Cool Mac Gear

One of the Mac OS's great advantages has always been the flexibility of its viewing options. The original Mac OS had just Icon and List views, but there were a variety of configuration options within those general categories. Later on, Button view was added, borrowed from the simplified "At Ease" interface that was developed as an option for the early Performa consumer machines. The Mac OS Launcher was another At Ease refugee.

I never cared much for the Launcher -- it was a bother to configure, in the way when displayed, and too much of a hassle to toggle in and out of view when you just wanted to start a single program. With the introduction of Pop-up Folders and Button view in the Classic Mac OS, however, I was able to create my own, simple, quick-access custom Launcher by making a folder full of application aliases in Button view, which could be accessed with a click on the folder tab at the bottom of the screen. I still use this system in OS 9.x.

Unfortunately, IMHO, both Button view and Pop-up Folders are gone in OS X. The Dock provides sort of a similar function, but without the spatial predictability of my homemade folder full of alias buttons. Indeed, this is a general complaint I have about the OS X Finder -- stuff doesn't stay put. I do still have a homemade Launcher folder in OS X, stored in the Dock, but you have to Optio-click to open to a list of the aliases within, and then often scroll, which is not as convenient or spatially intuitive, and certainly a lot slower, compared with my Classic OS version.

However, there are lots of cool items in the OS X Finder, and I continue to discover new ones. One that I like is the Finder Preferences option that allows you to keep window views the same when opening subsequent folders from within a window. That means that when you are burrowing through a hierarchy of folders, any folder that you open will display in the original window's view mode. This is a lot less cumbersome that having to switch views when you're in a hurry or doing some repetitive task. Very convenient.

Another neat OS X Finder wrinkle is that you can fill the background of windows with custom background colors (or even pictures), which can be a helpful time saver when you're looking for a particular window, in a screen full of open windows, and especially so when you are trying to spot a particular window among a bunch of tiny collapsed window icons in the Dock.

You can configure this one in the View Menu's View Options dialog. Note that the custom window background "wallpaper" only shows in icon view. It will revert to plain white in List or Column views.

From dxtr

Hi Charles,

Having read a couple of articles lately about gestures with mouse or pad driven devices I am wondering if you have used a TouchStream Stealth or any of FingerWorks products? I seem to remember an article by you about ergonomic keyboards that mentioned the Stealth. If that was just a cut and paste review and not an actual hands on test you are missing out on some of the best technology available today. If you and Mr. Farr are excited by the ability of a mouse to go back a page by pressing a button and dragging to the left, this will blow you out of the water! By dragging three fingers and your thumb across the keyboard you can do this in ANY browser! But wait there's more, you also get to put your mouse in a drawer because you don't need it at all any more. Copy you say, as simple as tapping your thumb and middle finger. Move the cursor just by dragging index and middle finger on the keyboard. For you, Charles, the dreaded select text, copy, paste maneuver. Move the cursor to the start with two fingers, lift the fingers then set down three fingers, drag to highlight, lift and tap thumb and middle finger to copy. Go to the destination set the thumb and middle finger down close together and spread them and viola, the paste is done! Scrolling is just a leisurely drag of four fingers down the page. It works in every application I use and no drivers needed!!

This is not even a tenth of what this keyboard will do but it is not a cheap thrill. At $329.00 plus shipping you have to commit to this one. It takes a while to learn to type with any speed but once you do you will love ZERO FORCE typing. I absolutely hate going back to a mouse and regular keyboard now. If you have a lot of pain, as Charles does, associated with mousing this is the ticket. FingerWorks also makes just an input pad so you can get the gestures without the keyboard if you want. They are here http://www.fingerworks.com/ for more info. The Geek factor is off the scale. Take this puppy to your local Mac Store and plug it into an iMac. The Genius Bar is now empty, everyone is at your table including the Genius.....

seeya
dxtr

Hi dxtr;

Thanks for the report. I did include the TouchStream Stealth in a roundup article about what is available in ergonomic inout devices for the Mac, but I have not used one.

Sounds wonderful.

Charles

Optimizing Software

From Michael Koren

Charles

You you ever noticed all the time spent when installing certain (Apple definitely) software updates on 'Optimizing' the software? Do you have any idea what is taking place? I started wondering from all the clicks and time if it weren't doing some sort of defrag.

Michael

Hi Michael;

Nope; I don't have a clue what's going on there. This isn't an entirely new thing in OS X, I don't think. The old Classic OS System installers also have a phase where they tidy things up at the end of the install process (I cant recall the exact terminology in the install progress dialog).

I expect someone who understands programming can shed some light on this matter.

Charles

"Classic" Emulation under Mac OS X is now memory-crippled (Apple KnowledgeBase article)

From Martin A. Totusek

"Classic" Emulation under Mac OS X is now memory-crippled, so even more will the "no booting into OS 9" hurt Mac users:

In an Apple KnowledgeBase article, Apple describes the memory allocation for Classic applications under Mac OS X: "Because Mac OS X uses memory differently, you actually set the relative amount of memory available to the application in Classic. If you start up your computer using Mac OS 9, then the application will use the amount of memory you have set.

"Note: Mac OS X 10.2 limits the amount of memory shared among all running Classic applications to less than 128 megabytes."

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61528

The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here:
http://www.applelinks.com/news/odyssey/

CM

Charles W. Moore