer Services     uucp:       uw-beaver!bcsaic!lbaum
    (206) 865-3365               internet:   lbaum@atc.boeing.com       


    Larry Baum
    Advanced Technology Center              
    Boeing Computer Services     uucp:       uw-beaver!bcsaic!lbaum
    (206) 865-3365               internet:   lbaum@atc.boeing.com