Well gentle readers, this may be my last news update on ResExcellence. Do to the increasing demands of being the perfect Husband and Father, I find I no longer have the proper amount of time to dedicate to a great web site like this one.

Rather than shut it down, like so many other sites have done in the past, I have decided to try something different - something I believe to be unprecedented!

Starting now through April 1st, you will have the opportunity to purchase ResExcellence by entering a bid on eBay! This may be the first time a web site has been auctioned off in this manner.

Can you afford it? Stop by the ResExcellence eBay listing and see where the current bidding is.

Stop back on Monday to find out if I become a dot.com millionaire!

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Snapshots:

• Whoa! Sosb submitted our first Tri-Monitor Setup featuring three anime desktops.
  
  
• I guess we know one of the readers who voted for the 640x480 monitor! Brandon sends in an Aqua desktop with the My Apple desktop picture.
  
  
• Hey! I know a Propaganda desktop when I see it, and Eduardo Poplawsky mixes his with the Liquid (Aqua) Theme.
  
  
• Long time contributor Mariel Lohninger shows us his Custom desktop picture and some hacked apps.
  
  
• Yikes! That's quite the strategically placed application switcher in Wayland Radin Custom desktop with the Paper Theme.
  
  
• Alberto Chávez sends another snapshot featuring one of his lovely desktops.

3/29/00

I'll bet you didn't know there are almost 100 helpful little Applescripts on your Mac! Smartmac has a great article on where to fine all the demonstration Applescripts that are part of Apple's "Mac Help".

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Change Crayons Color and name in the Color Picker (MacOS Classic and MacOS X)

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Applescripts and mailto:

Doh! Kevin Hessel updated his script from Monday based on the following:

So beginning about 30 seconds after I sent you the "Mail To..." script, it suddenly and happily stopped working on my computer when configuring it with real names. Dead after a Restart, so who knows if something funky was up with my computer and it originally worked when it shouldn't have. It has now been confirmed by another ResExcellence devotee that indeed, the real names portion of the script doesn't work. Of course, the script can easily be reconfigured with a new format. Instead of having "Any Name" and leaving it at that, you must change it to "Any Name <anyname@isp.com>" Hence, this new script.

Eric Albert reworked Kevin's script to make it recognize the email client you have selected in the Internet Control Panel. This script also stores the address that has been typed, making that the default the next time you run the script.

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Regarding 832 x 624...

ResEx regular (and Apple employee) Bobby Kinstle provides this history lesson:

Where the heck did 832X624 come from? I can answer that. First we must travel way back in time into the bronze age of computing, the late 80's. In those days you had new innovations like the color mac II and *gasp* 16 colors on the PC. In those days 256 color VGA stuck at 640X480 was the Holy Grail of imagery. Most monitors were still single frequency. But bigger and higher resolution monitors were hitting the market and someone at Apple said, "We gotta get some of that". Because VGA was totally inadequate, Apple decided simply to extend our existing monitor interface into higher frequency ranges to support these extra square inches. The highest resolution that could be reliably driven on a 16 inch monitor was 832 x 624. Remember when 16 inch monitors became 17 inch monitors and didn't get any bigger? Anyway, the reason it exists, is because it was first. Later when superVGA came out, they opted for 800 x 600. I doubt you'll find 832X624 on anything but a Mac.

Scott Denowh adds:

If I remember correctly, 832 x 624 was used instead of 800 x 600 because at 72 dpi it allowed for 1 inch on the screen to be 1 inch in real life. You can hold a ruler up to the screen it will be correct. I don't recall what size monitor that works on, I'm thinking 14 or 15 inch. Apple was just doing DTP people a favor with that resolution.

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Snapshots:

• After all this time, Boiler Plate is still a ground breaking scheme. Brad Jones combines it with a Blue Sky Heart desktop.
  
  
• Edward Loden displays the beautiful Gravity Well desktop picture with an Aqua Theme
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• An Evangelion picture and MacQNX Scheme are on Mile's desktop. With 192 meg of memory, Mike is able to launch Virtual PC and leave it running in the background.
  
  
• Displaying an Aqua Audion skin, Thales Carvalho also has the OS X DP and an Aqua Scheme.
  
  
• After adding a custom dock to his iLime desktop, Timm Hoff submitted this colorful snapshot.
  
  
• Jason Bissey keeps it simple and clean with this Custom DP and Paper Theme.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Patrick Kelleher has created our first Browser Agnostic™ throbber. Available for Explorer 4 & 5, iCab, Netscape, and even Mozilla, there's no reason for you not to grab this spinning G4!
  
  
• Yikes! Here's a MOSS by David Messick featuring Jennifer Lopez.
  
  
• Peter McHugh has updated one of his Eudora splashes for version 4.3!
  
  
• Gavin Robb sent this Explorer 5 splash that he created with Bryce.
  
  

Moore's Law apparently applies to monitors too! I was expecting 800x600 to be the prevalent resolution, but most readers have already moved up to 1024x768. By the way, what the heck is with 832x624? How do we ever end up with that resolution? Should be take up a collection for the 6 readers who have monitors smaller than 640x480?

Have you ever noticed the invisible light in the upper-left corner of your monitor? It's the imaginary source of illumination that casts the shadows on your icons, menus, and Finder windows. It's even more prevalent in MacOS X, throwing long shadows as windows appear to float above the desktop.

So in MacOS X, why did Apple turn the folder icon to face away from the light? If you place a small hint icon in front of the folder, it will be in the shadow of the 'light'. So this week's Polling Place asks, "Should Apple have turned the folder in MacOS X?".

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A Previous Edit on ResExcellence contained a chart listing all the resource ID numbers for Theme Sound files. Alan Lively sent some information that has been added to the tutorial.

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Kevin Hessel created this Applescript for you to download:

Remember back when Apple included the "Connect To..." script on your desktop? Well, this a "Mail To..." script that works basically the same way. I found that I e-mail two people more than anyone: My brother and my girlfriend. So instead of starting up Outlook Express, clicking the "New" button, typing a bit of their name and having Express fill it in for me, I created this script that defaults to my girlfriend's name, gives me an option for my brother's name, and also allows me manually type in any other name! Blammo -- directly to OE5.

Now, the best part about this, I discovered, is that you don't have to use the person's e-mail address ... you can use their REAL NAME! If OE5 stores the person's name in your address book as "Any Name <anyname@isp.com>" then OE5 will automatically recognize it if you simply type "Any Name" and then press "E-Mail."

Of course, you can also alter this slightly to make a new "Connect To..." script that will, perhaps, default to your home page, or give you the option to go to a search page!

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In plenty of time for April 1st, MacThings has collected over 20 mischievous Applescripts to wreak havoc on friends, family, and coworkers.

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So this is how the FBI discovers all that hidden stuff! Rams, recently featured on an episode of America's Most Wanted, sent this amazing tip. I must admit I was surprised to see all the hidden information...

Being the ultra paranoid that I am, I began to wonder if all the time spent doing a 26 pass file wipe over several gigs of free disk space was *enough* (Ok, so I didn't really spend DAYS wiping my drive, but it makes for a good story!) then I remembered virtual memory! After dropping the startup disk on Netscape and peeking into the contents of my VM, I found ungodly things. Newsgroup posts that were 4 months old, E-mail from the White House, etc. Gotta get rid of that! Oh no, I can't even make that thing visible!! What to do?!

Here's the trick. Open ResEdit and get file/folder info on "VM Storage" in the root level of your startup disk. Uncheck the locked box beside the name and rename it to something else (Like "VM Storage2"), then restart. When you do, you'll have a new "VM Storage" and the old one is visible and ready to wipe with your very own copy of PGP =) I haven't tried scripting this process yet, mainly because PGP 6.5.2 is LESS scriptable than 2.6.2 (for shame!).

I hope that posting this doesn't mean that someday I'll be called as an expert witness for the prosecution!

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Snapshots:

• Toren Valimir rocks again with this snapshot featuring the SongDesk desktop and his I/OS X Graphite Scheme.
  
  
• With an Albie Wong scheme and anime desktop, SS3 GokouX shows us a nice was to do hi-tech.
  
  
• The battle over which is better, Quake or Unreal, moves into the snapshot section as Steve U. sends his snap with a Quake 3 desktop and Y2K Platinum Scheme...
  
  
• ...while Joseph Lalicata counters with an Unreal Splash DP and PearlRhap Scheme. Who gets fragged? You decide....
  
  
• As the self proclaimed king of trek trivial, I immediately recognized Admiral Riker's Enterprise from "All Good Things" in this dual monitor desktop by Steven Raque.
  
  
• Showing a snagged copy of the outlawed Aqua theme, Frenchman Nicolas Aubagnac puts Quantum X on this international snapshot.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Jon created an Alien About this Mac replacement.
  
  
• A cute cartoon MOSS was sent by Ra, showing a Mac computer in a dark alley!
  
  
• Just in time for Internet Explorer 5, Peter McHugh created a new splash screen and icon makeover kit.
  
  
• Joseph Lalicata sent a cloudy Hotline replacement splash screen.
  
  

3/24/00

Readers often send email requesting ways to edit the colors and style of Apple's Control Strip. My first recommendation is to download Ammon Skidmore's Extension Strip. It's what the Control Strip should have been!

His web site also lists several other little utilities for your Mac, including some long forgotten, but very useful FKEYs.

Ammon sent this tip for users of Hotline on Nubus Macs:

I've not seen this mentioned elsewhere, so here is how I got Hotline 1.8 to work on my aged PowerMac 7100:

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Regarding shared bookmarks across browsers, Donald Scott sent this:

Further to your notes on Netscape bookmarks, here's a link to a page which explains how to have one central bookmark file for Netscape, IE and iCab. Thus, anything bookmarked in one browser will also appear in the others. I've been using it for a few months now and couldn't do without anymore!

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Adding icon Paths to KDE

If you subscribe to the LinuxPPC user mailing list, you may have read that Jason Hass from LinuxPPC was recently involved in an automobile accident. Initially, because I heard nothing else about it, I assumed it was a minor affair. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. His recent bride is maintaining a web page with daily updates on Jason's progress. We all wish im a speedy recovery.

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Snapshots:

• The best part of having kids is that you can watch cartoons and not feel guilty! That's why I like Kerry Lannert's PowerPuff Girls desktop picture with the NeXT Theme.
  
  
• Philip Gabbert X-rays a fly on his desktop, and adds the MacOn Scheme.
  
  
• Wow! It looks like Star Trek's Seven-of-Nine has a sister! Alberto Chávez uses the Caprice desktop and AquaX Scheme.
  
  
• Is it NextStep or MacOS? Jason Showers does a good job tricking us with this snapshot!
  
  
• Timothy Horton shows the cool looking Chamelea desktop and the Y3K Lite Theme.
  
  
• Matt McEniry is under water with his Atlantis DP and Aqua Theme, and even an Aqua Audion skin!
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Peter McHugh send another of his clever creations. His New Moves MOSS comes in two sizes: giant and regular.
  
  
• Tommy T.created two splash screens featuring the beautiful Hong Kong Popstar Michelle Yeung. One for Netscape, and the other for AppleWorks 6.
  
  
• ResEx regular Mike Orticari sent a nifty About this Mac replacement for the owners of iBooks. Mike also sent a Hotline Splash with a split personality.
  
  
• Thirteen year old Adams Carroll contributes an Aqua-buttoned Quicktime Player makeover.
  
  

3/22/00

Developmental resource editor ResKnife was just updated, and don't forget to check out Resurrection!

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Regarding the tip to use Netscape's bookmarks with iCab, Jeff Moss writes:

I have always shared bookmarks with Netscape and iCab. I use an alias of Netscape's file renamed for iCab, like you suggested, I just try not to open both of them at the same time. If I do, usually nothing adverse happens until I go to quit Netscape. Then I get an error about the bookmarks having been modified. I just hit cancel, and everything's ok the next time I launch either browser.

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Changing International Months and Days in the Date & Time Control Panel

Alvaro Amorim sent an email requesting the following:

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Another sample Applescript to tidy up windows was written by ßob. After downloading the file, open it in the Script Editor and adjust the settings to suit your needs:

(Added to the Splooy Applescript Archive)

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Snapshots:

• Mike Orticari displays a great looking Custom DP and the Platino Scheme.
  
  
• Gerald Lim also is displaying a Custom DP and Platino Scheme, but the effect is totally different!
  
  
• Displaying the Fluorescence Desktop from Digital Blastphemy, Shaun Howard adds the Graphite Scheme to complete a great look.
  
  
• Sure it's Platinum, but combined with the Korosu Desktop gives Harry Al-Shakarchi a good looking desk.
  
  
• Starting with a flouresant drum kit, Marcus Smith adds the Aerial Theme!
  
  
• ResEx regular, Scott Chitwood shows us he's "waiting for X" and the Ink Kaleidoscope Scheme.
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Called CardboardOS by Ra, this MOSS shows a clever picture of carved up piece of cardboard, complete with stck on text strings.
  
  
• The Nutscrape splach screen is haiku's commentary on the Netscape browser!
  
  
• The I/OS X Makeover from Toren Valimir that ties together a great looking K-Scheme with icons and desktops. ResExcellence is proud home to the matching I/OS MOSS.
  
  
• The Rev. Glenn Lucas has sent along another splash screen, this one for Eudora has a gentle Aqua look.
  
  
• Owen Strain, the ATM Guy, sent this great looking MOSS and ATM featuring Marathon! The Giant, transparent MOSS will be immediately recognized by players of the original game. (that's right, I mean you Claude!)
  
  
• Sucking MP3 with Rapster? Check out this splash screen replacement by Joe Lalicata.
  
  

3/20/00

Just about 25% of you have experience with Multiple Users. That's higher than I was expecting. I also imagine that most of those users are in an educational enviroment, but from experience I can say that having Multiple Users on the family computer makes everyone happy!

Computer monitors are like boats. Every year you want to get one that's just a little bigger! When I had my old Powerbook 140, I couldn't even imagine a screen of 1024 x 768, but now I want more! That's why this weeks Polling Place asks, "What's your monitor resolution?"

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The new search engine in on this page. It's substantially faster, so have fun looking up your name.

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Steven Massey, author of the recently mentioned StevePerfect 3.6.6 has updated the word processor based on reader feedback:

I got a lot of great feedback for my software and I have just updated it to version 3.8.4b. The new version includes colored text support and a "Close" option from the file menu. Those were the two most requested features by your website viewers. It can be downloaded here.

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Mariel Lohninger sent this tidbit for the users of iCab:

There haven't been any instructions, as far as I know, on how to import Netscape bookmarks into iCab. The import function in iCab sure won't allow it and the German support manual available at their site sure doesn't mention it, so I though it would be a good idea to let others know how one can easily import one's existing netscape bookmarks.

• Locate the "Bookmarks.html" file from your Netscape account (either in the preferences folder or inside the "Netscape Users" folder somewhere else on the hard drive.
• Open "iCab Preferences" folder in the Preferences folder inside the System Folder.
• Option-drag (to make a copy) the "Bookmarks.html" file from the "Netscape Users" folder to the "iCab Preferences" folder.
• Delete the "Hotlist.html" file inside the "iCab Preferences" folder.
• Rename the "Bookmarks.html" file inside the "iCab Preferences" folder to "Hotlist.html"
• Launch iCab and voilá!

Since the format of the two bookmarks appeared to be the same, I tried to just alias my Netscape bookmarks into the iCab folder, but iCab modifies them right away so they are unreadable by Netscape - so don't do that!

At Mariel's web site, MacDesigns, etc., he has appearance modules for iCab, Omnipage Pro, MacAMP, and tons of desktop pictures.

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Larry wrote two Applescripts for ResEx readers. The first will delete your Finder preferences & reboot your computer.

The second script will open the Finder preferences & set them to what is showing below; if you prefer something else change the "true" to "false" . If you would prefer NOT to have the preference window open, then delete the line "open Finder preferences" & "close window of Finder preferences" .

(Added to the Sloppy Applescript Archive)

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Snapshots:

Today we surpass the 100th Snapshot milestone! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to put together great looking snaps for our readers. If you would like to have your BOSS-A desktop posted, read the rules.

Today's update is loaded with three dual-monitor displays!

• Adam Betts with a Custom desktop and QT 4 Modoki Theme (Hey Adam, send that desktop to Ilona for our archive!)
  
  
• Christopher Holland has a Dual Custom desktop and the FT-200 Scheme.
  
  
• Marisol Evans shows a kaleidoscopic Snake desktop with the Y3K Theme.
  
  
• Mevans loads up with a gazillion apps and two MacDesktop pictures.
  
  
• Sean has dual anime desktops and the QT 4 Modoki Scheme.
  
  
• Jason Stumpf created a funky Custom desktop for use with the DSG Theme. (That's funky in a good way!)
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Another Quicktime Player makeover has been added. This one's by Soren Laulainen.
  
  
• Another great submission from Mike Orticari. This MOSS features the G4 graphite Apple.
  
  
• Bixler McClure posts a cynical view in his Internet Explorer splash.
  
  
• The spotlight is on Smilin' Mac in this MOSS by Joseph Williamson.
  
  
• Sebastien Lavoie sent this extension loaded up with three dozen replacement cursors.
  
  
• Wayne Betts created this smokin' splash screen for Hotline 1.8 and 1.7.2.
  
  
• This is a test... this is only a test... this is a Test Pattern MOSS by Mike Slaven.
  
  
• A set of seven colored Netscape splashes featuring Laetitia Casta have been submitted by Kevin Zachary Hess.
  

3/17/00

The ResExcellence search engine and Sherlock plugin have been temporarily disabled. On Monday, a new, faster search program will be available. This new version will also allow searching of the User's Forum (an often requested feature!).

In addition, the Forum thread limit has been increased to cover over one year's worth of posts.

Regarding Sherlock, here's the reason I will no longer be supporting it. The cgi program that performed the search also maintained a log of the search terms. While reading that log, I was surprised to see how few of the phrases were in any way connected to ResExcellence.

The conclusion I reached is that most Mac users leave all their plug-ins active at all times, which is fine and dandy with me except for one thing - the hundreds of unnecessary searches each day bogged down the server.

So gentle readers, toss the ResExcellence Sherlock plug-in and stop by the site to search for your user interface resources!

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Mac Development is a geeky kind of site with lots of links to programing tools useful software. They were nice enough to recognize ResEx as a Hot Site. Thanks!

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LinuxPPC Odds and Ends

Everytime LinuxPPC boots, I ask, "What the heck is a BogoMip?". This HOW-TO site will tell you the value of this simple benchmark. There is also a chart of know Bogo-values and my Powerbook was right on the money. Read more with a search of the LinuxPPC list.

Loki Entertainment has released LinuxPPC demo versions of Railroad Tycoon II and Heroes III.

Julien Neuschwander asks:

I've installed LinuxPPC 2000 and I love it! I tried to do the trick with the HFS partition, but I don't use KDE. What's the difference? How can I get Linux to see that mac partition and mount it at startup?

Follow the instructions in the previous posting and edit the fstab file. Once inside Gnome, open the File Manager and find the directory that you mounted the partition into, for example - /mnt/mac. Drag that icon to the desktop with a middle-click and make it a link.

Open the set Property window on the desktop icon and give it a new name and icon.

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lindkvist is a cute site with lots of cool things for your Mac. Be sure to see the fonts and icons!

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ResExcellence regular contributor, Justin Reese, has posted a souped-up version of ResEdit on his web site. Loaded up with templates, it adds support for extended window editing in Kaleidoscope 2 schemes.

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Shhhh..... don't tell anyone, but MyMac Magazine has posted tons of MacOS X picture.....

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Snapshots:

• Rett Nearburg sent a big-ol' firey snap with the Threeoh DP
  
  
• Tim Mityok used the Winter Night Desktop, Neutech Theme, and is running a program I have never heard of - MacStat!
  
  
• Jason Stephenson displays a chrome and diamond look with Cryptogenic DP and ZiggyStardust Scheme
  
  
• Dragons and Gargoyles are on Paul Thiem's mind with the Night DP and Desktop Guardian Scheme
  
  
• Things go better with Coke on your desktop, and Matthew O’Hara adds the Estaño Scheme to finish off with style.
  
  
• Wow! Brandon Gima has a great neon look with the Electric Monk Scheme and Twilight Desktop picture.
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Remember Power Computing? Some of their ad material features a reto-Miss America. Mark Boszko created humorous ATM and MOSS replacements for you to enjoy.
  
  
• If you have a bronze keyboard on your Powerbook, you may like the way this Quicktime makeover by Russell Chen gives the player bronze buttons!
  
  
• Blank Face is a cute puffy MOSS replacement by David Messick.
  
  
• Featuring the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, this gentle Netscape splash by James Whitson may be for you.
  
  
• Jaws is back! Included with a MOSS replacement by Chris Clark is also a desktop pattern and desktop picture to pointed-toothed fish on your Mac.
  
  

3/15/00

If you are a developer working with MacOS X, then you need Parcel v1.0 by Anthony Pittari. This drag-and-drop Applescript toggles whether the new .app package is a MacOS X application, or a MacOS 9 folder containing the file's resources.

Emails from readers indicate that there is a wealth of information stashed in these packages, and resource editing will not be ending with MacOS X, but entering its glory days!

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Awesome scheme artist, Maury McCown, has posted a ton of Aqua screenshots on his web site. See the future before the long arm of the law spanks him!

Even the snaps have been taken down, be sure to browse his collect of Mac goodies.

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Can't satisfy your craving for MacOS X/Aqua? Take a look at this text editor from Steven Massey called StevePerfect.

The purpose of StevePerfect is to have a simple typing interface that is slightly more useful than Apple's Simpletext. It also supports the latest Macintosh advances that Apple has yet to include with Simpletext such as themes, internet access, true worldscript support, a music player capable of playing mp3 or Quicktime audio, and a really easy user interface.

It supports the basic typing features: Font, Style, Size, Search, Save, Open, and Find. It also includes some new features such as quick button links to Sherlock 2 and your default web browser (only supported in MacOS 9). StevePerfect is completely balloon help compatible and also features a help system. It uses Apple’s new Open/Save windows otherwise known as Navigation Services. Themes Support has been added in this version. Most themes I have tested work just fine, but I have found some problems with the text on the buttons with some Kaleidoscope schemes. So testing out your favorite scheme is the best way to see how it goes. I do know it works with most Mac OS X Aqua themes so try those out. I have a picture of one above. Also, I have received reports that StevePerfect runs beautifully under Worldscript extensions. This means that StevePerfect works with Apple's language software. One user has reported that it can type Arabic just fine. I'm assuming that means it works in other languages as well. If you get it to work please let me know. StevePerfect can also correctly print other languages besides English. Lastly, if you have Quicktime 4.1 installed you can listen to mp3 files or quicktime audio files while you work.

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This is the first program I ever wrote:

10 cls
20 input "What is you name?"; A$
30 print: print "Hello "; A$
40 for x = 1 to 10000:next x: goto 10

Yup. BASIC. To this day, when I need to do a quick text database translation, I'll write a little BASIC program to do the job.

Take a look at Chipmonk Basic it you wnat to try a simple BASIC language on your Mac.

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Snapshots:

• Mike S. put together a great looking snaphot with an Apple Collection DP and QT 4 Modoki Theme.
  
  
• Mike Ulrich used a beautiful Nebula desktop with the Kaleidosony Scheme.
  
  
• Matthew O’Hara proves you can have clean lines, and still have a great looking desktop.
  
  
• Michael Dicker shows his Aqua envy with this Quantum X DP and Aqua Theme. It also shows a good looking DragThing setup.
  
  
• Ross Stump used the cool IZA Shock Absorber Scheme and AquaGQ Desktop in this nice snapshot.
  
  
• Laurent Peraldi has the biggest monitor I have ever seen!
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• This is the funniest submission in a long time! This Netscape splash by Kybosch features a young Bill Gates in a police mug shot!
  
  
• Based on an earlier ResEx edit, Kevin Zachary Hess created a new MultiUser Login Makeover. This one takes its looks from the G4 advertisements.
  
  
• Peter McHugh sent two MOSS our way. The first is a remake of Brain Surgery, and the second has come cool transparency effects.
  
  
• Joe Lalicata sent this Hotline splash for you.
  
  
• Featuring Aqua, Duane Miller put together this Shark MOSS.
  
  

3/13/00

We better put on another pot of stew for all the new readers to ResExcellence! With a quarterly growth rate of 16%, ResExcellence should be poised to take over the world by the year 2056!

I'm preparing for another batch of Newbie questions because April's issue of MacAddict magazine features Hack 2000, with a nice tip-of-the-hat to ResExcellence. The most common newbie question? How do I add a command key to empty the trash! (Answer here.)

This week's Polling Place asks, "Do you work on a Multi-User Mac?"

Maybe at work, maybe at school, maybe even at home - if you have to login to get to your Mac desktop, vote Yes. (NT weenies, you're at the wrong site...)

This question was prompted by my weekend activity of converting the family iMac to a multi-user machine. The reason was that my daughter had taken a liking to some radical K-shemes that drove Mom's eyes crazy.

Another reason was that Netscape's bookmarks were becoming increasingly unmanageable due to the family's attempt to mark every page they had ever visited!

But before you embark down the same path, heed my warnings!

Other than the owner of the machine, Dad in this case, no other user can access the Mac's true desktop. So it's best to move any items off there into the Shared Documents folder.

Each user gets their own Preference folder, unique to them. This means you need to be prepared to copy lots of settings from the main System Preference folder to each of the User's. You could simply create an alias to the main folder, but by taking the time to copy individual files, each user can have there own setting for each application.

For example, Netscape lets you create multiple users, but that would require everyone to login twice - once to the MacOS and once to Netscape. By creating individual preferences in the local user's folder, everyone gets their own bookmarks and preferences without using Netscape's multiple user feature function.

After a rough start due to missing settings, the entire family is happy with the results. Mom gets an easy to read Platinum theme, the teenager can leave her desktop as messy as she wants (just like her room), my Son gets a rotating collection of Pokeman desktops, and Dad gets a little extra piece and quiet.

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LinuxPPC Kernel for Powerbook 3400

The Powerbook 3400 has always had problems using its ethernet port. This weekend, I built a standard Powerbook 2.2.14 kernel with support for the ethernet port. While there was nothing tricky this feat, the fact that the 3400 could not access the net though it's built in modem or ethernet has always provides a catch-22 for updating the machine.

This kernel also includes the modules and System.map. It does not include support for the internal modem or the PCMCIA slots.

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To .app or not to .app

This is a little embarrassing because I know I posted this awhile ago, but I can't find it! I'm looking for an Applescript that toggles from a folder to a MacOS X .app. If you have an answer, please let me know.

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Snapshots:

• This is interesting, Bart van de Biezen sent a Snapshot that has a split personality, half MacOS 9, half Aqua!
  
  
• Matt Celia shows a great look with the normally subdued Paper Theme.
  
  
• Something good happened when Robert Erwin mixed the Warm Tension DP and Osmium 45 Scheme.
  
  
• ResEx regular, Joe Daniels says, "I want Aqua, I want Aqua!".
  
  
• Edward O’Rourke sent another great way to do hi-tech with a Black Background and Ink Scheme.
  
  
• A very cool desk was sent by Nick displaying a J. R. Tolken DP and I/OS X Scheme.
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• exaOS is a great looking anime MOSS created by Reagan Denius.
  
  
• Another nice Eudora splash was sent. This one is by the Rev. Glenn A. Lucas.
  
  
• Inspired by the Stonecutters episode of The Simpsons, this MOSS by Claude Schrader should bring back memories.
  
  
• Inspired by the work of Jay Amici's, Kevan Staples sent this Netscape splash.
  
  
• A very nice Giant MOSS was created by larrye. It looks like it's made of plastic! (how'd he do that!)
  
  
• There's not much to do on a Sunday night in Indiana, that's when Wayne Chang got homesick and made the ATM replacement of Los Angeles.

3/10/00

Previously, we discussed using Wish I Were to speed up a G3 upgraded Mac. Many emails arrived stating that while the utility did allow them to assign the Function Keys in the Keyboard control panel, they did not notice an increase in speed.

While this is interesting, there is much better way to activate the Function Keys on older Macs, Keyboard Patcher from Stéphane Madrau. (This web site has been difficult to access. Cletus added the file to out archive.)

If you are interested in trying the experiment, here is how to edit the Wish I Were's preferences.

• Install "Wish I Were" and pick a machine from the list. (This creates the Preference file.)
• Restart the computer and locate the Preferences in the System Preferences folder.
• Open the preferences in ResEdit and find the WIWv resources.
• Change the section hex to 0000 0196 as shown above.
• Save are restart.

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Ben Blake updated his cool utility, Appearance Randomiser 1.2. It now works properly on international MacOS systems. In addition to randomly selecting themes, sounds, and desktop pictures, this new version will also place a random picture on up to three monitors. (How many of us have three monitors!)

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Victor Yee put a lot of work into this series of Applescripts you can download to manage your PopUp folders.

These three script applets allow you to create and manage sets (i.e. groups) of popup windows. You may wish to have different sets of popup windows for different projects, or maybe different users.

Popup windows allow for easy access to all sorts of items. For example, you could have one popup window set up with all your apps set to button view for easy one-click access to your favourite applications.

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Creating a MacOS panel button for Gnome or KDE

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Snapshots:

• On Kin Camacho's snapshot, we're talking MP3, CD and Video, plus the Apple Spotlight DP and Hotspurs Scheme!
  
  
• Mr. Anonymous submitted his desktop featuring Pastimac DP and AquaX Scheme.
  
  
• If it looks like X, and smells like X, is it X? Decide for yourself after seeing Matthew Capitini's snapshot.
  
  
• Wow, nice looking icons made on a PC, but displayed on Etienne Blythe's LCIII.
  
  
• Tim Gray put together a nice chrome hi-tech look.
  
  
• A rare dual monitor snapshot was submitted by Bobby Kinstle.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Jjaro created great looking giant MOSS. It's shiney surface is worth a look.
  
  
• Peter McHugh put together some makeover packs for the Quicktime Player. The sets of ppats will give the player a new 'skin'.
• Rage against the establishment with this MOSS from il y Noto!
  
  
• Alberto Chávez sent two Aqua styled splash screens, one for Netscape, and one for Explorer.
  
  
• I though she was great 10 years ago on General Hospital, now Kim Delaney is on N.Y.P.D. Blue, and Bruce Rader created a Eudora splash screen featuring the actress.

3/8/00

Kevin Baucom sent this interesting email describing how Wish I Were solved a problem of his. Not having the same computer setup, I couldn't test this, so if you have any experience with this problem, please let me know.

When I got OS 9, I couldn't figure out why the keyboard shortcuts didn't work on my G3 upgraded 8600. Another thing about OS 9 was for some reason, Sherlock 2 took just as long as Photoshop 5.5 to open (12 seconds). I didn't understand this either since Sherlock 1 opened almost instantly. I decided to try "Wish I Were" to make my computer think it was a G4. Now I can use the keyboard shortcuts AND Sherlock 2 takes about one second to open now. To make Wish I Were make your computer think it's a G4, use ResEdit to change the WIWv hex in the "Wish I Were" Preferences to 0000 0196.

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Patrick Kelleher's web site has a few iMac throbbers for you to download.

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Modify Apple's DVD Player to run with Macsbug

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Snapshots:

• Long time contributor Peter McHugh has sent an action packed snapshot. It will take you a while to view everything on there!
  
  
• Another regular, Fam Chee Cheng shows us how he makes his MOSS submissions (In fact, the one displayed is the one I'm currently using). Both snapshots are loaded with Aqua.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• One of my favorite games is Marathon! That's why it's with a tear in my eye that I am happy to post Two Marathon MOSS creations by Peter Bohning.
  
  
• Always a busy man, Zero Divide created a nice brushed metal splash screen for Eudora. (I liked it so much, I installed it!)
  
  
• Peter McHugh sent an "Out of this World" replacement screen for About this Mac.
  
  
• Christian Plourde created a colorful MOSS he calls "MAChanic".
  
  
• A throbber that shows Superman leaping into the air was submitted by Davor Mihalji.
  
  
• A nicely done Netscape splash was created by Rick Thompson.

3/6/00

Wow! A surprising number of readers use Macsbug. To be honest, I wasn't using it myself until last week, but it really is a better way to manage crashes on your Mac.

In the past, I had avoided it because it requires a hefty 1.1 meg of system RAM (at least on my computer), but since it enables me to cleanly recover from a crash, and even informs me of the offending app, the trade off is worth it.

Sometimes, after installing a new program, you may feel that overall system performance has dropped. Applications keep crashing for no apparent reason.

With Macsbug installed, a crash will inform you of the offending application, and often it isn't even the program in which you were last working. many times you'll discover it was an extension.

In the Macsbug window on the left, the application that had control of cpu at the time of the crash will be listed on the left under CurApName. The screen show is the Help screen, viewed by typing "?".

Three must know Macsbug commands:

• G - returns you to the last application before Macsbug was invoked.
• ES - Escapes the current app, often returning you to the Finder
• RS - Restart. The command of last resort!

By watching the web server logs on certain pages, (Getting Started, ResEdit, Previous Edits...), I can get an indication of how many new readers come to ResExcellence each month. And I certainly know quite a few of you have been here since the beginning. This week's Polling Place asks, "How long have you been reading ResEx?"

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If you have recently tried to download the Mercutio MDEF to fix up your menus in Netscape, the Official Site has been having some ftp problems. The MDEF is also stored on ResExcellence. Just copy the MDEF resources to the clipboard from ResEdit, and paste into Netscape's resources.

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Jonathan McDermott wrote two Applescripts to download that you may find helpful:

First, A little script called SetAppSwitcher, which turns the little devil off if it's on, and vice-versa. I keep an alias of it in my GoMac Quick Launch area, and it works just like a one-click light switch!

Second, A script called Positioner, which keeps the app switcher at the top of the screen, dead center, regardless of screen resolution. While it's at it, it keeps my Audion mp3 player where I like it, too. Sometimes I switch my monitor's resolution and move the buggers around just to watch it work! With the built in error handling, it works flawlessly (so far!) as a background-only extension.

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MacInstruct has published a new tutorial, "A Quick Guide to Icons". While a little basic for ResEx readers, be sure to forward all MacInstruct URL's to your newbie iMac friends so they'll quit bothering you!

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Snapshots:

• Paul Heayn - Tribes 2 DP and Fallout III Scheme
• Don Tipton - Aqua Theme and Load ’o Apps
• Russ Boucher - FF7 DP and Bond Street Scheme
• Jared Nichols - Digital Blasphemy DP and Electric Monk Scheme

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User Contributions:

• Wayne Betts created a beautiful splash screen replacement for AOL 5.0
  
  
• A MOSS featuring my favorite cartoon idol, Johnny Bravo, was submitted by Ryan Adams. <whoosh>
  
  
• Denis Goulet created two more comical MOSS replacements!
  
  
• Tommy T. created six imac colored replacement cursors. Just drop the extension in your System and restart!
  
  
• Zero Divide has done it again with a new Netscape throbber of fingers on a desk!
  
  
• Ryan Lindh created a nice looking About this Mac replacement for pre-MacOS 9 systems.
  
  
• We all need a little Love, and that's why Russ Boucher submitted this Netscape splash featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

3/3/00

An Interview with Samuel Rydh, Lead Programer of Mac-on-Linux

Mac-on-Linux is a fast and easy to install MacOS emulator for LinuxPPC. ResExcellence has an interview with lead programer, Samuel Rydh that also includes benchmarks and screenshots on this truly amazing program. (Continued...)

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Resource sleuth Quentin Hill recently answered a question in our forum regarding DVD icons:

The icons are stored (under OS 9 at least) in the "UDF Volume Access" extension. They are in both 'ICN#' and 'icns' format, but only the ICN# appear to work. Edits are immediate, although you may have to eject any current DVD you have mounted.

Quentin's iTools web site features a few snapshots of his desktop, and a few utilities he has written. A particularly interesting one is Font Fiend, a font preview utility.

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Sebastien Lavoie updated to his Seb's colors WIND for the ResEdit DITL editor. The changes from version 1.1 are:

• The toolbar has a minimize widget and a younger look with a change of the ProcID.
• The menubars have a new platinum looks.

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Regular ResEx contributor Erik Veland from Wigwam Multimedia has released a makeover kit for iCab. In addition to icons, cursors and pictures, it also features a system-wide cursor modification (optional), a 32 bit application icon for iCab and the Mac OS X folder icon.

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Snapshots:

• Bill Ferriot - Stickies Calendar and QT4 Modoki Scheme
• Eduardo Poplawsky - What Goes Up DP and Aqua Theme
• ResEx regular, Peter McHugh - Partially Transparent Custom DP
• Dei Makina - Anime Evangelion DP and Hi-Tech Theme

3/1/00

Raffaello Lomartire tipped me off about this cool site with an iMac hardware hack. If you have an original Bondi iMac (and I do), this site shows you how to have both the iPort and a Mezzanine Board at the same time.

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Fred has been busy! A regular contributor to ResExcellence, Fred (from Fredzmac) has added lots of splash screens and other resources to his site!

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Remove the 90 second logout delay from Multiple Users.

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Snapshots:

A couple of cool looking Snapshots today!

• Allan Soerensen uses the PearlRhap Scheme and a great Quake 3 desktop pict.
• Fred Palumbo shows Dracula with the Golden frames scheme.