The shame should not fall on you, but on the computers (and ultimately their programmers). 

If the Mac is not able to check that some processor cycles are needed for sound generation, is there an API that could be used by Squeak to reset the Processor Cycling option while generating the sound?


__Pascal Bourguignon__


Begin forwarded message:

Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 10:59:43 -0400 (EDT)
To: squeak at cs.uiuc.edu
From: Mark Guzdial <guzdial at cc.gatech.edu>
Subject: Re: Squeak Sound vs. G3 Powerbooks + Kensington Mouseworks

Hi Alan!

<shame-faced>  Yup, you were right.  Pat Caudill sent me a similar note,
but I only checked that the machine wasn't going into sleep mode.  I hadn't
checked the Processor Cycling check box.  Now, even with Kensington
MouseWorks software on, sound in Squeak is great.

Sorry for the false alarm!

Mark

>Mark --
>
>It's very likely that you have processor cycling on (to save battery
>drain). Go to your Energy Saver control panel and turn it off for both
>battery and power supply. Things should then work fine.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Alan
>
>------
>
>At 1:33 PM -0000 10/12/98, Mark Guzdial wrote:
>>I've been having a weird problem on my G3 Powerbook that sound playback in
>>Squeak was significantly WORSE than on any other machine I use.  On a
>>variety of MIDI files and even on "AbstractSound stereoBachFugue play," I
>>was treated to a medley of clicks and distortions.
>>
>>While trying to debug it yet again yesterday, I happened to hit my
>>Kensington Orbit trackball while it was playing -- and POOF! the distortion
>>disappeared.  I found that as long as I moved the trackball, sound playback
>>was fine!  I then restarted without the Kensington Mouseworks software, and
>>sound is great again in Squeak.
>>
>>I guess that the MouseWorks software must gobble CPU cycles when the mouse
>>is idle, and that's what was ruining sound playback.  FYI.
>>
>>Mark
>>
>>--------------------------
>>Mark Guzdial : Georgia Tech : College of Computing : Atlanta, GA 30332-0280
>>(404) 894-5618 : Fax (404) 894-0673 : guzdial at cc.gatech.edu
>>http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/Faculty/Mark.Guzdial.html


--------------------------
Mark Guzdial : Georgia Tech : College of Computing : Atlanta, GA 30332-0280
(404) 894-5618 : Fax (404) 894-0673 : guzdial at cc.gatech.edu
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/Faculty/Mark.Guzdial.html