If you're using XFree86, check to make sure your XF86Config file doesn't have the right-alt function definition commented out. They are commented out by default in some distributions.
If you're not using XFree86, or you don't want to change your XF86Config file, you can use xmodmap to make your right Alt key be "Mode Switch" (mod3):
xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Alt_R' -e 'add mod3 = Alt_R'
Question 3.3. Why is there no Executor for NetBSD or
FreeBSD?
We don't currently have the manpower to support it. NOTE:
"support" is different from "port" -- porting it is easy. Training
tech. support and buying more dedicated equipment is what we can't do
quite yet.
Question 3.4. Where are the bitmaps stored on the Linux version of
executor?
All versions of Executor maintain an internal bitmap corresponding to
the actual screen. We accrue a "dirty rectangle" as the
program draws to what it thinks is the screen via Executor's QuickDraw implementation.
We periodically update the _real_ screen (e.g., the X window) by
transferring the "dirty rect" across. So basically our
graphics interface to the host machine consists of nothing more than blitting
rectangles to the screen, which aids our portability. Under X, we use
shared memory extensions for speed, but we don't do anything fancy
like trying to cache Mac fonts on the X server side. Spending time
trying to do so would be a bad idea for a number of reasons we won't
go into.
"Refresh" mode is useful when the program directly
manipulates the frame buffer itself. In this mode, we periodically analyze the
internal screen memory to decide what has been changed, and transfer
the changed data to the real screen.
Question 3.5. My mouse won't work with the SVGALIB version. What's
the deal?
You need a newer kernel. 1.3.26 or later should be fine. ARDI also
has a kernel patch on our ftp site which can fix things for kernel
1.2.13 or later. Make sure your mouse works with other SVGAlib
programs before you suspect there's an Executor specific problem.
Make sure your /etc/vga/libvga.config file contains the proper mouse
information and that /dev/mouse is a symbolic link to the right
device.
Question 3.6. How do I get E/L to see my b:
drive?
Before running Executor, set the MacVolumes environment variable to
point to the entry in "/dev" that represents your B: drive,
as:
Using "sh", "bash" or other Bourne Shell like shell:
$ export MacVolumes="/dev/fd1"
Using "csh", "t-csh" or other C Shell like shell:
% setenv MacVolumes "/dev/fd1"
This should work as long as you have permission to access the drive in
question ("/dev/fd1" in the above example). If it doesn't,
try using the -nodrivesearch switch to disable Executor's usual probing for
devices.
Question 3.7. Why does Lemmings's splash screen take so long to be
drawn?
Executor/Linux tries to cooperate with X-Windows when assigning colors. That leaves X in
charge of "the colormap", which means Executor can't quickly
change the colors in the colormap itself. If you use the
"-privatecmap" option when you start Executor, you'll find that Lemmings splash
screen will come up much quicker, but you'll also experience the
"creepy colors" problem in other windows.
Question 3.8. What free projects has ARDI
supported?
ARDI sent a copy, with the appropriate legal release, of its HFS
implementation to Paul Hargrove to aid him with his implementation of
a true HFS filesystem under Linux. This saved him considerable time
reverse engineering various undocumented aspects of HFS.
To build Executor/DOS, ARDI uses DJGPP, a free 32-bit programming
environment for DOS based mostly on GNU tools. As users of DJGPP, we
have contributed bug fixes and some source code to the project. For
more information about DJGPP, see http://www.delorie.com.
ARDI has also done a minor rewrite of Checker to make it much faster
and fix many bugs. Unfortunately, the modifications were in the hands
of one of ARDI's contractors and appear to have slipped through the
sands of time.
Question 3.9. Is Executor localized for languages other than
English?
Not yet. We recently added international keyboard support, so
romantic language localization is not difficult, per-se, but we're
concentrating on building awareness of Executor in English speaking
countries first.
Question 3.10. Can I Macintosh format disk
drives?
Yes, but if you do not consider yourself a UNIX wizard, you probably
shouldn't do it. All you have to do is find out the formatted disk
capacity and then run makehfv [See Q1.42 `What is makehfv?'] with arguments so it writes directly to the disk drive you want formatted. You can only do
this if you have write permissions on the drive in question.
Obviously all data currently residing on that drive will be lost, and
if you make a typo and inadvertently specify the wrong drive, you'll
erase the data on the wrong drive.
Question 3.11. How can Executor be configured for multiple
users?
Executor has a variety of environment variables that can be altered to
allow individual users to override the default locations Executor
expects to find key files. Here are the important environment
variables and their default values:
The leading "+/" represents the directory "/usr/local/lib/executor". So to allow multiple users to all have their own preferences, you can create an executor directory for each potential user like this:
~/executor/
~/executor/Configuration
~/executor/SystemFolder
~/executor/ScreenDumps
You'll then need to populate the System Folder either with copies of what's in "/usr/local/lib/executor/ExecutorVolume/System Folder", or with symbolic links to the actual files. The Desktop Textures program actually modifies the System File, so if different users are going to want different desktops, or if you want to make sure there's no interference between users, then you should use copies rather than symbolic links.
- 21 April 1998