4/28/00

The great experiment: Many ISP's are imposing size restrictions for out going email attachments. This has kept some of you from contributing some of your larger files to ResExcellence. To help, ResExcellence now provides an ftp drop box.

ftp://www.resexcellence.com/drop_box/

Just login using your favorite ftp program, and upload your files. Immediately after uploading, you will see your file in the drop box, but if you log back in or refresh the directory, it will be hidden.

Please be sure to send the appropriate editor a followup email with a description and the name of the file, letting us know that you uploaded.

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Remove the Startup Animation and Sound from Hotline 1.8

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During dinner last night, I found myself inexplicably shaping my mashed potatoes into a strangely familiar form. As pulled the fork away to gaze at my creation, I realized the spuds had formed the AOL logo. As I went to scrape my whipped creation into the trash, I noticed that on the bottom of the wastebasket was a removable Jazz cartridge. It contained the a patch to remove the advertisements from AOL Instant Messenger 4.0. The READ ME said:

I was in the galactic neighborhood to catch up on the Microsoft trial and though I would drop this off. BTW, ResExcellence is the number one web site on Alpha Centauri.

186,000 miles per second. It's not just a good idea, it's the law.

Enjoy,
The Mysterious Being known as phydeaux.

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User Contributed Splash Screens:

• Have you ever wanted to make something "Aqua", but you graphics skills were not up to the task? Mark Evans makes it easier by contributing four colorful Aqua button Photoshop templates.
  
  
• Titled "The Rebirth of Cool", Brian Freeman sent this Giant MOSS featuring the iMac DV.
  
  
• Peter McHugh converted the throbber from Netscape 6 for you to use under version 4.7.
  
  
• The first of its kind, Ian Jungling created a nice looking replacement splash for Quicken.
  
  
• Richard Hamilton created this MOSS that is not your average Aqua look. The preview doesn't do it justice.
  
  
• Last update it was Britany Spears, this time it's that Taco Bell dog. What's the world coming to!! Check out the annoying pooch in this Explorer 5 splash by Brad Gosse.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Ryan Oehler sent in this snapshot featuring the Martini desktop picture from MacDesktops and the Aqua K-Scheme. SoundJam, configured with the Drop skin, is running in the upper left-hand corner and the famous 1984 commercial is debuting in the QuickTime Player in the lower left-hand corner.
  
  
• Chris Fournier submitted this sleek screenshot showing off the eWater desktop picture from ResExcellence’s own Desktop Archive. SoundJam, configured with the AquaX skin, is running in the lower left-hand corner, and the icons are part of the “High Level Distraction” iPack for the icon replacement utility, iControl.
  
  
• Javier Vega submitted this screenshot touting the “Simply Milano” desktop picture and Blood K-Scheme. SoundJam MP, configured with a really cool skin, is running along the right side, but something tells me that wasn’t the intended focal point of this snapshot…
  
  
• This submitter, known only as Cotton, contributed this snapshot featuring the Aqua Theme. SoundJam, configured with the Drop skin, is running towards the bottom. Bernhard Feurstein’s “Aqua OS9” ATM hack is displayed in the upper left-hand corner.
  
  
• Mike Chen contributed this snapshot with a custom desktop picture based on Japanese Manga Houshin Engi along with the Sugar Plate IV K-Scheme. SoundJam MP, configured with the Soliloquy skin, is running along the bottom edge, and a Chinese name in orange and red is next to the hard drive icons.
  
  
• Jeffrey Stowell sent in this dual-monitor screenshot featuring a G4 desktop picture from MacDesktops and a mirror of it. Very cool setup!
  
  

4/26/00

Here is a clever way to use Applescripts with Outlook Express 5 from Hes Nikke:

I have a simple Applescript for you; it's a one liner!

say "there is new mail in your in box" using "Trinoids"

I got board with OE's noises so I turned them off and went into the Rules. For different situations, I have it run scripts like the one above. It works great and I know when new mail is coming and going! Now the only thing I want OE to do is let me run apple scripts on mailing list Rules... oh well!

In case you never used them, OE5 Rules are email filters that you can create to trigger a variety of actions when the text of the email matches the rule!

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MacInstruct has posted a new tutorial titled: "Sharing Our New Found Knowledge". It outlines how to combine several Macintosh graphical abilities into a single Graphics Power! Even the veterans will learn something from this one.

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Opps. Sometimes I always seem to figure out the hard way to do something - like disabling Indexing under Sherlock. Chuck Huckabee describes a much better way :

The true and correct way to disable "Find By Content" is to open Sherlock, and go to "Find/Index Volumes" (or hit Command-L) and uncheck the "Use Schedule" box. (Yeah, go figure Apple wouldn't put it somewhere where it made SENSE, like in the PREFERENCES!)

You get no error messages that way, and that pesky Indexing will never bother you again.

Hey! Is Chuck slamming me there! :) I guess I deserved it.

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Rick Roe from icons.cx has been busy! He has posted icons sets and more splash screens for Internet Explorer. Can a makeover skin be far behind?

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Want to learn more about making MacOS Splash Screens (MOSS)? Rick "The Cougar" Bargerhuff" has put together a nice tutorial for you to download. It refers to two MOSS templates that you can find here: Regular and Giant.

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User Contributed Splash Screens:

• Duane Miller created a big ol' Smilin' Mac MOSS that you may like!
  
  
• How about a Newton throbber for Internet Explorer? It was made by John Schilling.
  
  
• For those of you who aren't old enough to buy beer, Sean Dervan created this Britany Spears MOSS. :)
  
  
• In the style of the original IE 4.5 splash, Lucas Everett created this splash for IE5.
  
  
• Fans of the X-Files will like this Eudora splash by Mark Corrigan.
  
  
• Here's a Giant MOSS by Peter McHugh with a rainbow Apple logo.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Peter McHugh, a regular ResExcellence contributor, submitted another screenshot, this time with a custom desktop picture and the Sugar Plate IV K-Scheme. QuickTime Player, featuring one of his QuickTime skins, is in the background.
  
  
• Deborah Shadovitz, author of MacCentral’s Mac Efficiency articles, submitted this snapshot of her desktop as she works on a new book for IDG, Adobe GoLive 4 Bible. Although more minimalistic to provide a computing environment conducive to book screenshots, various system enhancements are still present in this snapshot.
  
  
• South Park fever is rampant in this screenshot submitted by Elan Pfalzgraf, alias “the Hotdog.” A collage of South Park movie mockups from Sweeet.com comprise the desktop picture, and the Platino K-Scheme leaves its mark on the interface.
  
  
• Tyron Washington sent in this snapshot displaying Waferbaby’s “Bleubaby” desktop picture along with the Allegro Themes Project’s Neutech Theme. Some gorgeous icons inhabit a dock at the bottom.
  
  
• Odin submitted this screenshot featuring a custom desktop picture consisting of elements from various sources as well as the Co-Pilot K-Scheme. The border was taken from one of Blue Sky Heart’s pictures, and the submarine-like picture was extracted from Arnold Sakowski’s “Kalender 3” at 3deurope.com. The bald man in the corner came from the Aegean skin for SoundJam. Quite impressive!
  
  
• Tehrasha Darkon submitted this screenshot of an old NeXT workstation running NeXTStep 3.2. The original File Viewer is open in the upper right-hand corner while an early browser, OmniWeb, is visible in the center. Even though the screenshot is grayscale, it’s still cool to see some of the original concepts that are now being incorporated into Mac OS X.
  
  

As I suspected, demand for the ability to search for any text on your drive has diminished since indexing made its debut in MacOS 8.5. My personal reasons for disabling it were the time it took to index, and the size of the invisible index database.

There was one time though, when I really needed to find a file, but could remember only a few phrases of the text. Sherlock's indexing found it ASAP (after waiting hours for the drive to index! :)

Incidentally, if you wish to disable indexing, disable the "Find By Content" extension. The next time you use Sherlock, you will get an error message, but it will be surpressed in subsequent searches.

With the increasing popularity of Napster and its clones, MP3 audio tracks are once again in the news. Universities have banned its use, Metallica is suing Napster, and CD burners are working overtime. This week's Polling Place asks, "Have you downloaded copyrighted mp3 music?".

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Two familiar names to ResEx readers have teamed up to bring you something special! phydeaux and sysinfo have released a comprehensive kit to create, manage, and install skins for Internet Explorer 5!

The kit features Photoshop templates and filters, ResEdit templates for all the appropriate resources, and Applescripts to automate many tasks. Everything you need can be found here. The site also has a message board so skin creators can meet and exchange tips.

And if you're not in line to become a skin creator, still visit the site and download the basic package to get some of the first skins and checkout Lecter.

Lecter is an AppleScript droplet written for the purpose of applying custom skins to Internet Explorer 5. This makes it easy for both the average user and skin developers to quickly change appearance data in IE's resource and data forks, as well as in preference files. Lecter copies resource data from a 'skin' file into the IE app, and deletes certain resources in the 'Internet Preferences' file. This process is repeatable, and not dependent on a fresh copy of IE. With different Internet Preference resource types and IDs in different versions of the Mac OS, an AppleScript solution has an edge over standard patchers.

A big tip-o-the-hat to these gents for all the work they've put into this.

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While phydeaux and sysinfo have made IE5 skins easier to create, you will still want to read this excellent tutorial by Derek Scott. It provides tons of information on the raw ResEdit resources and their format.

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Beta 5 of the wacky Applescript/Plaintalk version of Hamlet has been released by Charles Mangin!

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Dan sent this link for a Japanese User Interface site called C-ROCK. In the Archive sections are lots of Macintosh goodies.

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Dr. Bob sent this page full of actual Microsoft Window's error messages. Ok, so they're not real error messages, but they're so funny because we can believe they are real!

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After the posting of a MOSS by Seba, Jean-Jacques Cortes answers the question, "Who the heck is Barapapa?"

Barbapapa is a sort of candy made with sugar which is like cotton. Ok, you say "I know what is barbapapa, thank you. I eat barbapapa each time I visit a entertainment park", but what you don't know is the fact Barbapapa was an animated serial of the seventies, which tell about the adventure of a strange character "Barbapapa" and his family (his wife
Babamama, and their seven children). The particularity of these characters is they can take any form they want.

And I though Pokemon were annoying...

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Tired of trying to tell Grandma how to electronically send her bowling pictures to you? Well, MacInstruct has published a new tutorial. "How to Send Attachments in E-mail Messages"!

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

If you use a replacement splash for Internet Explorer, there is an interesting Forum thread that discusses removing the Copyright text from on top of the image.

• Here in Chicago, spring has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, but in the Southern Hemisphere, the chill is in the Australian air, keeping folks inside. That must account for this flood of recent submissions from Peter McHugh!
  
  
  • A new splash screen for Eudora 4.3
  • A mini-MOSS in the Aqua style.
  • A new side-menu image for GoMac.
    
    In addition, Peter updated his IE5 makeover package, so be sure to snag the newest copy.
    
    
• Nicholas Knyk turns AOL Instant Messenger into AOL Instant Mess on the Floor with this funny splash screen replacement.
  
  
• Denny Jr created this attractive splash screen for Internet Explorer 5.
  
  
• If you have an iMac (and who doesn't!), this nice looking About this Mac replacement by Mike Orticari may be for you!
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Jonathan Signor submitted this screenshot featuring the “G4 Metal” desktop picture from ResExcellence’s own Desktop Archive. A video signal of the Japanese movie, “The Princess Mononoke,” is running in ixTV, and the QuickTime Player is playing the final scene of the PlayStation game, Final Fantasy VI.
  
  
• Russ Boucher is back again with another snapshot, this time with the “Wild Things” desktop picture and Aqua K-Scheme. Greg’s Browser provides the OS X-style browser view. Audion, configured with the X Fusion skin, is running at the bottom of the screen.
  
  
• Bart van de Biezen sent this dual monitor snapshot sporting a custom desktop picture spanning both monitors. SoundJam MP is running in the upper left-hand corner with the Reintegration skin. Internet Explorer is open in the center of the left screen.
  
  
• Robert Erwin contributed this dual monitor snapshot running Windows 98 under emulation in Virtual PC on the left screen and the Mac OS on the right screen. The custom desktop picture “Myopia” spans both monitors. Very cool!
  
  
• Mel Vildirim submitted this snapshot touting the “X=Aqua” desktop picture and Aqua 9 Theme. Audion, configured with the Aqua skin, is running at the top of the screen, and Netscape Communicator, with a complete makeover, is also open.
  
  
• Evan Sharp was feeling blue with this screenshot, featuring the “Alien Planet” desktop picture along with the Geometry Theme, both from POWER/Mac. Macast is also decked out with a custom skin to complement the theme. Additionally, icons from Icon Factory and Perfect Yosemite propagate the screen.
  
  

Lots of browser talk today. I can't say enough good things about iCab 2.0. I was skeptical when I saw a beta release jump version numbers, but it may have been justified. The "Little Browser that Could" handles java well, plug-ins, and runs in almost half the memory of Explorer 5.

Oddly enough, the latest Mozilla build, M15, seems to run faster and is more stable than PR1, but AOL better put some money and developers into the project, or this puppy will never be ready for Prime Time!

There have been any interesting developments with Internet Explorer 5. Many of ResExcellence's best hackers are dissecting the application, and their efforts are bearing fruit.

Robert Percival offers a makeover kit in an Aqua shade of blue. His ResEdit elements can be installed with a simple cut and paste.

Derek Scott's Red makeover for Explorer is a little more involved, but also provides a large text tutorial outlining the resources involved and how to create your own modifications.

Two other hackers are putting the finishing touches on a nine template package that includes Applescripts to aid in the creation of Internet Explorer Skins. Barring any last minute hitches, watch for the release on Monday.

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Little Ice Cubes from the Linux Icebox

Andrew Arthur has this to add to the tutorial on Netscape's highlight color:

If you use KDE 1.1.2 and Netscape 4.7, you can make Netscape use your color settings, by going to K Menu -> Settings -> Desktop -> Style and checking Apply fonts and colors to non-KDE apps. You will then need to either logout and relogin, or hit option-F2 then type 'kcontrol -init' and restart Netscape. It should then use the same colors and fonts your
KDE apps are set to -- especially nice if you use a non-standard grey color theme in KDE. You can change the colors (including the select color) in the KDE colors dialog. I love this feature, it makes Netscape look pretty and blend into my KDE desktop!

When Apply fonts and colors to non-KDE apps is applied, it should work give you the same fonts and colors as your KDE apps, in basically everything -- excluding gtk+ apps (which aren't currently supported by this feature -- since they use a non-standard configuration format). This includes motif, athena, tk and probably a few other apps that have a pretty much standard color arguments.

I don't know how I missed that setting, but it makes many applications, especially gnome programs, become more KDE friendly.

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Regarding power management and sleep on Powerbooks under LinuxPPC, Rob Worman adds that it's a good idea to put the hard disk into standby mode before the computer goes to sleep:

hdparm -y puts the drive in standby
hdparm -S $seconds sets the idle time before the system automatically puts the drive in standby

Just make a little bash script with the hdparm command followed by snooze.

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With Ilona in Hungary, I'm covering a little icon news! Rick Roe from icons.cx dropped us a line to fill readers in on their latest developments, and you'll like what you see!

Everybody's wondering why icons.cx has been so quiet lately, so here's a sample of what we've been up to:

We're in the process of updating the majority of our sets for Mac OS X; when the new operating system comes out this summer, you'll be able to download almost all of our more popular icon sets (and several new ones) in the new 128x128 format. Several of our icons take advantage of the ability to put two icons in the same file, so that it looks good on the Dock as well as on the desktop.

If you're running Developer Preview 3, you can download our Spiffy Apps III set (or get OmniWeb or OmniPDF 4.0 to see our works in the new icon format. The rest of our updated (and new) sets will arrive this summer in time for the full release of Mac OS X.

In addition, responding to readers wishes, Rick has also updated his beautiful Explorer splash for all nine Explorer color sets.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• I don't know who Barbapapa is, but Seba created a MOSS screen featuring the little animated critter.
  
  
• Sébastien Lavoie created a makeover kit for MacAmp. I don't know what the original program looks like, but Sébastien's new look is nice!
  
  
• "Buddy" has been berry busy. He made two similar splash screens, one for Netscape, one for Explorer. They feature a cartoon kid with an Apple t-shirt.
  
  
• This MOSS by David Messick features a heavenly Angel.
  
  
• Selma Hayek is featured in this Eudora splash by Shadow Warrior.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Andreas Standfest submitted this screenshot featuring a custom desktop picture along with Ablie Wong’s Extra Virgin K-Scheme. Macast, configured with the RackAmp skin, is running in the lower left-hand corner.
  
  
• Jim Dusbiber sent in this snapshot touting the desktop picture for the now banned Gizmo Theme. Gerry’s ICQ is residing on the left-hand side of the screen and SoundJam MP with the AquaX skin is running in the middle.
  
  
• Jade Barton likes to run it all! In this screenshot can be seen the Mac OS, Windows 98, and RedHat Linux all simultaneously! The Get Happy desktop picture can be seen in the background.
  
  
• Kuzey Atici has provided us with this snapshot touting the Metal Mac desktop picture as well as a matching ATM and the NeXTheme Theme. Also visible are some custom system replacement icons and Buzz Lightyear, Bart Simpson, and Metal Mac 2 desktops.
  
  
• Kin Camacho appears to be quite the videoconferencer in this snapshot. In the foreground, CU-SeeMe provides video feeds for five participants, and if that isn't enough, both ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger are open in the background, poised for conversation! Sheesh!
  
  

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Based on reader feedback, sysinfo has quickly updated his patcher for AIM 3.5.966. This version will not disable the Stock Ticker.

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The good folks at BareBones Software have released a free extension that allows Apple's DVD Player to peacefully coexist with Macsbug.

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Mike S. sent this note regarding iCab and our Popup menus that use Javascript.

On the front page you mention iCab 2.0 is available but say that it lacks full support of javascript so pop up menus at Resexcellence still won't work.

While it's true that it's javascript implementation is still incomplete, I successfully used the pop up menus in the software archive and desktop pictures area. This is great news as iCab is now able to navigate just about every site I go to.

iCab does ship with Inscript/Javascript disabled by default so maybe that is why the menus didn't work for you.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Here a couple of more submissions from Strigmaga in his Fathom anime series. There's a nice looking Explorer splash and one for Hotline.
  
  
• You can't read the type in the preview, but Taylor put together a clever MOSS called Planets that pokes fun at the worlds latest monopoly.
  
  
• Reagan Denius from Amplexus created this great looking MutliUser login replacement based on the EvaOS MOSS.
  
  
• Here's one for the kiddies! Kuzey Atici put together this cute MOSS featuring Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• This submitter, who is known only as Skel, contributed this snapshot showing off an incredibly detailed desktop picture named “haxOr-green” along with Albie Wong’s ByCrom! K-Scheme. Audion, configured with the Spine skin, is running in the upper left-hand corner.
  
  
• Jade Barton sent in this snapshot featuring an impressive desktop picture called “BlueVortex” as well as the Aqua Theme. SoundJam MP, configured with the MixP3 skin, is running in the lower right-hand corner.
  
  
• This contributor, who requested anonymity, submitted this snapshot featuring the GlassWorks Strawberry Theme and a desktop picture to match. Icons from Etherbrian inhabit the right side of the screen.
  
  
• Eli Rousso sent in this snapshot touting the G4 Dock desktop picture and Mac OS X Aqua K-Scheme. Macast is running in the foreground.
  
  
• Paul Thiem, one of our regular contributers, submitted this snapshot displaying the “DC Hub” desktop picture from Blue Sky Heart along with Railhead Design’s Mac QNX K-Scheme. Stir in some icons from Railhead and Icon Factory, and you have a recipe for a masterpiece.
  
  
• Gary Burnett contributed this screenshot touting Blue Sky Heart’s “DC Applesauce” and the Graphite IV K-Scheme. SoundJam MP, located in the upper left-hand corner, is configured with the converted Audion skin “Reintegration.”
  
  

Sixteen years ago this weekend, my lovely wife and I were married. What does this have to do with filing my taxes online? It seems we never sent a name-change form to the Social Security administration, so to them she is still known as Miss Mazolla!

All this means that my electronically filed 1040 was rejected, while the paper form had been accepted for the past fifteen years. After a little last minute scrambling, the check is in the mail. Honest.

I hope the 45% of you who electronically filed your forms had better luck.

Several years after its release, how many of the popular Sherlock features are still being used? This week's Polling Place asks, "Do you still index your drive?".

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In case you missed it, iCab has been updated and jumped a whole version number to 2.0. It's fast and has the most comprehensive set of preferences I have ever seen in a browser. It will even let you design the contextual menus. As a webmaster™, my favorite new preference if to get rid of that damn frowning face.

It lacks full support for Javascript, so the popup menus at ResExcellence still won't work, but for those of you looking for another alternative until (and if) Netscape gets their act together, check out iCab.

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If it's Monday, then Patrick Kelleher must have created a new throbber! This new iBook throbber can be downloaded from his Throbber page, which displays all his spinning creations.

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A person know to Federal Marshalls as sysinfo has updated his patcher for the most recent AIM beta, number 966. sysinfo will also be monitoring the User's Forum from his cell in a maximum securtiy prison at an undisclosed state. Post your comments, and he will respond. Instant Messenger 3.5.966 patch…

This patch removes the AOL ads from the buddy window, and removes the AIM logo from the Sign-On windows. These are intended as an interim solution until AIM 4 comes out.

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Regular contributor, Victor Yee, has set up a web page for all his Applescripts.He wrote a new script called CreatorMapper that changes creator types, but using a different method to define file types and creator types. This is the description:

This droplet changes the creator type of files. Which files and to which creator is up to you. Both parameters are determined by the name that you give to the droplet! (neat huh?)

The first four letters of the droplet's name define the file type it will process, while the last four letters define the creator type that it will set processed files to.

That means that you can modify its behaviour just by changing its name!

Don't know if the trick is all that new, but there it is. btw, the script processes nested folders too.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Inspired by the Sirius' comic series, Strigmaga submitted this Hotline splash.
  
  
• Once again, Scott Chitwood sends us a great looking MOSS replacement.
  
  
• You will feel the need to polish the brass in this beautiful Quicktime Player makeover by Brad Grosse.
  
  
• Jason Little sends a variation on the Matrix in this splash for Netscape.
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Will Ewin IV submitted this chic screenshot featuring a desktop picture he created called “Dark Apple” coupled with the Hi-Tech Theme. Judging from the AOL Instant Messenger graphic on the Buddy List, it appears that he's not an ICQ fan.
  
  
• This submitter, known under the alias Lysol, contributed this snapshot featuring a scene from the “X-Men: The Movie” trailer along with the Aqua K-Scheme. Also, Audion, on the left edge of the screen, is configured with the gorgeous Touch Screen face!
  
  
• David Ziebarth submitted this impressive screenshot featuring the Storm DP from Digital Blasphemy and the awesome Sugar Plate IV K-Scheme. Audion in the lower left-hand corner is configured with Som Datye’s Oval face to match.
  
  
• This submitter, known only as Jjaro, has decked out a Performa 6115cd with the Aqua K-Scheme and a custom desktop picture to match. Even older hardware can't keep a customizer down!
  
  
• Ben Fiess has Dodge on the brain with this submission featuring a Dodge Neon desktop picture and Ben Mackin’s Liquid Theme. A Different car for a Different computer owner.
  
  
• Christopher Blomquist submitted this snapshot of what appears to be a Linux system… or is it? With a Sun Systems custom desktop picture and the NeXT ][ K-Scheme, he's sure to impress his Unix friends!
  
  

ResExcellence is sooooo international. Jean-Jacques Cortes has produced a French translation of Michael Reeves' template for creating ResEdit templates! (Download French)

Anyone want to do a translation for our Klingon friends?

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Changing the Text Highlight Color in Netscape

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Bernhard Fuerst reports that after updating to MacOS 9.0.4, he modified the new Apple CD/DVD Driver 1.3.5 according to the instructions in this Previous Edit. It worked successfully by applying the changes for version 1.3.1 to 1.3.5 as shown - at least on his SCSI-CDROM Teac CD-532S!

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Have you been going to school at the University of HyperCard? Class is ready to begin as MacInstruct posts Chapter Three.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

The main User Contributions page is now ready. It's your destination for all the excellent creations our readers send to ResExcellence.

• Remember that campy sci-fi movie, Mars Attacks? Michael Nelson created a MOSS featuring the yodel-hating Aliens.
  
  
• In the style of his pervious contributions, Andrew White has made a set of "watercolor" splash screens for the Microsoft Office 98 suite of applications.
  
  
• Feeling guilty for abandoning Netscape? Hes Nikke created this Netscape throbber for Internet Explorer 5! It's color will change with the each browser "Flavor".
  
  
• Proclaiming that it eats Explorers for lunch, this Netscape splash by Andy Sohoza features a giant lizard.
  
  
• Adrian Duczynsk created a nice looking replacement splash for Explorer 5.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Tray sent this snapshot featuring a gruesome custom desktop picture coupled with Robin Rundkvist’s Forest Shine K-Scheme. Must be Myth-inspired.
  
  
• This submitter known only as KCandAJ sent in this tangerine snapshot featuring the Persian desktop picture and Onyx K-Scheme. Audion is configured with the bck-sp-lite skin.
  
  
• Ryan Schwartz submitted this snapshot featuring the “Silo DP” from MacDesktops and the Liquid Theme. MacX is open in the upper left-hand corner, poised ready to launch Red Hat Linux. A cool visualization plugin for SoundJam MP named “iMesh” is displayed in the lower right-hand corner.
  
  
• Tommy T. submitted this screenshot with the UFO DP from the Mac OS 9 CD and the ORIONT GT-Classic K-Scheme. Very cool!
  
  
• Mike S. is back with another snapshot for our archive. This one is running NeXTstep 3.3 under emulation. Some of the notable NeXT features include the browse view, large icons, dock, and tear-off menus.
  
  
• Bob Temple boldly goes where no one has gone before with this Star Trek-style screenshot featuring a Next Generation desktop picture and Voyager replacement icons for iCab, the lean, mean browsing machine.

On my desk is a sixty year old black rotary phone made by the Western Electric company in nearby Cicero, Illinois. It's the best sounding phone I have ever owned. I keep a digital keypad nearby for times when I need to "Press one to speak with a company representative...".

After buying two new phones to replace rundown units in other rooms of the house, it occurred to me that the biggest casualty of the AT&T was the phone itself. No matter how much I spend, purchasing a corded phone that can last more than one year is a task that eludes me.

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Modify the Iomega Control Strip to open other applications.

Running the scripts creates a theater of Finder windows and icons that enter and exit the stage delivering their lines as Victoria, Bubbles, or Ralph! Take a moment to visit the site and download the "Play".
Tip: If the main script doesn't start the play, you can run any of the individual Arts by clicking on it.

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The new look of ResExcellence was inspired by an image sent to me by Joe Daniels. You can see that image here. I'm the first to admit that Joe's version is more beautiful, but practical limitations such as image size and fear of Apple's lawyers kept me from duplicating every detail.

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BootX, a utility that aids in switching between MacOS and LinuxPPC, has been updated to version 1.2.1.

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A ResEdit template to edit templates? That exactly what Michael Reeves has created. If you are a creator of resEdit templates, this will be of interest to you. From the READ ME:

A simple editor for use with ResEdit 2.1 or higher. To use it open the file "TMPL Editor" included with this document and copy all the resources into ResEdit or its preference file located in the "System Folder" under "Preferences". ResEdit should then be able to use to open any 'TMPL' resource. One note about the interface the last item in the type is included for compatibility with non-ResEdit TMPL's such as those built for Resorcerer™. All types recognized by ResEdit should be included in the popup. This editor is Freeware and may be freely distributed.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

The main User Contributions page is now ready. It's your destination for all the excellent creations our readers send to ResExcellence.

• A new GoMac makeover by Jjaro adds new icons and graphics for this utility that brings a Windows task bar to the Mac. (!)
  
  
• The latest throbber by Patrick Kelleher features my favorite piece of hardware - a Powerbook!
  
  
• Sam Jubelirer sends his first submission, a spherical MOSS.
  
  
• This one is funny! James Whitson created a Netscape splash starring the doggie-hand puppet from the pets.com commercials.
  
  
• Rick Roe from icons.cx sent these two Aqua splashes, one for Explorer and one for Outlook Express. The OE5 version is quite unique.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly

• Andrew Smith submitted this screenshot featuring a simple desktop picture he created for use with The Tilery by Semicolon Software.
  
  
• Scott Raleigh submitted this fabulous screenshot sporting William Martin’s Acme K-Scheme and a desktop picture included with his new WetWare Audion face which is displayed in the upper left-hand corner. Very striking setup!
  
  
• Cletus from our very own Software Archive submitted this snapshot featuring the way-cool Greg’s Browser program that provides a multilevel browser view in the Finder, bringing the goodness of Mac OS X to today’s Mac desktop a little early! A custom bluish desktop pattern and Ben Mackin’s Liquid Theme are also shown off. (Cletus is such a showoff. - Michael)
  
  
• Brandon M. sent in this snapshot a cool desktop picture he assembled from various sources tied together with the Aqua K-Scheme. Audion configured with Rob Gentile’s gorgeous Skin-Fish Face is in the foreground with Greg’s Browser residing the background.
  
  
• Bobby Thompson submitted this snapshot that contains the IZAPPY-D K-Scheme and a slightly modified version of the desktop picture that comes with it. Bobby’s webpage is displayed in the foreground, and SoundJam MP is playing in the background.
  
  
• Alex Kleiner sent in this screenshot touting the Blueberry Union desktop picture included with Mac OS 9 and the Aqua Theme. Macster and Sherlock 2 are displayed in the center.
  
  

I wonder if there are any statistics to backup my belief that Mac users update their hardware more often than PC users. Everytime there is a hardware Polling Place question, it appears that Mac users have rapidly upgraded to the latest and greatest.

For example, last week's Poll showed that 44% have Firewire. That means a fairly new Blue and White G3, or Graphite G4, and doesn't even include all the new iMac owners. That seems impressive to me. If any one knows of any statistics, please send me a link.

I've procrastinated about as long as possible, but this week, I will finally sit down to do my taxes. As I have done for the past 5 years, I'll be using MacInTax from Intuit. Am I alone in my suffering? This week's Polling Place question asks, "Did you electronically prepare your taxes this year?".

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After mentioning running Netscape 6 under LinuxPPC, several readers have asked where to get it. While you can't exactly get Netscape 6, there are nightly builds of Mozzila 14 at this ftp server, and another build at the South Pole.

Which reminds me, some LinuxPPC questions have been posted in the Forum, and while they are welcome there and you wish you luck, the best place to find help is by searching the LinuxPPC email list.

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Now that we all have the official MacOS 9.0.4 update, the edit to shorten the 2 minute MountCheck delay has been updated to account for the PowerPC Enabler.

I had really thought that when the final version was released, that the enabler would be rolled into the System suitcase. It's interesting to note the increasing complexity of the System folder. We now have several fairly new files containing resources: MacOS ROM, System Resources, PowerPC Enabler 9.0.4, Login, and Panels.

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PixelPress is generally thought of as an icon site, but stop by there to see their updated Applescript section.

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Here are a couple of simple Applescripts to Hide All/Show All from Victor Yee. One way to trigger them is by assigning them to Function Keys in the Keyboard Control Panel, another is with OSA Menu.

APPL is the creator code for the Finder. You can easily modify the scripts to show/hide and application by changing the code.

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Those of you who have been clamoring for patchers for betas of AOL's Instant Messengers will find some satisfaction. An anonymous coder submitted patchers for the two most recent betas that remove the AOL ads from the buddy window, and remove the AIM logo from the Sign-On window. These are intended as an interim solution until a final AIM comes out.

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Macinstruct is one year old! Webmaster Matthew Cone has posted his gratitude for the past year, and his hope for the future. There is also a new tutorial with instructions on how to upload your web site.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• You can change the look of ICQ with this Graphite Makeover by Eduardo Macias.
  
  
• Another steamy submission from Kevin Hessel. This time it's a Hotline splash screen.
  
  
• Using bolder colors, Mark Saunders put together this splash screen for Explorer 5.
  
  
• Blending the lighthouse, smilin' Mac, and a little Aqua, Brad Grosse created this Netscape splash.
  
  
• Throbbers have certainly made a comeback! This new one by Bart Cable for Netscape features a graphite spinning Apple logo.
  
  

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Snapshot Gallery

• Joakim Uhrwing from the IconHood is back with another snapshot, this time featuring various icons from the Icon Factory and what appears to be a desktop picture with desert sand dunes. Very cool!
  
  
• Hes Nikke provided us with an interesting before and after snapshot set. The top snapshot is Aquafied and clear of window and icon clutter. The bottom snapshot taken two months later, however, is a nightmare of overlapping windows positioned haphazardly and hoards of icons deposited on the desktop from a weeks worth of work. It’s enough to make an organization freak like myself just cringe!
  
  
• Jack Shedd submitted this screenshot, a product of much color tweaking in ResEdit. It features the “Delicate Violence” desktop picture and a modified version of the Osmium 45 K-Scheme, sprinkled with various icons from the ExtraVirgin Pack and Photonica icon sets.
  
  
• This submitter, who preferred to remain anonymous, sent in this snapshot featuring the DSG Theme and the “Return of the Mac Transparent” desktop picture with a custom gray pattern underneath.
  
  
• Chris Buyak sent in this screenshot featuring a custom desktop picture he created called “LA” along with the ByCrom K-Scheme. The desktop picture appears to portray confusion and chaos.
  
  
• Hnz Geeratz from Stuttgart, Germany submitted this snapshot featuring a modified Mac OS X desktop picture and various applications for working with his website.
  
  

Lots of people are complaining about Netscape 6 in the newsgroups, including the ResExcellence User Forums, but I to be honest, I've been running it under MacOS and Linux almost exclusively with few problems.

Many readers complain of problems scrolling documents. To speed scrolling and give N6 the standard Platinum bars, select Preferences->debug, and uncheck the gfx scrollbars option.

While I admit this beta release is not perfect, there is a promise of great power in Netscape 6. If you dig around the folder hierarchy in Netscape 6, you'll get an appreciation for the modular construction of the program. Every aspect of the interface can be user defined, from the cosmetic to the operational.

Comparing Sullivan with the default Netscape User Interface.

Netscape 6 is based on XML, just as many MacOS X applications. By editing text files and creating gifs, you can rebuild the style of the toolbars, sidebar, and menus. To see an example, visit Alphanumerica and download the Sullivan skin. While it's a work in progress, notice how all the menus have been redefined. ChromeZone is also a good site for information on skins - and all this is platform agnostic. Skins work equally well under Windows, Linux, and MacOS, so the MacOS should never feel orphaned.

While many of you are frustrated with your initial impressions, remember a few things. Competition is good. It benefits the Mac community to report bugs to the developers in as much detail as possible. Netscape's beta cycles have always been open to the public, Microsoft's have not, so you can expect to hear more online complaining regarding Netscape.

Every aspect of Netscape is open to the public, from the user interface, to the raw source code. Microsoft's is not. In fact, I'm currently working with two ResExcellence readers to develop ResEdit templates for the complicated color styles used in Explorer 5. (Watch for more on IE5 colors next week...)

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Power Management on Powerbooks.

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Ironically, the Stuffit format that began on the Mac Platform, has been ported to Linux on Intel, but not Linux on the PowerPC platform. If you would like to see Expander under LinuxPPC, drop a polite note to Customer Service.

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Snapshot Gallery

• Nick Ditmore submitted this screenshot featuring one of Digital Blasphemy’s “Jellies” DPs along with Audion configured with the Boomerang skin. A whole smorgasbord of icons abides on the right edge of the screen.
  
  
• This submitter, known under the alias “Susie Creamcheese,” sent this snapshot featuring a screen capture of the Melt-O-Rama visualization plugin coupled with the NeXT theme.
  
  
• Curt Menn submitted this screenshot featuring a desktop picture from Rampant Mac and an Aqua K-Scheme.
  
  
• Matthew Grans is back with another screenshot, this time featuring Scott Chitwood’s “Get Happy” desktop picture and Graeme Hunt’s CircleVision K-Scheme.
  
  
• Matt Thompson sent in this snapshot sporting the “Walnut Lake” desktop picture and Fuse K-Scheme. Audion is playing a song he created on his iMac.
  
  
• Tom Yeaton submitted this snapshot displaying more video signals than one can shake a stick at! Perfect Yosemite’s Bluedream desktop picture is in the background
  
  

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Patrick Kelleher sends another of his great browser throbbers! This one features the Apple Cinema Display and is available for IE 4 & 5, and Netscape 4 & 6.
  
  
• Orion Buckminster greeted a GNU look in this BootX. makeover package!
  
  
• For Explorer 5, Kevin Hessel sends us his latest Laetitia splash.
  
  
• Mitcz Marzoni made a way-cool DVD Player splash.
  
  
• Adding to the long list of women he will never date, Russ Boucher sent a Netscape splash featuring Neve Campbell!
  
  
• Miguel D'Amico sent a nice looking MOSS with Smilin Mac and Aqua feel.
  
  
  

So this is voter apathy! Over half of you don't care that Apple turned the folder icon in MacOS X. And what's worse, only a quarter of you agree with me that it's a bad idea.

This week's Polling Place question was going to ask if you liked the new look of the site, but to be honest, I don't care if you like it! There's no way I'm going to redo over 500 pages of html again! So you better get use to the layout because it's going to be around for a long time! Not all the pages have been changed yet, and I imagine you'll stumble across some mixed up hybrids, but give us a week to sort it all out. This new look was the idea of ResEx regular Joe Daniels who sent a mockup as part of a Snapshot submission. I liked it so much I asked if he would mind if we made it a reality! Watch for his Snapshot Wednesday.

This week's new Polling Place question asks, "Does your main machine have Firewire?"

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Judging from my email, it seems I tricked a fair number of you with the April Fool's Day posting. Many angry letters arrived threatening bodily harm if I didn't remove the one million dollar billing on their credit card. The funniest e-mail was from Jean-Jacques Cortes, who didn't have a Susan B. Anthony dollar, but sent this one special dollar he did have...

If you think I received a lot of hate mail this April 1st, you should see the page I posted last year!

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So many readers emailed Jason Showers to ask how he created his NeXT Snapshot, he put together a web page detailing the experience.

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Kalleboo has in interesting web page with lots of ResEdit related downloads. the most recent is a Remote Access makeover.

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If you were one of the people who accidentally received the MacOS 9.0.4 update via the automatic Software Update Engine, Peter McHugh reports that in order to change the 2 minute Mount Check delay, you need to modify the Boot resource in "PowerPC Enabler 9.0.4". It will be in the System Folder.

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User Contributed Splash Screen:

• Patrick Kelleher sent another of his great throbbers. This one features a spinning iMac and is available for all the major browsers.
  
  
• And also for your iMac, Kuzey Atici created this nice looking MOSS replacement.
  
  
• Andrew White sent out first splashscreen replacement for Apple's DVD player.