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Unsanity Software's release of WindowShade X 2.1.2 this week seemed like an appropriate pretext for reinstalling WindowShade X, which I have been without for a month or so. I've established that I can get along with collapsing open documents to the Dock, using the Window menu extensively, and routinely hiding applications, but I find it a cumbersome way to work. Windowshading is quicker, slicker, more convenient, and more elegant. WindowShade X restores the Classic Mac OS windowshading function to OS X. Actually, winsowshading for the Mac OS started out as a third-party freeware hack back in 1989 for System 6.0.7. Apple didn't actually incorporate it into the Mac OS until System 7.5, so Unsanity has returned windowshading to its third-party roots.
With WindowShade X 2.1.2 you can assign the following actions to the minimize button and a double-click on the window title:
These actions can be set on per-application basis so you can configure your workspace to be convenient for you. WindowShade X 2.1.2 is a minor update to WindowShade X that fixes several bugs including X11 compatibility.
New in version 2.1.2 (January 28, 2003)
Installing WindowShade X is a breeze, and it's an understatement to say it's great to have this function back on my Mac! WindowShade X is simple to use. All aspects of the haxie are controlled through its Preference Pane. To access the WindowShade X Preference Pane, choose "System Preferences" from the Apple menu and then select the WindowShade X icon. Below is the description of all options in the Preference Pane: WindowShade Section
• WindowShade X Enabled: If this checkbox is selected, WindowShade X is active.
Settings Section - This section lets you edit global settings for WindowShade X and individual settings for applications you add. The four popups select the minimization style for each of the actions. Possible actions are:
• Minimize Button: this action is invoked when you click on the yellow minimize button of a window.
Each action can be assigned a behavior:
• WindowShade: when applied, only the window's Title Bar will be visible, ā la Classic Mac OS.
Shadows Section - This section lets you control various window shadows aspects, such as density, opacity, offsets, and so on. Any changes you made will be shown in a small special preview window that will automatically appear and disappear while you're adjusting values so you can visually see what the new settings will look like. • Enable Custom Window Shadows: If this checkbox is selected, the custom shadow settings below will be used for system windows. • Presets Popup Menu: This popup menu contains various shadow settings presets. Warning, selecting a preset will override any shadow settings you may have set. There are two groups of identical controls, for active (topmost) window, and for all inactive windows:
• Shadow Spread: This slider controls the shadow spread - the less value it has, the more condensed the shadow will be.
Exclude List Section - This section allows you to exclude certain applications from being affected by WindowShade X. The newly added or removed applications will be affected only when they will be relaunched.
System requirements:
For more information, visit:
ViaVoice on 10.2.3 From Don Schaper Hello Mr. Moore, I am consistently surprised with the problems you are having with IBM ViaVoice. I have had no problems with the application since day one (with the exception of the wake-from-sleep bug that got eliminated with Jaguar). Your belief that the fault lies with 10.2.2 or 10.2.3 certainly isn't reflected in my experience. With each update of the OS, ViaVoice works better and better. One possibility... Did you know that your microphone must be plugged in before you launch ViaVoice? If it isn't, then the application won't accept input (even though System Preferences shows that the microphone is working). I suppose that this could be called a 'bug', but it is easy enough to deal with. On another issue, you've stated a number of times that you prefer iListen over ViaVoice because iListen allows you to dictate into any text field. I tend to agree that iListen does this somewhat better than ViaVoice; which is still a little pokey at dictating into anything other than SpeakPad - and you cannot use Correction Mode. But... You still get the incredible accuracy ViaVoice is known for while dictating into any text field (or application that accepts text). Your repeated comments tend to give the impression that ViaVoice lacks this capability at all.
Thanks,
Hi Dan;
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to hear that you've had success running ViaVoice in versions of Jaguar later than 10.2.1. I don;t want to be stuck in that version forever.
I said I *suspected* that the problem was a 10,2,3 issue. The fact that the install went smoothly in 10.2.1 seemed to reinforce that. In both cases, the OS was a relatively clean and new installation with little or no third party stuff to possibly conflict.
As for the microphone, it has been plugged in throughout, so that's not it.
Incidentally, I have no bias here. The column yesterday concentrated mainly on my issues getting iListen working on the iBook, and reported a successful install if ViaVoice (this time). I am benevolently disposed to both applications and wish them boith well.
I love ViaVoice's speed and accuracy (when I can get it to work). However, I almost always use it in SpeakPad. I found the program so cranky in OS 10.1 on the Pismo, that I was inclined to just shut it down when I didn't have something fairly lengthy to dictate. Since I installed Jaguar on the Pismo, it has been such a battle to get ViaVoice to work at all, that I've been using it even less, and finally it just broke and couldn't be coaxed to work at all. I will attempt a reinstall when I get the iBook in the harness for production work. However, I find iListen so much easier to get along with, and is dictates anywhere with no extra hassle or fuss.
I'm hoping for better reliability from ViaVoice on the Pismo, because it is realy impressive when it works.
The volume of mail I get from readers indicates that my problems with ViaVoice are hardly unique.
Charles
From Kim Peacock Charles, I have no problem using ViaVoice on my Pismo 500 with 10.2.3. It's a bit slower than VV in 9 and I did have problem having it recognize the USB microphone. It could not be seen in the Sound and Speech Preferences at the start, then, all of a sudden, it appeared. Kim Peacock
Hi Kim;
That "all of a sudden" thing has been the troublesome issue with ViaVoice X for me. For example, "all of a sudden" the program, after nearly a year, decided not to work on my Pismo any more. This was not after any significant changes or system upgrades.
However, when it works it's wonderful.
Charles
The OS X Odyssey archives may be accessed here: Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context. Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management. If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published. CM
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