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5/28/99
Since you're reading ResExcellence, it means you have an appetite for taking your user interface to the next level! Even if you don't have a question, you can learn a lot from browsing over 200 posts in the ResExcellence User Forum.
This is a lite version (only three events) of a more powerful commercial program that lets you schedule the execution of AppleScripts.
When it comes to scripting, it's hard to read for more than ten minutes without seeing Bill Cheeseman's name. His site features The AppleScript Sourcebook, and information on creating folder actions.
For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Register to Win a G4 Titanium PowerBook at Smalldog.com
5/26/99 N8 Alf created this really nifty folder action AppleScript. Attach it to a folder, and every time someone opens or moves the folder, it becomes a popup window. It has been working great on a couple of popups I like to always keep on the bottom of my screen. on opening folder ThisFolder on moving folder window for ThisFolder on SetPopUp(ThisFolder) -- in the following line you can determine the window view set view of window of folder ThisFolder to name set spatial view arrangement of window of folder ThisFolder to arranged by name (Added to the Sloppy AppleScript archive)
One of those activities that often confuses a new Mac user is the "Eject" command, which leaves a "Ghost of Floppies Past" on the desktop. This simple edit removes System 7's ability to leave those haunting icons.
Peter McHugh has stumbled upon something interesting. He has created a giant MOSS replacement - and it works. The READ ME provides a simple addition to the normal ResExcellence edit. I was surprised after installing it that the text PICTS and progress bars are in a new, but appropriate position. Assuming the large PICT resource doesn't cause problems for readers, this could open a whole new are for startup pictures - not quite a MOSS, not quite a StartupScreen. If you install it and have problems, let me know. Spring is in the air, and that must get the creative juices flowing. How else can you explain the recent flood of User Contributions? Based on the Wired cover picture of the Apple logo ringed by a crown of thorns, Scott Lahteine has submitted a MOSS and matching StartupScreen. Michael Dicker has tweaked the original open source galapagos to his taste and included an extension to add a matching spinning cursor. If the thought of a giant MOSS has you hiding under a bed, take a look at the three other MOSS submissions from Peter McHugh. Peter included an ATM replacement. And finally, if you liked the movie "The Matrix", you'll want to take a look at six new Netscape splash screens submitted by Marla Erwin. ResExcellence: the only web site with deliberate misspellings to entertain readers. For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Ilicon Graphic Design
5/24/99
This week's Polling Place question was suggested by Cotten Kelsh. After visiting ResExcellence and picking the perfect edit to augment your System, which editor do you use? ResEdit or Resorcerer?
Rumors say a new high powered graphics app is also coming for the BeOS called Photohop (not to confused with PhotoShop), to be closely followed by a web browser called Internet Exploring (not to be confused with Internet Explorer). :)
Lauri Kieksi has submitted his collection of editor icons for ResEdit. A quirky little Netscape splash is available from Organized Bambino. Peter McHugh has been busy updating some MOSS submissions to display MacOS 8.6. Here at the first two, previous creations by Michael Dicker and Akeem Williams. Akeem has submitted a blue stylized "About this Mac" replacement. Be sure to check out his interface site, Creative Box. A tangerine splash screen was created by William Marler for Outlook Express. For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
500MHz iMacs below cost! At Smalldog.com
5/21/99 There have been several questions asked about ResExcellence and the RC5-64 Challenge. The program you use to check the keys and crack the code uses about 500k of RAM. You do not need to always be connected to the internet. What I do is change the default number of blocks buffered from 10 to 50. While I update everyday, the extra blocks give me some breathing room if I forget a day. At work, I have a Linux box that runs 24/7. Its buffer is set to 99 blocks. This gets it through the weekend and I can upload the finished blocks on Monday. Generally, the client is always running hidden in the background, though I will quit it when playing Quake3 (which rocks). Other than that, I don't feel the load on my computer. Why have a team ResExcellence!, why not join team Evangelista? Because then it wouldn't be team ResExcellence! ;) In the stats box on the side of this page, I post daily updates on the team's position in the rankings. We just broke 4000 and are climbing more than 100 rankings each day. As we get closer to the top, it will get much harder, but given an infinite amount of time, we will win! (and a monkey will write a great novel.) Regarding the RC5 client and MacOS 8.6, there is this from MacInTouch:
So if you haven't done so already, read Michael Dicker's instructions for downloading and configuring the client software, then join the team! You may win $1000 for yourself, and a $1000 for charity.
The edits on ResExcellence should always be performed on a copy. This way if there is a mistake, a quick reboot from a CD will let you fix the messiest System hack. But by editing Drive Setup, it's conceivable (though admittedly not likely) that you could loose data. If you do find yourself in the position of having a third party drive that cannot be formatted with Drive Setup, Cogco Software has posted detailed instructions on how to modify DriveSetup. Michele Zundo adds to the topic regarding Drive Setup and Removable cartridges:
Ian Jungling has submitted 5 splash screens for an array of Microsoft products that feature his favorite "actress", Vicca. Kevin Knopp likes the default MOSS, but he thought the text items looked a little boring, so he submitted these replacements. In addition, he sent a replacement splash screen for Better Telnet. A beautiful brushed metal MOSS with text elements has been submitted by Erik Veland.
The cry can be heard from around the world. Is our favorite site off the air? No! Not at all. The webmaster of MacPlaza has a temporary job transfer to a nation where internet access is as likely as Bill Gates selling iMacs at Best Buy. He had hoped the net access would be more readily available, at a more reasonable cost, but have no fear. His burden is large, but his friends are many... For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
PowerLogix Upgrades On Sale Smalldog.com
5/19/99 At long last, and after much gently prodding by many contributors, there are now download counters on the most recent User Contributions. Watch for a bunch of new files on Friday.
The Wired Shark is Frank Ryan's new site that cracks the case on Powerbooks to get at the nitty-gritty guts. The new Linux.com has opened its doors. There's tons of good info there for users on all experience levels.
While Larry Kearl offers the raw scripts:
How often does he take a broom to these 32x32 pixel scraps of trash? Never. Rather than delete anything, he burns CD's of the stuff most of us would toss! And if you think he's a pack rat on the desktop, you should see his garage! :)
MacOS 8.5 brought us 32 bit icons, but the trade off was that the ability to customize them was greatly deminished. These beautiful icons are much more difficult to create and modify. Inthe future, when there is an editor available, it will look more like PhotoShop than ResEdit! Do you long for the "Good Old Days"? Would you be willing to trade millions of colors to be able to easily change and edit your System icons under MacOS 8.5? This edit tells you how. For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Register to Win a G4 Titanium PowerBook at Smalldog.com
5/17/99 Netscape Communicator 4.6 has been released. The first thing you may notice after launching the new version, is that the menus are a boring, flat white. While it is disappointing the programmers didn't use this opportunity to update the menu definition (MDEF). You can do it yourself.
The new version of Netscape is ready to use. The menus will now have the Apple Platinum appearance.
Unfortunately, Eric Albert says this will have a limited effect:
Resex: I haven't tried this myself, since the banner doesn't bother me, but it looks as if the plugin code is also in the TEXT ID 1000 resource of the Sherlock 2.1 application, so both areas may need patching.
By the way, I'd like to welcome the 10% who are from another planet. It's good to see that you have chosen the Mac as your interplanetary computing platform. My computer desktop often resembles my real desktop - a scattered mess of documents, clippings, and trash! Is yours the same? This weeks Polling Place asks, "How many icons are on your desktop right now?" For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Ilicon Graphic Design
5/14/99 Pssst... Hey buddy. Want a chance at winning a thousand bucks? Every now and then, a visitor to ResExcellence will be randomly chosen to participate in a MacAddict Network questionnaire. If you're one of the lucky ones, you may win the top prize of $1000.
That's true, and the same can be said of 8Tuner, but I look at resource editing like mowing the lawn. Some people use a lawn service, and some cut it themselves. I like the feeling of accomplishment I have when viewing the neat lines of the mower's wheels after I have bagged the grass on a Saturday afternoon. :)
I can see the lawyer's letter now...
If you want to perform the edit to shorten the 2 minute MountCheck delay, Jon Mayes says the boot resource has also been moved back in to the System suitcase. And to make matters worse, it appears the B&W G3 ROM file is different from the iMac ROM. Generally, if you try to perform an edit on the ROM file and it doesn't work, perform it instead on the original location - either the System suitcase or System Resources. And always work on copies!
Thanks to MacMadness for naming ResExcellence their "Site of the Week". For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
500MHz iMacs below cost! At Smalldog.com
5/12/99 I've been thinking... The worst part about upgrading to MacOS 8.6, is redoing all my resource edits! Do you think if we asked them nicely, Apple would incorporate ResExcellence's Previous Edits as an install option under Sonata? Here is a list of edits I performed to complete my install of MacOS 8.6 (the ResExcellence version!):
Do you think if you took all the Star Wars icons, from all the different icon artists, and placed them on the desktop at the same time, they would wage a Myth-like battle of epic proportions?
Do you think it will be long before every aspect of the OS is sponsored? Already Aladdin displays a little banner in the progress window while unstuffing a file. Some future possibilities for dialog windows are:
[update] Readers report that deleting the rc5des preferences, re-entering the info, and assigning more RAM clears up the fetch/flush problem under MacOS 8.6. You still get the dialog complaining aboutOS compatibility.
Paul Albert is ready, but he has the following question:
There are at least two ways to do this. The first doesn't involve ResEdit (boring!). Under 8.1, open the Appearance Manager and drag the patterns you want to keep to the desktop, creating PICT clippings. After updating, drag these clippings into the appropriate Desktop Tab in the Appearance Control Panel. If you want to use ResEdit (Yea!), open the Desktop Pattern Preferences in the Preferences folder from MacOS 8.1. Copy the ppat resources to the clipboard. Open a copy of the "Custom Desktop Patterns" in the Preferences Folder under MacOS 8.5 and higher, and paste in the ppat resources. If you get the dialog asking how you want to handle duplicate ID number, select the Unique option.
For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
PowerLogix Upgrades On Sale Smalldog.com
5/10/99
One of the benefits of running ResExcellence is receiving nice reader email from around the world. Just for fun, this week's Polling Place asks, "On which continent do you live?". I hope you paid attention in geography class!
Hosted by distributed.net, the RC5-64 challenge is currently using over 100,000 computers around the world to find the key to a secret message. The "why" of it all can be found in their FAQ. Read Michael's instructions on downloading and configuring the client software (easy), and join team ResExcellence! (real easy) If your computer cracks the code, you'll win $1000. ResExcellence will also get $1000 which I will donate to the Chicago Foundation to Cure Epilepsy. Michael and I have been crunching numbers for a couple of weeks in preparation, and we're slowly working our way up in the standings. With the addition of fellow ResExer's, we hope to break into the top 100 teams. Take a look at our current position in the standings. If you have any questions, let me know. In the meantime, start checking keys!
Epoch Icons has released two new sets with a total of over fifty 32 bit icons featuring the characters in Episode I.
Be sure to also view Todd's collection of Star Wars' desktop pictures. (There it is again, Star Wars!)
If you have Quicktime 4 installed, you can go to waferbaby and view a twisted Pixhell streaming comic. Start at Episode Zero and work your way up.
Thanks to MacMadness for naming ResExcellence their "Site of the Week". For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Register to Win a G4 Titanium PowerBook at Smalldog.com
5/7/99 SPECIAL REPORT: An interview with Dorian Weisel of the DS Group - the first company to release an Appearance Theme file. How did they do it, why, and what does the user interface future hold. (Continued...)
They are all worth a look if you're interested in seeing what options the future holds!
Not only can it change the scroll arrows, application switcher, and keyboard switching; it can also manage your Internet search site plugins!. Everything but the plugin manager is done using Applescripts, so you won't have to worry about conflicts and compatibility.
For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
Ilicon Graphic Design
5/5/99 The random drawing for User Contributors, has been held for the month of April, and the winner is... (drum roll...) Tom Mulligan! He wins a sporty looking Apple iMac T-Shirt! Tom, drop me a line with your address, and the shirt will be on its way. Thanks to the dozens of creative readers who took the time to submit a graphic or AppleScript to ResExcellence last month.
In addition, 1.1 also adds:
Toren Valimir, a student at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, has sketched and scanned a human form. The result can be seen in his iMaculate MOSS. His complimentary Kaleidoscope schemes are here.
The latest beta of Quicktime 4b22 is available from Apple's servers, but Harold Bakker doesn't like the look or transport controls on the new QuickTime Player. As today's guest editor, he provides an easy way for you to keep using MoviePlayer as your default media tool. Don't worry, you'll still have the QuickTime Player if you need it. After completing this edit, You will have the original transport controls, and when you resize a movie window, you won't be left with the huge QuickTime Player border. (Continued...) For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza...
500MHz iMacs below cost! At Smalldog.com
5/3/99 There goes the neighborhood! ResExcellence is very proud to announce that it is now a member of the MacAddict Network! Once again, this honor must be shared with all the readers who have submitted helpful tips, edit ideas, and User Contributions. I may be the one doing the html coding, but ResExcellence has become a community comprised of much more than a web page. Visit the MacAddict Network home page to get a quick summary of what's happening on the member sites, and around the net.
Drew has scored himself a copy of Apple Confidential, the new book by Owen Linzmayer full of behind the scenes tidbits on the history of Apple. David Dixon sent me a picture proving he was reader 500,001. Unfortunately, he gets nothing. But being the eternal optimist, David looks forward to being the 1,000,000th viewer! (Maile is a leaf from Hawaii and the name of our new dog.)
Several people asked where Espy was! That font family was never released as part of the MacOS. Originally, it was an eWorld font. (anybody remember eWorld!). Apple spends many man-hours on the small little additions that make our OS the best, but I wonder how many users take advantage of them. This week's Polling Place deals with one of those little enhancements, "Do you usually display the long or short Application Menu?".
ICQ Facelift includes brand new icons, sounds, About Box and to top it all: a fully fledged ScreenFont, and Borders.
Chris Paveglio has created an MOSS and About this Mac replacement featuring a seldom seen picture of our favorite spin-meister, Steve Jobs. Johnny Ring has a thing for Zombies, so watch out when you look at this Netscape replacement splash screen. Cotten Kelsh has spiced up his copy of ResEdit with some new resource icons. For more interface news and resources, be sure to visit MacPlaza... |
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the full MacOS 8.6 CD called "iDo Script Scheduler 1.0". If you don't have the CD, you can 
Messy, messy, messy! Sure I have 30 icons on my desktop, but the rest of you should really be a little neater! Actually, I'm more concerned about the 3% that only have your had disk and Trash can. That can't be healthy.
The edit for putting the utility pattern back in OS 8 didn't effect the Chooser. I poked around and realized the window color could be changed with dctb ID -15904, the only ID, by adjusting the "Content" color. While this doesn't allow an actual pattern, I was able to match it to my desktop pattern by turning on "Use Color Picker" in the DLOG menu. I find Apple's Digital Color Meter to be an indispensable tool in this kind of work.
Here's a new spin on the Apple Menu. This version 
About 60% of ResExcellence readers are from the North American continent. That's not a surprise, but i am a little disappointed at how few readers are located in South America and Africa. 
Ryan Wilkerson says the 
Based on last week's question, about 40% of you like to keep your Application Menu closed. I imagine the reason is menu bar real estate.
Next up on 
What a surprise! Charcoal isn't the dreaded font that I thought it was. While it wasn't the most popular in last week's poll, it was a close second to Gadget, followed by Techno. Unfortunately, "I hate them all" was number four!