How to build a rockin' OS9 compatible OSX box.
The following is a list of 9 tips to put the 9 back into OS X =)
Half of the haxies listed are free, the other half are shareware and would cost $48 combined.
| 1. Disable the Dock Renaming it works fine WARNING: As of 10.2 this will cause finder to hang. I'm looking for an alternative.  | ||
| But how do I switch applications? | ||
| 2. AppSwitcher
Keyboard Switching |
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| OS X Finder relies on the Dock for ALT-TAB to work, this re-enables alt-tab | ||
| Windows like pop-up icons | ||
| Sorts apps by most recent used (very nice) | ||
But what about the Application Menu? |
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| 3. X-Assist Mouse based switching |
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| The Application menu is back. | ||
| Can enable OS9 Like Smart windows (all windows of an application stick together) | ||
| Can hide applications when switching. | ||
| Hide Others/CurrentApp/Show All etc... | ||
| No more pesky separator that switches between icon/text mode! | ||
| Nice, but without the dock how do I quickly launch apps? | ||
| 4. Dragthing - As nice as ever You can go crazy with the look/size/location. Mine here is only an example. |
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| Provides desktop TrashCan (now that you have none without dock =P) | ||
| Tabbed windows save a lot of space for all your common apps. | ||
| Custom colors, textures, buttons, just about everything is configurable | ||
| Wait, I can't hide a single window any more, just full apps! | ||
| 5. WindowShadeX - WindowShades are back! |  |
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| Double click on title bar window shade! | ||
| Can alter other window buttons controls (+ - =) | ||
| Can adjust or remove window shadows/transparency (giving a nice speed boost) | ||
| But the apple menu is still lame on OSX. | ||
| 6. Fruitmenu - Fully Customizable apple menu! Make it just like OS9. |  | |
| Pop out Control Panels | ||
| Convenient access to favorites like Calculator, Stickies, etc... | ||
| Is it me or even at the max speed my mouse seems slow? | ||
| 7. MouseZoom - Reasonable maximum speed mouse |  | |
| Any speed value you want. | ||
| Ok, its not my glasses, these fonts/graphics are fuzzy! | ||
| 8. TinkerTool - Disable font smoothing, tweak GUI, etc |  | |
| Finder's 'Get Info' is broken, it only lets me get info on *One* item at once. | ||
| 9. Split Decision here...Your choice: | ||
| SuperGetInfo | $20, CMD-I, not as feature rich. | |
| X-Ray | $10, Can't find hotkey (e.g. CMD-I) & Panes are big | |
| FileXaminer | $10, CMD-SHIFT-I, batch capabilities. (I'm leaning towards this one) | |
Cost breakdown:
Freeware!
Disable Dock
AppSwitcher
X-Assist
MouseZoom
TinkerTool
Shareware
Dragthing - $25
FileXaminer - $10
WindowShadeX - $7
FruitMenu - $6 (if you get w/WindowshadeX)
Total: $48
If you can find less expensive programs with all of these features let me know!
Now all I need is a spring loaded folders and a 500% GUI speed up and OS X will rock.
Look like I'll be waiting for 10.2 aka Jaguar for those remaining goodies.
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