File Format Fiasco Follow-up

[MUG NEWS]

Florin Alexander Neumann got it right (partially)

   > This is not a bug. You transferred your files using
   > a non-Mac OS medium or network.

Correctamundo

We've been back and forth four times today (a 15 minute drive)
and discovered:

a) Files via the University's Novel network get screwed.
b) Reinitializing the PenDrive finally worked for a
    direct copy from the local Mac's USB port.

Couple of interesting twists though:

   > (Incidentally, I'm willing to bet you don't have
   > an OS/9 machine in your office, but an Mac running
   > Mac OS 9. OS/9 is an operating system developed by
   > Microware and it is a completely  different kettle
   > of fish from the Mac OS

How much was that bet?

Wrong: OS 9.2 installed from Apple's commercial instal CD

   > Solution: Transfer your files to your machine using
   > an HFS or HFS+ disk or with a network method that
   > preserves Mac file structures.

Right:  (sort of)

   We reinitialized the PenDrive as an HFS+ disk, and the
   OSX machine saw it and copied files to it.
   But when we returned to the OS9 machine, it said:
   "This is not a Macintosh Disk, do you want to reinitialize"

So we did. This time to standard HFS

Returned to the OSX lab, tried it and now everything is peachy.
Except files transferred from any of the 20 student iMacs,
to the instructor's via the "Common Folder" (over a Novel Network)
are rendered useless.

Another little twist, the HFS+ initialization produced an
error on insertion to the Keyboard USB (which had worked before)
saying "Insufficient power for that device" -- so I tried it
in the USB port in the back of the machine to get it to work.

>  under OSX the Mac can't even
>  recognize or open its own files.

   > Nonsense.

Many of the files open into the wrong program or don't open
at all except from within the applications.  And saving out
files including the extension often results in the alarm:
"Are you sure you want to add that extension?"
(LOL -- what else would I use for a JPEG file than .jpg?)

I'm sure there are config issues.  All the machines were set
up by PeeCee people. Probably just out of the box.

Another person posted:

   > Why don't you hold off your unwarranted attacks on
   > OS X until it's shown that the problem was with IT,
   > and not with either the application or the user?
   > It does not appear to be an OS X bug to me.

If "Plug-n-play" doesn't work as advertised, it's a bug...
unless you're one of the ones who consider it to be a "feature"
like Microsoft calls them.  We call them bugs.

Now, clue us in as to how to use the Multi-session CD-RW
drives to burn data onto CDs from the finder and you'll
be really helping.

:-)