EXECUTOR(1)

NAME
executor, executor-svga, executor-demo, executor-svga-demo - Run Macintosh applications

SYNOPSIS
executor [options] [mac-application [document1] [document2 ...]]

COPYRIGHT
Executor is Copyright (C) 1986 - 1998 by Abacus Research & Development, Inc.

DESCRIPTION
Executor runs many Macintosh applications. It neither contains, nor requires any code from Apple Computer. That makes executor a very complex piece of software and it also introduces many limitations. Executor does not run Apple's Finder, nor any INITs or CDEVs. Facilities newer than System 7.0 (like QuickTime) are not currently available and even some System 7.0 features are not present. Executor has some sound support, very little serial port support and no networking support. Executor's font management and printing capabilities are not as sophisticated as those on a modern Macintosh. Hardware limitations of the PC floppy controller prevent the use of floppies formatted at 800K. Some programs which use undocumented or misdocumented features will fail under executor.

Executor is the only Macintosh emulator available for any platfrom that does not require copying ROMs from a Macintosh (a practice that is usually illegal).

Some of the better known applications that people use executor for include Microsoft Word 5.1, Microsoft Excel 4.0, Quicken 6.0 for the Macintosh, NIH Image and tons of games. A compatibility database and much more information is available on our web-site (<http://www.ardi.com>).

SVGA VERSION
Executor is supported as an X application. In addition to the X version, the binary executor-svga is an svgalib application. This version is not officially supported and will eventually be supplanted by either an X version that uses DGA, or a GGI version or both.

DEMO VERSION
The binaries executor-demo and executor-svga-demo are demo versions which can be used for 30 days to determine the suitability of executor to your specific needs. In addition to only being able to be used for 30 days before expiring, the demo versions also have a few other limitations: all pages printed will have "Demo" written on them; Macintosh formatted media can be read but not written; and Command-Key equivalents are not supported.

OPTIONS
The -help option causes Executor to print a list of available options and a brief description of each option.

ARGUMENTS
If there isn't an argument after the options, Executor will run "Browser", ARDI's substitute for Apple's Finder. Browser isn't particularly clever, but will at least do a good job of keeping AppleDouble files consistent when they're moved or renamed. We have limited resources, so we've put almost all our engineering effort into rewriting the Mac OS OS and toolbox calls instead of improving our browser. At some point we hope to integrate sufficiently well into the various Linux desktop managers that we will be able to do away with our browser entirely.

If there is another argument after the options, it's used as the name of the Macintosh application to run. This can either be a UNIX pathname (e.g. "/tmp/Adobe Illustrator%A8 7.0 Tryout/Adobe Illustrator%A8 7.0 Tryout") or a Macintosh path name (e.g. "Demo:Swivel Applications:SwivelPro 2.0.4"). Further arguments after the application name are interpreted as documents that the Macintosh application should open when it is started.

BUILT-IN F-KEYS

Cmd-Shift-1
    brings up an "About Box" that lists the Executor version number, the number of days left in the demo, the total amount of emulated RAM available, the amount of System RAM consumed, the amount of Application RAM consumed, and five buttons. The buttons allow you to see the License under which you may run executor, the details of ARDI, credits, and the tips file (randomly sorted). The forth button dismisses the "About Box".

Cmd-Shift-2
    tells Executor to re-examine /dev/fd0 and /dev/cdrom for Macintosh media. It's imperative that you never remove Mac-formatted media while Executor is running unless you have already clicked on an "Eject" button or chosen an "Eject" menu option and had Executor acknowledge that it's acceptable to remove your Macintosh formatted media.

Cmd-Shift-3
    dumps the screen to a file.

Cmd-Shift-5
    brings up the "Preferences Panel" which allows you to alter some Executor parameters and save the changes for later on a per-application basis. This is especially important if you want to run applications that require a System version greater than 6.0.7.

Cmd-Shift-6
    tells Executor that when you quit the currently running application that you don't want to return to the Browser.

Cmd-Shift-7
    requests executor to repaint the screen. This should never be necessary.

ENVIRONMENT

ConfigurationFolder
    the directory where per-application configuration files are saved. These are the files that are created when you click on the "Save" button of the "Preferences" panel that comes up when you type Cmd-shift-5. The default value is "/var/opt/executor/share/conf".

SystemFolder
    the Macintosh name of the folder which contains the System file. The System file can be stored in an HFV or in an Apple-Double file. The default is for SystemFolder to be "System:System Folder" with System being part of the HFV "/var/opt/executor/exsystem.hfv".

PublicDirectoryMap
    is the root name of the database, shared with other Executor users, that maps i-numbers to names. This is needed, because unlike under UNIX, Macintosh applications can look up directories by number. The default is "/var/opt/executor/directory_map". The suffix "-le.db" is added to the root name.

PrivateDirectoryMap
    is the root name of the private database that maps i-numbers to names. The default is "~/.executor/directory_map".

DefaultFolder
    is the folder that will be displayed whenever the running Macintosh application brings up a standard get or put dialog box. The default is "/home/executor".

MacVolumes
    This variable tells executor where it should look for Macintosh volumes. Directories listed in MacVolumes will automatically be scanned for HFVs. MacVolumes is delimited by semi-colons (";"). The volume which contains the System file must be first in any MacVolumes list. The default value is "/var/opt/executor/exsystem.hfv;/var/opt/executor". As such, any HFV created in /var/opt/executor will automatically be opened when Executor runs.

ScreenDumpFile
    When you type Cmd-Shift-3, executor creates a TIFF file containing a dump of the executor screen. The default value is "/tmp/excscrn*.tiff". The "*" tells executor where to place an integer (starting with 0) to make the file unique. In other words, if the files "/tmp/exscrn0.tiff" and "/tmp/exscrn1.tiff" already exist when a Cmd-Shift-3 is typed, executor will write its dump into "/tmp/exscrn2.tiff".

PrintersIni
    is the name of the file that contains the options of the printing subsystem. The default is "/opt/executor/printers.ini".

PrintersDef
    is the name of the file that contains the most recently used printer options. The default is "/var/opt/executor/printdef.ini"

BUGS
Executor is complex and the man pages are new. They omit many details.

Executor works by using the facilities of ROMlib, a rewrite of the MacOS OS and toolbox calls. ROMlib was created from publicly available documentation, but documentation isn't always correct. If an application relies on undocumented or misdocumented features of the MacOS, the application may fail under Executor. One way in which Macintosh applications may fail is by referencing memory that is not available. Executor does not currently trap stray memory accesses; they cause executor to dump core.

SEE ALSO
AppleDouble(5), directory_map (5), ecf(5), hfv(5), printers.ini(5),

FILES
/opt/executor/splash - the directory that contains the splash screen that executor presents as it is coming up. You can disable the splash screen by removing the files in this directory. We have not yet released a tool to allow people to build their own splash screens. /opt/executor/tips.txt - a text file containing a collection of useful tidbits that you can read when using Cmd-Shift-1. /var/opt/executor/share/home - true location of /home/executor (which is just a symlink). /home/executor - convenient place to store Macintosh files. /dev/fd0, /dev/cdrom - floppy drive and CD-ROM drive that are examined for Macintosh media when executor is first started and when Cmd-Shift-2 is typed. /dev/cua0 - serial line that may be accessed when Macintosh programs try to use the serial ports. Serial port access is very weak and will continue to be weak, even in release 2.1.

DISCLAIMER
Executor is a registered trademark of Abacus Research and Development, Inc. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. (Those are two separate companies; please don't confuse the two.)