AFA GeneS:
Can you explain just what the so-called "Disappearing Folders" bug is all about?

JusSomeGuy:
Some users have complained that many of their folders and files have suddenly "disappeared" from their Finder windows. The disappearance is sudden and, frankly, kind of frightening.  The Find feature in Finder can locate and display the missing items, but once the window is closed the files disappear again.

 The problem is caused by a bug in the file system  (HFS).  This mistake in the ROM has been present in  all versions of HFS, going back to 1985.

AFA GeneS:
Greg, is there anything about system 7 that causes this problem to appear?

JusSomeGuy:
A set of bizarre coincidences in System 7 trigger the bug.  For the terminally curious, the bug is in the code that does a rename operation.  The way the Finder keeps track of folders on the desktop can cause some rename operations to damage a data structure the file system uses to keep track of currently open files.

Actually, the file control  block that gets damaged is one of the desktop database files used to keep track of icons and document types. If, at a later time during the same session (i.e. no reboot in between), the desktop database file is expanded then the in-memory damage migrates to the disk's catalog b*-tree.  The catalog b*-tree is used to keep track of all the files and folders on the disk.  When it gets damaged, some files and folders become inaccessible and "disappear".

AFA GeneS:
What does a user do in system 7 that sets off this bizarre chain of events?

JusSomeGuy:
Creating a new folder on the desktop, and then renaming it, may cause the in-memory damage. I want to stress that this will not always happen, because the damage is dependent on the file ID of the desktop database file being a certain number. After the in-memory damage occurs, the damage will not always move to the disk.  Also, moving the folder to the hard disk's window seems to be required to make the  directory damage happen, although we're not certain of this.

AFA GeneS:
What does the new System 7 "Tuner" do to prevent this kind of damage?

JusSomeGuy:
System 7 Tuner, version 1.1.1, contains a patch that will prevent the damage from occurring.  Running Tuner 1.1.1 is a sure way to avoid this bug.  Once a disk is  damaged, though, Tuner does nothing to repair it. We're working on a new version of Disk First Aid to do this, and 3rd party disk utility developers are also quickly responding to this  situation.

AFA GeneS:
So future versions of those hard disc utilities will incorporate a means to fix this kind of damage?

JusSomeGuy:
Yes.  But, if you run Tuner you'll be protected. Also, future releases of system software will include the fix.

AFA GeneS:
If someone has the damage now, what's the solution- is there a solution for them?

JusSomeGuy:
The only solution is to backup what you can and erase the disk.  The Read Me file that comes with Tune-Up 1.1 has a detailed set of instructions on how to do this.  This is one Read Me file you definitely don't want to skip!

AFA GeneS:
Are there any other changes in the Tune-Up 1.1.1  package?

JusSomeGuy:
The only other change is a new LaserWriter driver, version 7.1.1.

AFA GeneS:
What are the changes in the new LaserWriter driver?

JusSomeGuy:
7.1.1 was primarily developed to support the new Personal LaserWriter NTR printer.  In addition some problems reported with version 7.1 of the driver were fixed.  Most notably: a problem with the LaserWriter Plus causing PostScript errors or spontaneous printer restarts, and a couple of PostScript errors caused on LaserWriter IIf and IIg printers.

AFA GeneS:
Can you give us any clues about what's to be in the next major system software release and when it might be released?

JusSomeGuy:
The next version of System 7 is geared toward full international support.  Most of the subscribers to AOL won't find it very exciting, since they never have a need for fully integrated TrueType, Kanji fonts or in-line input methods for languages like Japanese or Arabic.  We should be beta soon, with a release targeted for late summer or early fall.

AFA GeneS:
Any bug fixes or improvements in performance expected?

JusSomeGuy:
Not really.  Unfortunately the size of our engineering and testing departments limits the number of things we can do at one time.  All the Tuner fixes are included, though, along with a few minor tweaks
 to performance.

AFA GeneS:
What about these drop-in Extensions that have been reported, to extend System 7? Is that something that might be on the horizon?

JusSomeGuy:
There are a number of projects going on right now that will probably be shipped in the form of "additional software" (the term currently in vogue  here) instead of with a major system upgrade.

AFA GeneS:
Any clues yet as to what features this "additional software" will include?

JusSomeGuy:
Well, a number of things have been reported in the press lately...but I'm not sure what's been "officially" acknowledged to exist at this point. So I'll just wimp out and play it safe and say "MacWeek sure prints interesting rumors, doesn't it?

AFA GeneS:
And thank you, Greg, as always for a very informative discussion.