The Macintosh ROM contains over 4,000 functions that are available
for programmers to utilize in their own code. To differentiate between these
and our own code the convention is to refer to these functions as routines,
and collectively as the Mac Toolbox. To help developers use the Toolbox
Apple created Inside Macintosh, a work cataloging the Toolbox routines and
demonstrating their implementation. As more code was added over the years
five supplements to Inside Macintosh came out, and we now refer to these
works as Old Inside Macintosh volumes I-VI. In 1992 Apple rewrote Inside
Macintosh dividing it into volumes based on topic, this rewritten encyclopedic
collection of books is New Inside Macintosh, or NIM for short.
Currently their are 25 volumes of NIM, and you don't need to have any them
to learn to program the mac (usually a "how-to" book will introduce
you to the most crucial ones). But once you have gotten started and begin
generating your own programs you will need some of them. There is no substitute.
NIM is available in at least two forms. A text version is published
by Addison Wesley for a cost of between $25 to $60 a volume. You can purchase
each volume separately from APDA or your local
bookstore. Also, there is an electronic form. Apple distributes a program
called DocViewer
via ftp from ftp.apple.com. Apple sells a single CD with all the current
NIM on it through SoftPro (1-617-273-2919) for $99. Also, if you order their
Developer mailing you will receive all the NIM in DocViewer format on CD.
The best deal by far though is through a develop subsription. Gary J. LaPointe
maintains a very nice www page with FAQ's for NIM
on develop. Until issue 18 of develop, you received all the current
NIM. Now they offer only five "essential" NIM and feature other
volumes with each issue. Most folks only need those essential five volumes.
If you backorder issue 17 of develop (for $13) and get a a subscription
to develop (a link to subscription and contact
info), you'll get all of them at a price even a student can afford.
This just in: evidently Apple is making some of the NIM available via anonymous
FTP. Here is a link to Apple's NIM
FTP site.
The following is a comprehensive inventory of the current NIM,
I'm aware. The format of NIM allows for new volumes and sub-groups of volumes
(Quick Draw GX and PowerPC for example) to be added easily. This list is
likely to change as Apple comes out with new volumes or new versions of
old volumes. The numbers folling the NIM volume indicate which issue of
d e v e l o p they've apeared on.
NIM: Toolbox Essentials 17 and up
NIM: More Mac Toolbox Essentials 17 and up
NIM: Memory 17 and up
NIM: Files 17 and up
NIM: Imaging With Quickdraw 19 and up ___ "core" 5 volumes
NIM: Overview 17
NIM: Processes 17 and 21
NIM: Devices (Preview) 17
NIM: Interapplication Comm 17
NIM: QuickTime 17
NIM: QuickTime Components 17
NIM: Text 17
NIM: Sound 19
NIM: PowerPC:
Numerics 18
System Software 18 ___ 15 volumes
NIM: QD/GX
Environment & Utilities 17 or 18
Extensions & Drivers 17 or 18
Function Index 17 or 18
Graphics 17 or 18
Objects 17 or 18
Printing 17 or 18
Typography 17 or 18 ___ 22 volumes
NIM: Advanced Color Imaging (beta):
Introduction 20 or 21
Color Manager 20 or 21
Color Picker Manager 20 or 21
ColorSync Utilities (1.0) 20 or 21
ColorSync Utilities (2.0) 20 or 21
Display Manager 20 or 21
Palette Manager 20 or 21 ___ 29 volumes
NIM: Operating System Utilities not yet
NIM: Networking not yet
NIM: AOCE Application Interfaces not yet
NIM: AOCE Service Access Modules not yet ___ 33 volumes
Errata: Memory 21
Errata: Processes 21
Human Interface Guidelines 17 and up
Old IM volume VI 17 or 18
for site info contact: Nick.c
DeMello
