Mini vMac Manual

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copyright (c) 2002 Paul C. Pratt - last update 7/17/02

MANUAL

Mini vMac requires a ROM image file from a Mac Plus to run. The ROM image file can be made with the CopyRom utility, available from www.vMac.org. The resulting ROM image file is copyright Apple Computer, and may not be redistributed. (Do not ask me for a copy.)

Instructions for the 3 versions:

Macintosh

> The ROM image file should be named 'vMac.ROM' and placed in the folder containing Mini vMac.

> The emulated floppy drives use 'disk image' files. The program 'Disk Copy', from Apple, which comes with Mac OS, can be used to create and edit disk images.

> Menu Commands

> Apple

> > About Mini vMac...

> > > Gives a short message about the program. Choose 'OK' to continue.

> File

> > Open Disk Image...

> > > Brings up the standard dialog to select a disk image file to open. This has the effect of inserting the emulated disk into an emulated floppy drive. Mini vMac can have up to three disk images mounted at once. Attempting to mount more than three will result in an error alert.

> > Quit

> > > Quits Mini vMac. Sort of like flipping the power switch on the emulated machine. The emulated machine should be shut down first. Mini vMac will bring up a warning OK/Cancel dialog if any disks are still mounted (as a substitute for trying determine if the machine has been shut down).

> Special

> > Limit Speed

> > > Limits the speed of the emulated machine to approximately that of the original Mac Plus. This makes some games more playable.

> > Reset

> > > The reset button for the emulated Mac Plus. All unsaved changes are lost. Mini vMac will bring up a warning OK/Cancel dialog first.

> > Interrupt

> > > The interrupt button for the emulated Mac Plus. This invokes any installed debugger. Mini vMac will bring up a warning OK/Cancel dialog first.

> Notes:

> The emulated clock is set to the current time when Mini vMac starts. But it loses time when the emulation isn't running, such as when the program isn't the front most application.

> A disk image file can also be opened by dragging it onto the Mini vMac application icon, or the Mini vMac window if the program is running. If a disk image file's creator is set to 'MnvM' (which can be done with ResEdit), double clicking on its icon will open it with Mini vMac. (This works more predictably if there is only a single copy of Mini vMac on your machine.) If also its file type is set to 'MvIm', it will get the vMac disk image icon in the Finder.

> When Mini vMac is first launched, it will look in the folder containing the application for disk images named 'disk1.dsk', 'disk2.dsk', and 'disk3.dsk', and open them if found. It stops at the first image not found, i.e. if there is no 'disk2.dsk', it won't open 'disk3.dsk', even if it exists.

> The 'vMac.ROM' file in the folder containing the application may be an alias file, pointing to the real ROM file elsewhere. The 'disk1.dsk', 'disk2.dsk', and 'disk3.dsk' files may be also be aliases.

Microsoft Windows

> Mini vMac works on Windows pretty much the same way it works on the Macintosh. The about command is in the help menu on the right (there is no apple menu). The Control key is used to emulate the Macintosh Command key, and the Alt key is used to emulate the Macintosh Option key.

> When Mini vMac is run, it registers in the Windows Registry '.dsk' files as belonging to Mini vMac, so that double clicking on a '.dsk' file will open it with Mini vMac. It also registers '.rom' files, so that the ROM image file will have an icon. This may not be a good idea, if some other programs wants to use these extensions. To change this, see the code 'RegisterInRegistry()' in 'OSGLUWIN.c'.

X Window System

> Mini vMac on X does not yet have menus and dialogs. When launched from the command line with no arguments it will look in the current directory for a ROM file named 'vMac.ROM', and look for a disk image named 'Disk1.DSK'. If passed an argument '-r [romfilename]', it will try to load the ROM file from [romfilename]. If there are any other arguments beginning with '-', it will print out copyright and usage information and quit. If there are any other arguments, not beginning with '-', it will try to mount them as disk image files. (After the program starts, there is no way to mount more disk image files.)

> The F9 key will turn on the Speed Limit option. The F10 key will turn it off. The F12 key will cause Mini vMac to quit. There is no confirmation alert when it quits.

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