After Dark 3.0b for Macintosh fixes a variety of incompatibilities and conflicts that After Dark 3.0 was experiencing. This document is divided into three parts: a brief overview of fixes, an in-depth description of the fixes, and finally an overview of known incompatibilities and workarounds.
I. Brief Overview of Fixes
After Dark 3.0 will now work smoothly with the following:
System Software/Installers
• System 7.5’s Apple Menu Options control panel and Norton Utilities’ FileSaver
• Apple Installers
• Aladdin Installers
Utilities
• SAM (Symantec Anti-virus Macintosh)
• Easy Alarms
• Empower
• Disk Doubler 3.7.7
• Snap (a control panel in InTouch)
Communications Software
• Prodigy 3.0
• America Online
• Microsoft Mail 3.1
• Apple Express Modem
• White Knight
Applications
• Great Plains Accounting Software
• Word Perfect 3.0
• MYOB
• KidDesk 1.1
• TurboCAD
• Best Books
• Metrowerks Code Warrior
• Microsoft Excel 4.0
• CAT IV 1.0
• At Ease 1.01
After Dark 3.0b also has the following improvements:
• After Dark will not sleep over modem uploads or downloads of 2400 baud or higher when SystemIQ is active.
• The “Marbles” module will now run properly in MultiModule in Password mode.
• After Dark will now respond to a quit application (“qapp”) AppleEvent.
• The Randomizer module is now more random than before.
• EcoLogic’s advance key command is now Option-Shift to avoid conflict with screen captures.
Fixes Available from Third Party Developers (see below for details)
• Connectix PowerBook Utilities (CPU), from Connectix
• Connectix Desktop Utilities (CDU), from Connectix
• Adobe Type Reunion, from Adobe
• Soft Windows, from Insignia Solutions
• Think Pascal, from Symantec
• Thunder7, by Baseline
• DiskLock, from Symantec
• Net Distributor, from Symantec
• Finale, from Coda
II. In-Depth Descriptions of Fixes
1) System Software/Installers
System 7.5’s Apple Menu Options control panel and Norton Utilities’ Filesaver
Under System 7.5, and with FileSaver from Norton Utilities 3.0 installed, trying to put After Dark to sleep would merely "blink" the menu bar and desktop items. This was believed to be associated with System 7.5’s Apple Menu Options, but it was also reproduced with other versions of the System software. Symantec is also fixing this problem in their next version of FileSaver as well.
The Apple Installer
If After Dark slept over a dialog of the Apple Installer, it would crash when woken.
The Alladin Installer
If After Dark slept over a dialog of Aladdin's installer, it would crash when woken.
2) Utilities
SAM (Symantec Anti-virus for Macintosh)
With SAM Intercept set to Advanced, the first time After Dark went to sleep (via hot key, inactivity or sleep corner), SAM would alert “SAM detected an attempt to bypass the resource manager. The file being affected is Visual Client. The currently active application is Finder.” This notification would punch through After Dark and would possibly hang the system.
You may still experience problems with SAM giving warnings when you run After Dark modules. We have been unable to reproduce this in house, but we've heard reports from testers. Setting SAM's preferences to dismiss (OK) its own dialogs after a brief period, and telling it to "learn" that After Dark's behavior is OK may help.
Easy Alarms
Easy Alarms would crash when it was the foreground application, or it had put up an alert box, and After Dark slept.
Empower
If After Dark was loaded before Empower during startup, the system would crash after the Empower icon appeared. We have solved the problem by making After Dark not sensitive to load order during startup.
Disk Doubler 3.7.7
After Dark wouldn’t load at startup with Disk Doubler 3.7.7 installed and 32-bit addressing off. Turning 32-bit addressing on would eliminate the problem, as would having After Dark load first. We have solved the problem by making After Dark not sensitive to load order during startup.
InTouch’s Snap cdev
With the Snap control panel installed, After Dark would not sleep after the specified idle time, or by using the sleep now corner or hot key. Demo mode would work, but would be very slow to start up. The only solution was to remove Snap from the System Folder. NOTE: Snap’s hot key is identical as After Dark’s default hot key (Command-Control-S).
3) Communications Software
Prodigy 3.0
Prodigy would sometimes crash if After Dark slept over it.
America Online
After Dark would sometimes sleep over an upload or download from AOL, even if our SystemIQ feature was turned on.
Microsoft Mail 3.1
If Microsoft Mail sent you a mail notification while After Dark’s control panel was open, it would hang the system if you subsequently clicked on neither the AD Control Panel nor on the Notifier dialog.
Apple Express Modem (software that comes with GeoPort adapters)
If After Dark was asleep when a fax comes in, and Apple Express Modem software’s auto-answer option is turned on, the system would hang.
White Knight
If White Knight is the active application, After Dark would either not sleep or possibly crash. If you selected the After Dark control panel at that point, it would crash.
4) Applications
Great Plains Accounting Software
After Dark would crash sporadically on some systems running Great Plains.
Word Perfect 3.0
If you slept After Dark 3.0 while a mail merge or print job in Word Perfect 3.0 was occurring (with the spinning cursor), it would crash. Also, it would crash if Hewlett-Packard’s DeskWriter driver would try to send an alert through After Dark’s sleep in Word Perfect.
MYOB
If Mind Your Own Business (MYOB) was installed and active, and After Dark slept, it would crash. Incidentally, turning off 32-bit addressing would fix the problem, but we fixed it in After Dark 3.0b anyway.
KidDesk 1.1
With KidDesk 1.1 installed as the default (startup) interface, if you leave KidDesk and go to the Finder, After Dark would not sleep at all, and would crash if you pressed the sleep hot key while in the Finder.
TurboCAD (non-FPU version)
TurboCAD would crash when After Dark slept over an open TurboCAD document.
Best Books
Best Books would crash if After Dark slept over it.
Metrowerks Code Warrior
After Dark would crash if it tried to sleep over an open dialog in Code Warrior.
Microsoft Excel 4.0
After Dark would not “see” keystrokes entered into Excel 4.0, and would therefore sleep, thinking the computer had been idle.
CAT IV 1.0
With CAT IV 1.0 installed and running, After Dark would crash upon wakeup.
At Ease 1.01
When you start up in At Ease 1.0.1, then switch to the Finder, After Dark would not sleep via its sleep corner or time-out. Using After Dark’s hot key while in the Finder would freeze the system. NOTE: At Ease 2.0 does not have this problem.
5) Other After Dark 3.0b improvements
SystemIQ
After Dark will not sleep over modem uploads or downloads of 2400 baud or higher when as long as our SystemIQ feature is on.
Marbles module in MultiModule in Password mode
After Dark would crash if the Marbles module was running in MultiModule and After Dark was requiring a password. If you tried to wake up, the system would crash when it tried to draw the password dialog, or soon thereafter.
AppleEvent support
Outside developers requested that After Dark honor the core quit application AppleEvent (“qapp”) for the visual client so they can send remote shutdown requests to computers. So we did.
Randomizer
The Randomizer module is now more random than before.
EcoLogic
EcoLogic’s mode-advance key command is now Option-Shift to avoid conflict with screen capture.
III. Known Incompatibilities and Workarounds
1) Third Party Software Fixes
Connectix PowerBook Utilities (CPU)
With CPU version 2.0.2 and After Dark 3.0 installed, the system will crash as it tries to load the finder after loading all the INITs. Version 2.0.3 and 2.0.4 of CPU fix this problem. Contact Connectix for the upgrade.
Connectix Desktop Utilities (CDU)
Earlier versions of Connectix’s CDU (1.0.x) are causing a crash during startup if After Dark 3.0 is loaded. Version 1.0.3 of CDU fixes the problem. Contact Connectix for the upgrade.
Adobe Type Reunion (version 1.0.1)
Version 1.0.1 of ATR may crash when running the Bad Dog module (and possibly others) in demo mode with ATR installed. Contact Adobe for the latest version of Adobe Type Reunion.
Soft Windows
If you are experiencing crashes with After Dark and Soft Windows version 1.02, please call Insignia Solutions for the latest version, 1.02a.
Think Pascal
After Dark may crash over Think Pascal. Contact Symantec Technical Support for the fix.
Thunder7
Make sure you have at least version 1.5.4 of this spell checker to avoid possible conflicts. Call Baseline for the upgrade.
DiskLock 3.0
If you are experiencing crashes with DiskLock 3.0 and After Dark, call Symantec Technical Support for version 3.0.1, which fixes the problem.
Net Distributor
Net Distributor’s Delete Handler extension may keep After Dark awake. Throw away the "Net Distributor Delete Handler" extension; this is an extension that should have deleted itself, anyway. An upgrade is available from Symantec.
Finale
After Dark would dismiss palettes and staves from old versions of Finale; when it awakens, these things would not reappear. Version 3.2rc3 or later fixes the problem. Contact Coda for the upgrade.
Intermission
If you have Intermission installed, it will prevent After Dark from loading. The solution, should you wish to use After Dark, is to remove the file "Intermission INIT" from your Extensions folder, then restart.
SofTrack Notify
If you have this program installed, it will prevent After Dark from going to sleep on its own or staying asleep if you use the sleep now corner or sleep hot key. The only solution is to remove this program from your System Folder, then restart.
2) Berkeley Systems Software Problems (even with After Dark 3.0b)
Old MultiModule and Randomizer modules
Do not use old versions of MultiModule and Randomizer (from any After Dark 2.0-based product) with After Dark 3.0, this may cause a crash. If you install any After Dark 2.0 package (such as After Dark 2.0, Star Trek: The Screen Saver, or The Disney Collection Screen Saver), you must reinstall After Dark 3.0 afterwards.
Pearls module
The module ‘Pearls,’ from the "Art of Darkness" book, may crash under After Dark 3.0. If you own this package, an upgrade to this module is available through Berkeley Systems' Macintosh Customer Support.
WallZapper
In low memory conditions, you may not get your WallZapper poster restored or it will fail to install without an alert.
Also, some zapped images may have ‘noise’, particularly if made from some Simpsons modules, and some custom PICTs you may zap to your desktop.
Spock and Pinocchio modules
Interactive mode (using the Caps Lock key) in the Spock and Pinocchio modules doesn’t work under After Dark 3.0.
Artist module
Some PICTs may crash when The Artist module tries to render them.
Installing After Dark 2.0 on top of 3.0
If After Dark 3.0 is already installed when you install an earlier Berkeley Systems screen saver package that includes After Dark version 2.0 (e.g. the Disney Collection), the older Installer may leave you with both the old and new versions of the After Dark control panel. This will cause After Dark 3.0 to not load at startup. The solution is to run the After Dark 3.0 Installer again; this will delete the older control panel and will also re-organize the 2.0 modules into After Dark 3.0's "module folder" scheme.
3) Other Problems (even with After Dark 3.0b)
Alert Messages
You may not get alert messages from these programs if After Dark is asleep, until you wake up After Dark:
- InTouch (its Remind Me! control panel)
- Alarm Clock (Apple desk accessory)
- Now Up-to-Date
- Claris Organizer
Notification Dialogs
The following applications may punch their notification dialogs through After Dark’s screen, but you should be able to dismiss them normally (whereas they used to crash):
- FileSaver (from Norton Utilities 3.0)
- Stuffit SpaceSaver
- KeyServer (from Sassafras)
- Symantec Anti-virus for Macintosh
- TimeLog (from Coral Research)
QuickMail 3.0
If you have QuickMail 3.0 installed and set to log on automatically at startup, and After Dark is set to require a password at startup, QuickMail's menu bar will not appear properly. The workaround is to set QuickMail to log on later or manually, not automatically.
Norton FastBack
Norton FastBack’s scheduled backup may be blocked by After Dark.
AutoCAD
After Dark may cause floating palettes to disappear in AutoCAD.
PhotoShop 2.5.1
After Dark may not sleep over open PhotoShop 2.5.1 dialogs.
PegasusMail 2.0
If After Dark sleeps when Pegasus is in foreground, PegasusMail appears to “freeze” (though it is not really crashed). Put After Dark to sleep again then wake it up, then PegasusMail 2.0 will work properly.
Eudora
Sometimes if you wake up After Dark, and Eudora is in the foremost application, Eudora's window may not redraw properly.
Other Notes
If you have experienced problems between After Dark version 3.0 and a product that is not listed in these release notes, you should upgrade to After Dark 3.0b anyway; the fixes in 3.0b may fix your problem, too. Please notify Berkeley Systems' Macintosh Technical Support if you discover either a fix or a problem that is not listed here.
Finally, it is possible that other unexplained problems you may experience are the result of one of After Dark's files being damaged or improperly installed. In that case, running the After Dark 3.0 Installer would fix such problems.
Before you run the Installer, you should:
• throw away the "After Dark Preferences" folder (in the Preferences folder within your System Folder), then
• System 7 users should restart your Macintosh with the Shift key held down until you see "Welcome to Macintosh. Extensions Off" to make sure no control panels or extensions interfere with the Installer; after installation is complete, restart normally. (System 6 users should at least temporarily disable any anti-virus or security programs.)
• If what you reinstall is After Dark version 3.0, be sure to run the After Dark 3.0b Updater after that so you benefit from all the fixes listed above.
Contacting Berkeley Systems' Macintosh Technical Support
