From: L.H.Wood@lut.ac.uk Subject: Re: After Dark FAQ 0.2 submission Date: Sun, 14 Mar 93 10:09:49 GMT Here's an update of the FAQ. Should replace v0.1 in the util/ad directory. Thanks, Lloyd Wood L.H.Wood@uk.ac.lut COMP.SYS.MAC FAQ: After Dark answers Version: 0.2 Last modified: Friday, March 12, 1992 Copyright (C) 1993, Lloyd Wood, L.H.Wood@uk.ac.lut (JANET) L.H.Wood@lut.ac.uk (INTERNET) REVISIONS In reverse-chronological order: 0.2 - 12 March 1993 Added Paw-Paw problems. Mentioned Virex-D. Altered DarkSide information. Corrected minor factual and attribution errors. Tidied up format. 0.1 - 1 March 1993 Initial release. INTRODUCTION This is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list to cover common questions relating to use of Berkeley System's After Dark screensaver package on the Macintosh platform. This FAQ does not cover the use of After Dark on the Windows platform. (I don't use a Windows unless I really have to, Windows supports its own screensavers without requiring an additional package like After Dark, and this was originally posted to a Macintosh newsgroup. Go figure :-) The information in this FAQ is based on my experience with After Dark and tidbits I have gleaned from email from writers of third-party After Dark modules and with Berkeley Systems. I have no connection with Berkeley Systems other than as a satisfied user of After Dark and More After Dark. I welcome comments and corrections, although email turnaround will be slow due to pressure of work and the relatively low priority something as frivolous as this gets. At the moment, the FAQ is not particularly comprehensive or organised, and information is often repeated - style will (I hope) come with time. Comments on how to write and archive FAQs are also welcome. This FAQ does not cover Star Trek: The Screensaver, or the two After Dark book/disk collections - I don't own them - or hints on using certain modules, because I can't think of any useful ones. Anyone want to contribute any module-specific tips? The FAQ is aimed at detailing common problems and misconceptions, concentrating on 'why does After Dark crash my machine?' The answer is almost always a badly-written third-party module running under the MultiModule or Randomiser modules. These modules impose stricter rules on how a module can run than After Dark alone does, and a large number of third party (shareware/freeware) modules either won't run as a sub-module, crash the Macintosh, or have other, unpredictable, effects. DO I NEED A SCREENSAVER? (0.0) Despite what many people will tell you, the answer is almost certainly 'no'. It takes a lot of time to burn the phosphor on a cathode ray tube with a still image - accidentally leaving your Mac on all weekend won't do it, so don't worry if you do. Old Mac Plusses or monochrome Mac monitors that have seen years of service may have a ghostly bar at the top of the screen from the menu bar, visible when a menu bar is not present, but that's about it. The phosphor on colour monitors is even more difficult to burn, making screensavers even less useful. If you own a Mac with an LCD display (a PowerBook, Portable or Outbound) you are unlikely to need a screensaver. LCDs retain the colour they are set to in a 'memory effect' which takes time to change, whether black or white, but does fade away. If you use a (probably unnecessary) screensaver, it has been suggested that it should be one which flips all of the pixels regularly, to prevent this memory effect. [Note - this is unrelated to the ni-cad battery 'memory effect' fallacy. More information on both of these topics can be found in the PowerBook FAQs of the Mac newsgroups.] If you have just bought a Color Classic, you should be using the Screen control panel supplied with the System Software to turn off the monitor circuitry when the Color Classic is not in use - you DO NOT need a screensaver. Screensavers are primarily fun, decorative things to have around, and should not be taken seriously. A screensaver is useful for protecting your Mac from prying eyes while you are away from it, and many screensavers include optional password features. What are the alternatives to After Dark? (0.1) After Dark is by no means the only Mac screensaver - it's just the most popular and has the most support from other programmers in the form of different screensaver 'modules'. It's commercial and costs money, although updates and bug fixes are free. As After Dark is commercial, it CANNOT be obtained from ftp sites. Updaters can be obtained by ftp, but they must update the original package which you have bought. If you want to use After Dark modules, you must buy After Dark (or wait for the next release of DarkSide, which is freeware and WILL run After Dark modules. See below.) If you are looking for a screensaver, it is well worth obtaining shareware and freeware savers from ftp sites and evaluating them before looking at the more expensive commercial products. Alternatives to After Dark that are modular, with a number of different effects, include: Pyro! (currently v4.0 and revisions) - commercial. This is the original 'fireworks' screensaver. One or two third-party modules do exist, but nowhere near the volume After Dark has. [Like After Dark, Pyro! has a fish module. Although it's generally regarded as not as cute, the fish in Pyro! can eat each other.] DarkSide of the Mac (currently v3.2) - freeware, by Tom Dowdy, an Apple employee. Some third-party modules exist, and there is a password feature and randomiser. DarkSide runs as a startup application under System 7, which is both its greatest strength (stability and no patch trapping) and weakness (System 6 users require the older DarkSide of the Mac v2.5, the last version to run under System 6). Many modules (Searchlight, Worms) are similar to After Dark's and Pyro's, but with less cute frills. Others (Circuit, LostInSpace, VaseDance) are original and well worth a look. A copy can be ftp'ed from sumex-aim.stanford.edu (it's in the util directory). Version 4.0 is currently in beta-test, and adds the ability to play After Dark modules. There are a large number of standalone screensavers to choose from, and many are present in the util directory of sumex-aim. Moire (also available as an After Dark module) and Eclipse are popular choices. There are a number of specialised screensavers for Macs that support use of the Brightness control panel. HOW CAN I UPDATE MY COPY OF AFTER DARK? (1.0) Well, what version of After Dark do you own? There are two major revisions, namely versions 1 and 2. When someone mentions they own 'After Dark', you can assume if it is not otherwise stated that they mean version 2, of which there have been a number of minor revisions in the past few years, detailed below. Version 2.0 was released back in August 1990, so version 1 is OLD. No self-respecting Mac poser in this day and age would be seen dead running Version 1. So there. HOW CAN I UPDATE MY COPY OF AFTER DARK v1.x? (1.1) An updater to 1.1c is available from sites on the Internet. If you are already running 1.1c and wish to upgrade to version 2, you can do so by returning your disk to Berkeley Systems with $15. There is NO free updater from version 1 to version 2. You may find that version 1.1c fails to work on the brand-spanking new Mac* you have just bought. If so, trash it or upgrade to version 2. (see 1.2) *Here, even a clapped-out IIci can qualify as 'brand-spanking new'. Version 1 is THAT OLD. HOW CAN I UPDATE MY COPY OF AFTER DARK v2.x? (1.2) An updater to update the various revisions of version 2 to the latest revision can always be found in the info-mac archive on sumex-aim.stanford.edu (directory: util/ad) or on one of the mirror sites scattered world-wide. Berkeley Systems issues updaters periodically, in line with new Apple machines or System software. The updater generally takes up to a couple of weeks from release to reach sumex-aim, so patience is called for if you have heard rumours of an updater but can't find it yet. The updater updates version 2 revisions - NOT version 1 - to the latest revision, currently 2.0x updater 1.02. This updates both the control panel and all of the modules supplied with the After Dark package, making minor revisions throughout. [The previous updater, 2.0w, was unusual in only updating the control panel, MultiModule and Randomiser. If you have 2.0w, get the 2.0x updater.] There is generally no reason not to upgrade. As a rule of thumb, the newer your model of Mac and/or System, the newer your copy of After Dark needs to be, and if you have access to anonymous ftp or something friendlier like Fetch, grabbing the updater is not very difficult (ask a friendly guru :-). This FAQ assumes that you have the latest revision of version 2 (2.0x at time of writing). Alternatively, you can return your master disk to Berkeley Systems to have it updated, or buy More After Dark, which includes an updater (2.0u or later, depending on when the MAD disk was mastered.) The version history of the updater releases (not detailing the numerous minor improvements or feature additions to modules) is: 2.0 - August 1990 - initial release. 2.0h - Bug fix relating to using HyperCard with After Dark. 2.0s - Bug fix of sound code. 2.0t - September 1991 - Supports new sound code of System 6.0.7. 2.0u - June 1991 - Full System 7 compatibility. Understands the new System Folder layout and is much faster when only the Finder is running. 2.0v - August 1991 - Fixed 68040 cache-compatibility problems. 2.0w - September 1992 - Fixed problems with the new machines running System 7.1 (IIvx, Duos) - old machines running System 7.1 could still use 2.0v. Added 'All' and 'None' buttons to the Randomiser. Detects when Randomiser and MultiModule recursively launch each other and prevents it. [2.0w is unusual in only updating the control panel, MultiModule and Randomiser, and not other modules. Star Trek: The Screensaver 2.0w has more in common with After Dark 2.0x in terms of features than it does with After Dark 2.0w] 2.0x - February 1993 - new control panel icon, clears password, more 'When' options, muting sound via the control key. Slide Show now works with QuickTime. Brings After Dark and Star Trek into line with each other. (Updater release information from Jim Tso at Berkeley Systems) HOW CAN I UPDATE MY COPY OF STAR TREK: THE SCREENSAVER? (1.3) At time of writing, by applying a revision 2 updater LATER THAN 2.0w (the first version of Star Trek: the Screensaver) i.e. 2.0x or later. This will update the control panel and modules shared in common with the After Dark package (Randomiser, MultiModule). At time of writing, there is no updater for the Star Trek modules. A ResEdit template for extracting PICT resources from the Star Trek files is available from a number of ftp sites, for use by the inquisitive. HOW CAN I UPDATE MY COPY OF MORE AFTER DARK? (1.4) At time of writing, there isn't an updater for these modules, although one is reportedly under development. There was a minor revision of MAD from 1.0 to 1.0a to fix some apparently obscure bugs - this is only available by returning your disk to Berkeley Systems, and there is no equivalent updater. I haven't seen this revision, and don't know what it fixes. Personally, I would wait for the new updater to hit the nets. HOW CAN I UPDATE MY MODULES OR OBTAIN NEW MODULES? (1.5) If the modules are part of the After Dark package which you have bought, you need the updater that also updates the control panel (see 1.2). If they are part of the MAD package which you have bought, sit and wait (see 1.4). If they are shareware or freeware, look at sumex-aim.stanford.edu (util/ad directory) to see if a later version has been released. This is also the place to look for new modules - read the info-mac digest (comp.sys.mac.digest) for news of new Mac software, including After Dark modules. If you are having problems with a particular third-party module, see first if a later version is available from an ftp site like sumex-aim. If not, contact the author of the module about the problem. This is easily done if an email address is given, and the authors do appreciate feedback, if not cold hard cash. :-) HELP! I'VE FORGOTTEN MY SCREENSAVER PASSWORD, AND CAN'T USE MY MAC! (2.0) A common problem. If you are using System 7, hold down the shift key on reboot (reset button or command-control-power on newer Macs) to disable all extensions and control panels, including After Dark. If you are running System 6, you will need to startup from a floppy disk instead of holding down the shift key, unless you have installed an 'extensions manager' and can use that instead. Then replace the control panel with a fresh copy from your master disk. Restart and enter a new password. If you have stupidly misplaced your master disk, try grabbing a copy of the 2.0x (or later) updater and update the control panel instead of replacing it. 2.0x is the first updater to clear the password on updating the control panel. WHERE SHOULD I PUT THE 'AFTER DARK FILES' FOLDER? (3.0) If After Dark can't find the modules that are sitting as they should be in the 'After Dark files' folder, you probably need to update After Dark. Versions 2.0u and later of After Dark will recognise the folder in System 7's Control Panels folder, in the Extensions and System folder, and on the Desktop, whereas 2.0t and before expected the After Dark control panel and files folder to be in the same place. If you are using AutoDoubler 1.0x, you could try putting the After Dark files folder on the Desktop so that AutoDoubler can compress it. This works well as long as MultiModule and Randomiser are not deliberately compressed. [AutoDoubler users should see the comments on the PowerDown module in Section 5.2 as well]. MY AFTER DARK CONTROL PANEL AND MODULES HAVE LOST THEIR ICONS! (4.0) There are a couple of module floating around that have accidentally had their 'bundle bits' set, and you have just obtained one of these modules or just rebuilt your desktop, bringing the problem to light. The 'bundle bit' of a file tells the Finder that the file has icon information the Finder must show. A module with a bundle bit set causes its (non-existent) icon information to replace After Dark's correct icon information. To fix this, you need a utility that will show file flags, such as ResEdit or FileTyper. Go through all your modules, bringing up the file flag information (This is the 'Has BNDL' box under 'Get File/Folder menu in ResEdit 2.1.1's File menu) and make sure the bundle bit is cleared. If it isn't, clear it and save that file. Once you have done that, restart and hold down <option> and <command> to rebuild your desktop. You will then see the After Dark icons in all their glory. [Just don't ask me why there aren't any ics resources for the modules or MultiModule documents. I don't know!] AFTER DARK CRASHES MY MACHINE! (5.0) Er... probably not. It's far more likely to be an individual module than After Dark itself, so let's do some fault analysis to see why. Firstly, have you updated your copy of After Dark to the latest version with the free updater detailed earlier? If not, try updating a copy, and see if the problem goes away. This is likely to solve the 'After Dark doesn't work at all on my machine!' problem. If you are already running the latest version, have you bought a just-released Mac or just-released System? If so, an update may be in the works - just ask Berkeley Systems. If not, is the problem with a specific module, and can you isolate it by trying out different modules? If the problem is with a module written by Berkeley Systems, well and good, provided that the module is NOT the RANDOMISER or MULTIMODULE. You can happily adopt a suitable tone of moral outrage and grumble at them on the email address given with their packaging (they have a number of scattered accounts - replying to the one that replied to your query is a sensible idea). If the module is from a third-party (shareware/freeware) and you cannot find a later version anywhere, you should be grumbling to the author of the module (again via email). If you are having trouble with the MULTIMODULE OR RANDOMISER, this is where the fun starts, as a large number of third-party modules don't work well with these, often causing crashes, and giving After Dark a reputation for crashing in the process. If you are not running any third-party modules under the MultiModule or Randomiser, you can grumble at Berkeley Systems. If you ARE, consult the list below to see if the problem has been encountered, and see if grumbling at the author of the module helps. Look around the net for a later (bug-fixed) version of the module. When trying out a new After Dark module, try it as the only module selected in the Randomiser, and see how well it behaves. If you use the Randomiser a lot, this is an easy way of spotting problem modules before they crash your machine and lose you work. MODULES THAT DON'T WORK UNDER MULTIMODULE AND RANDOMISER (5.1) This list has been compiled from information mostly obtained by running After Dark along with lots of other extensions on a Mac IIsi and LC that have variously run Systems 7.0 and 7.0.1 (alone and with Tune-Up 1.0 and 1.1.1, although that doesn't matter) and System 7.1. After Dark versions 2.0t, v, w and x were used. This list details modules that 'work fine' EXCEPT when run under MultiModule or Randomiser (or both - the author of this FAQ currently runs Randomiser, randomising a lot of modules every five minutes, in parallel with Dan Walkowski's PowerDown, which shuts off an unused Mac, under MultiModule. This catches more problem modules than most - your mileage may vary, and you may not encounter some of these problems on your set-up, particularly if you are using a Classic or Plus.) Modules whose latest versions works fine, but whose earlier versions didn't, are not listed here, as that would entail a version history report of every After Dark module in existence! If the module you are having a problem with is not mentioned here, then see if a later version is available. If not, contact the author of the module about the problem. If email addresses of the authors are available, they are given. If you are having problems with a specific module on this list, please contact the author regarding a bug-fix, NOT me! If you have encountered problems with a freeware/shareware module NOT on this list, please let me know by email (and include a binhexed copy of the module so I can try it out) and I'll update this list. Ditto for updates to the modules here - I'm not omniscient, and may have missed a bug-fix or two. MULTIMODULE WITH RANDOMISER If you use these modules a lot, make sure you have the latest revision of After Dark. Versions earlier than 2.0w would hang if MultiModule included Randomiser and Randomiser included MultiModule in its selection, whenever the Randomiser tried to run the MultiModule which was already running. (Say 'recursion', people.) 2.0w and later detect this and add incredibly useful 'All' and 'None' buttons to the Randomiser [but still no support for my extended keyboard's extra cursor-control keys, unlike the control panel itself...] And now, the third-party list, in alphabetical order: Balloons - BugByte, Inc, 1991 (no email address) A very large (340K) module that advertises a HyperCard stack on tying balloons into knots to make figures and demonstrates some shapes with accompanying sound effects. Does not run under Randomiser, and puts up a message saying that not enough memory is available. Does not appear to crash the Mac. Bat Signal - subversive software (subversive@aol.com) A Spotlight-like module, but using the Bat Signal, and with the coolest about box yet. There are at least two versions of this module in existence, and both the ones I've seen have no version numbers. The one with the later modification date works correctly under Randomiser and no longer crashes. The author says he doesn't have the time to finish the module off properly, though. Well worth seeing. Chomp! - Berkeley Systems (brklysystm@aol.com or D0346@applelink.apple.com) This was one of the original modules for the original After Dark. Bites are taken out of the screen with a chomping sound. Causes the System 7 Finder to quit when run under Randomiser with After Dark v2. No longer supported by Berkeley Systems (although other modules from the same era, like TacTiles and Shapes, still work fine). Frect 1.0 - Adam Miller (Adam_Miller@Memory.Ithaca.NY.US, but moved since) Produces 'fractal rectangles'. Causes the System 7 Finder to quit when run under Randomiser. HolisticSofa 0.94 - Alan Keahey (tkeahey@cs.indiana.edu or GEnie: A.Keahey) This module explores the sofa-on-stairs problem detailed in Douglas Adam's 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency', but crashes under the Randomiser on newer Macs. The author wrote it on a Plus, which it didn't crash on, and can't duplicate the problem. There is also a standalone screensaver version available. Kablooie 1.0 - Adam Miller and Jakub Buchowski (Adam_Miller@Memory.Ithaca.NY.US and Jakub_Buchowski@Memory.Ithaca.NY.US - the authors have since moved) A customisable fireworks module for After Dark. Puts up 'Kablooie:' running under the Randomiser and nothing else. Adam Miller knows of the problem, but no fix has appeared yet. Kings Cross Coke 1.0 - John Rotenstein (PO Box 165, Double Bay NSW 2028, AUSTRALIA) Shows logos and illuminates them as if they were neon signs. Includes a scrapbook feature to choose images from. Has memory problems - crashes under Randomiser and MultiModule, and is pretty flaky on its own, especially when cutting and pasting in the scrapbook. Spectacular, but risky. Millions of Colors v0.5 - Guy T. Rice (CompuServe: 76226,760 GEnie: GUYRICE) Bands of colour. Doesn't work under MultiModule. Email to the author bounced. Package includes source code - anyone want to fix it? Nebulae 1.0 - Bryan & Lisa Gibson-Winge (Compuserve: 72677,3222) Complains of not enough memory to run under MultiModule or Randomiser. Doesn't appear to crash. Off The Air 1.0 - Guy T. Rice (CompuServe: 76226,760 GEnie: GUYRICE) Simulates a noisy television channel after the station has gone off air. Under Randomiser changing modules every few minutes, forces a crash a few modules after it has run. (Trashing memory?) The 'Set Monitor Depth' feature is bad ju-ju and can also crash the mac. Email to the author bounced. Shredded Crystals - Berkeley Systems (brklysystm@aol.com or D0346@applelink.apple.com) This was one of the original modules for the original After Dark. Jagged shapes appear on screen. Causes the System 7 Finder to quit when run under Randomiser with After Dark v2. No longer supported by Berkeley Systems (although other modules from the same era, like TacTiles and Shapes, still work fine). Sparkler 1.0 - Mike Wessler(wessler@husc10.harvard.edu until Summer 1992) Pixels explode off the screen. Crashes under Randomiser. Email to the author bounced.[Not to be confused with Sparklers 1.0, by Frank Kubin, which works fine under the MultiModule and Randomiser] MODULES WITH OTHER KNOWN PROBLEMS (5.2) In alphabetical order: Movies 'til Dawn 1.0 - Berkeley Systems (brklysystm@aol.com or D0346@applelink.apple.com) This free QuickTime movie player module worked fine with QuickTime 1.0/1.1, but doesn't work at all with QuickTime 1.5. Trash it - a new version is due Real Soon Now (just after that MAD updater mentioned in 1.4). Playing movies is a pretty pointless activity for a screensaver, since it may save your screen, but kills your hard disk through overwork. (Not recommended for portables, where the hard disk spins down to save battery power.) If you MUST play movies in the meantime, look at Movies in the Dark 1.0 by Maurice Volaski or the OURA QT (say each letter!) QuickTime movie player 1.0d2 by Laurence d'Oliveiro. Note that Slide Show 2.1 (with 2.0x or later) can display QuickTime JPEG-compressed PICT files, which is far more useful for a screensaver than playing movies. (Slide Show 2.0 or earlier will always hang on the second screensave if a QuickTime JPEG is used.) If you DO use JPEG pictures with Slide Show 2.1, remember that pictures are uncompressed with a blank screen. If the screen is blank, After Dark will not wake until QuickTime has finished decompressing the picture. If you have the password feature enabled, you may have to type the password blind. Paw-Paw 1.2b - Aaron Barnet (c2mxbar@fre.fsu.umd.edu) Known problems when running over Microsoft Excel or Word. Tested and found that it ran correctly in Demo mode, but trashed After Dark, requiring reinstallation, when selected as a screensaver. The author is working on these problems. PowerDown 1.1 - Dan Walkowski (walkowsk@cs.uiuc.edu) Shuts off an unattended Mac after a pre-set time. Running PowerDown in parallel with Randomiser under MultiModule with the After Dark files folder on the Desktop so that AutoDoubler 1.0.7i could compress it (whew!) led to extra copies of the modules running when PowerDown shut downs being put in an AutoDoubler folder. Telling AutoDoubler not to compress PowerDown, Randomiser and MultiModule prevented this from happening - somewhere, somehow, a file wasn't being closed properly. [If you are using PowerDown, take a look at the Okey-Dokey 1.01 control panel from the same author, which will press the default button in a dialog after a pre-set time. This allows you to have open documents in most applications saved automatically on shutdown] Virex-D (MAD 1.0) - Berkeley Systems (brklysystm@aol.com or D0346@applelink.apple.com) Virex-D is primarily an advertisement for the commercial Virex virus-killer. As the D indicates, Virex-D DETECTS viruses - it does not remove them or repair damage. Virex-D has not been updated recently (and will not be until the MAD updater mentioned in 1.4 appears), and SHOULD NOT be used for virus protection. As a screensaver, it kills your disk unnecessarily, too. Use the freeware Disinfectant application (version 3.0 at time of writing) and/or Gatekeeper system extension (version 1.2.7 at time of writing), available from all good ftp sites, to combat Mac viruses. Remember that most Mac viruses are relatively benign and are very rarely seen - this is not something to lose sleep over. [Read the excellent Disinfectant on-line help for more information.] VoiceWaker 1.03 - Alessandro Levi Montalcini (Fricci@Polito.IT) This module works with a microphone to wake up a Mac when you shout at it (A neat trick - just say 'Wake up!' and pretend you're running Caspar... :-) If you are using a Global Village Teleport ADB modem, the Mac will hang whenever a screensave starts. The author can't see a problem with his code, and does not have an ADB modem to play with, so a fix is unlikely. DISCLAIMER AND LEGAL-WEASELLING This work is Copyright (C) 1993 by Lloyd Wood. Permission is hereby granted to distribute this unmodified document provided that no fee in excess of normal on-line charges is required for such distribution. Portions of this document may be extracted and quoted free of charge and without necessity of citation in normal on-line communication provided only that said quotes are not represented as the correspondent's original work. Permission for quotation of this document in printed material and edited on-line communication (such as the Info-Mac Digest and TidBITS) is given subject to normal citation procedures (i.e. you have to say where you got it). Disclaimer: I do my best to ensure that information contained in this document is current and accurate, but I can accept no responsibility for actions resulting from information contained herein. This document is provided as is and with no warranty of any kind. SEND YOUR EMAIL TO: Corrections and suggestions should be addressed to: L.H.Wood@uk.ac.lut (JANET) or L.H.Wood@lut.ac.uk (INTERNET) This FAQ may not be completely up to date. We live in a fast-changing world, and this FAQ tries to reflect the state of a moving target as best it can.