Re: SetStart CDEV

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

tws <adoyson@nccn.net> wrote:

> Can you answer the following question:
> 
> What is the START file for?

Assuming you are talking about a system with SetStart, it is the program
that actually uses the startup settings (saved in SetStart.Data, if
memory serves) and launches the requested program.

It manages to pull a neat trick in that when you quit from the startup
program, the Finder is launched (instead of going back to the selected
startup program or the built-in launcher).  If you quit from Finder, you
get the built-in launcher.

A file called "Start" in the System folder is just one of the programs
that GS/OS can launch at the end of the boot sequence.  On a standard
System 5.0.x or 6.0.x 800K system disk, Start is usually the Finder.  On
self-booting application disks, the application itself might be the
Start file (though it is more commonly found in the root directory with
a name ending in .SYS16).

If you are not sure what the "Start" file is on a particular disk, don't
assume anything about it.


In general, GS/OS's rules for dermining which program to launch after
booting are:

1. *:System:Start, if present.  It must be a GS/OS application (S16).

2. The first file in the root directory with type S16 and name ending in
".SYS16".

3. The first file in the root directory with type SYS and name ending in
".SYSTEM".  (These might be mixed in with #2 so that the first file
found that matches either rule is picked - I haven't investigated
closely.)

If no startup program is found, System 6.0.x runs the built-in launcher,
and earlier systems report a fatal error.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand