10/13/00
I can't tell you how humbled I am by the quantity and quality of applicants for the Icon/Desktop Editor. While I just hack my way through each update, many of our readers have real talent!
But unfortunately, there can be only one Miss America...
Stop back on Monday to meet the woman who has been selected to fill the spot. I'm sure all of you will like her. She radiates enough energy to power a small city.
Thank again to everyone who took the time to contact me. The desire of these people to be a part of ResExcellence will make me work harder to make it a site everyone enjoys.
Thanks to Brian Brasher for filling in these past two weeks.
X-Tips
All of our MacOS X tips have been placed on a single page. If you think you may have missed any, take a look.
Many readers have written to tell me of a patch for the Screensaver in MacOS X that activates the password protection option. The company that created the patch, Public Access Software is a reputable company, and I'm sure that the patch works as advertised, but this brings up an important issue that Mac users.
What has made the Mac platform so historically secure is the lack of a command line. By default, that also meant no ability to telnet into a MacOS 9 system. All this has changed under MacOS X. This is a true multiuser system that can be accessed remote as easily as you can load this web page.
Mac users will now have to be more careful when installing software, especially software that must be installed as root. As I said, Public Access Software is a reputable company, but imagine someone else not quite so ethical. A patch applied as root to activate the ScreenSaver password could also turn on the telnet daemon (if it isn't already), and provide themselves with a root access account on your computer.
Right now, someone out there is looking to write the first killer virus for the MacOS X platform. My opinion is that you should only apply security updates that are provided by Apple. You should always be sceptical of any software that requires you to be logged in as root.
Just to reiterate, I do not in any way suspect Public Access Software of having anything but good intentions with their patch, but I believe all Mac users should be aware of the security risks that are possible with MacOS X, or any multiuser OS.
Sky O'Mara sent ResEx these simple instructions for using Airport Networking under MacOS X. (Continued...)
The latest MacInstruct tutorial makes quite a claim! In The Ultimate Troubleshooting Guide, Marcus Schiermeier feels he covers almost every possible disaster in an easy to understand format. If you have a disaster not on the list, email him so the document can become more Ultimate. :)
Another tutorial by Ben Shelton covers transferring files from a PC to a Mac.
User Contributed Splash Screens:
- If your are a fan of Shania Twain, or beautiful women in general, then take a look at this MOSS from BoB.
- Just in time for the recent launch of the Space Shuttle, Mark Corrigan put together a cool looking Netscape splash.
- After all these years, it's still my favorite game, and now Thomas Herzog has made an Interarchy Wand featuring Marathon!
- If you have MacOS X, Steve Lam created a matching set of Boot Screen and Login Panel for you to download.
- You know that boring little picture that Eudora displays when you don't have any new messages? Well, ReNe created a more colorful replacement.
- Indiana Jones is so cool, Dale Critchley put him in an Explorer Splash.
- First in a series, Gene Van Dyke sends this Happy Mac Boot screen for MacOS X.
Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly
My Snapshot Picks for the Month of September are out! Stop by and take a gander.
The OS X kickoff in the Snapshot Archive comes to a close with Friday’s update. Come get one more update’s worth of all OS X Public Beta snapshots:
- Our new AppleScript Archive manager, SysInfo, contributed this screenshot touting a custom “HAL 9000” desktop picture. OmniWeb, an OS X-savvy web browser, is running in the lower left. Other running applications designed for OS X include Fire (a chat client), Zombie (what appears to be a Hotline client), and Stone Design’s Create (a drawing program). Looks like Carbon and Cocoa development are in full swing!
- This snapshot from Robert Marking sports the cool “Graphite” desktop picture. QuickTime Player is playing the Charlie’s Angels movie trailer, and the Clock is nested in the upper right-hand corner in all its translucent glory.
- Another OS X Public Beta snapshot, this time from Mike Orticari, features the Apple Music Player in the upper left-hand corner. Notice how everything casts a shadow, including the names of the hard drives in the upper right.
- Paul Sahner submitted this contribution showcasing the Apple Music Player and Internet Explorer 5. Interesting.
Do you have a cool setup you want to show off? Click on over to the submission guidelines page!
Support ResExcellence By Visiting Our Sponsors!
Icon/Desktop News 10-13-00
Icon & Desktop News
by Brian
It's my last day here on staff, so help yourself to a piece of going-away cake! You know ... the type covered in yummy, fluffy, lardy icing. Allow me to let you in on the latest GUI news, then I'll make my grand ResExit.
Until the new Icon/Desktop Editor is firmly planted in this cyberdesk, please visit the Icon Archive and Desktop Archive for previous submissions!
Being my last day, I'm going to take some liberties and share a few of my favorite Japanese icon sites. Why? Cuz you need these, baby! Everybody knows and loves the magnificent pixellations of !MOZCO! garash and Pixture Studios (Hide Itoh), but have you ever paid a visit to Attempt, ICON JUNKIE, I-MIL Free Icons, or Pulse Icon Supply? Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation written in gold ink?
When Ilicon gets into the Halloween spirit expect "fantasy" rather than "fright". Two new painterly lovelies are available for your personal desktop enchantments ... no monsters, just mood.
Enter exitmusic for 3 new deskpics of a Halloweeny flavor as well as an Internet Explorer throbber.
Scott of Rampant Mac has released new desktop pictues with such names as "Death Under Glass" and "Alien Disco". Superlatives such as "groovy", "otherworldly", and "transparently mortal" may apply.
I think this got mentioned already this week, but 40 new Mandolux deskpics is a staggering enough update for a second mention! (Don't worry, I'll stop before forty)
The v-e-r-y cool pseudoroom has 2 new and very worthy wallpapers! (Caution: Could lead to a state of staring resulting in general unproductiveness)
Here's a cool clue: The IconFactory's signature factory that appears in the upper left corner of their page has been, as the rest of the site, scare-ified for Halloween. But pay close attention each time you visit for, perhaps, a new and cleverly animated variation.
It's been an interesting 2 weeks, to say the least! Thanks to staff for having me. Thanks to you for reading me. I'll see you in the ether. Have a nice day.
Is your site sparkling with brilliant new creations? Glorious icons perhaps? Or radiant desktop pictures? Illuminate us to the fact! We'll post it!
Software News 10-13-00 Software News: by Cletus™ Bye Brian!
Forget about cologne! The weight of you guys above is crushing me to the bottom!
Alright Riccardo Ettore! Way to go bud! TypeIt4Me 4.8.2 has been released. In my own little world it is the most missed application for me in Mac OS X. Once you get use to this auto text expander you soon find it difficult to function without it. This may not solve my sadness when in Mac OS X, but it does help solve the following problems: "It is now fully compatible with AppleWorks 6 and Script Editor." Did I mention it is my favorite shareware application!? Perhaps I forgot to mention also that I interviewed Riccardo a few months back when the beta for this version was released. <ltp> Let the Pigeons loose!
Right on the heels of their update to ACTION Menus, PowerOn Software Inc. releases ACTION Files 1.5.3. Not to get too ecstatic here, but this is probably my second favorite piece of shareware. Few, if any, probably navigate their machines without some form of dialog menu enhancements. ACTION Files does it right. Now it can be done even better with this update:
• Fixed compatibility issues with several applications including BBEdit 6, Adobe Photoshop 6, Adobe Illustrator 9, Microsoft Word 2001 and Codewarrior
• Fixed an issue that would keep some documents and items from showing up in the recent items list and the corresponding icons from displaying.
As to where or what is going on with Doghouse Online, Michael Rabe sent me an e-mail. It seems that he and Marcos Lopez have joined up once again to "help you with finding out whats going on in the Mac world and giving you the most Mac OS Themes around at Macthings." Both sites still exist but most of the themes will remain based at the Macthings site.
More important is that "GlassWorks Sage" is being released and a new preview posted as well called "VR". All at Macthings.
I was having trouble again with my ISP. Fortunately the problems have been fixed with three new lines and a new IP address for me. But I also saw where there were some problems with Mac.com. I use this of course for ResExcellence e-mail, so if you sent an e-mail over the last two days and did not get at least an auto response then it was lost. Please resend.
Submit Software News Suggestions!
10/12/00
Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly
My Snapshot Picks for the month of September have just been released! Your dose of snapshots for Thursday has arrived:
- Faithful contributor Alberto Chávez is back with another submission this time touting his custom “Mystique Dock” desktop picture along with the AquaX II K-Scheme. SoundJam, retooled with the AquaDrop skin, is kicking out soundwaves near the left edge.
- A desktop picture from Anime Wallpapers coupled with Akio’s BIG Graphite K-Scheme debut in this contribution from Michael Gargas. Mactella, a Gnutella clone, is displayed in the lower left.
- The “Coming Through” desktop picture and BeBox K-Scheme are featured in this screenshot from John Montgomery. GrayAmp dishes out tunes in the upper left-hand corner.
- Jon Peters contributed this OS X-style snapshot touting the “Quantum Foam” desktop picture and a synthesis of various Aqua K-Schemes, favoring AquaX II the most. Audion, equipped with the OS X face, supplies the music at right center. Icons from various repositories including icons.cx, Xicons, and Mac OS X Public Beta are showcased throughout.
Do you have a cool setup you want to show off? Click on over to the submission guidelines page!
10/9/00
Thank you to everyone who has applied for the Icon/Desktop Editor position I now have the difficult decision of selecting one person from a very talented pool of many. (I bet Window's sites don't have this problem.)
How to Change the New System Icons in MacOS X.
With the arrival of MacOS X beta came big beautiful 128 x 128 icons that scale in size all the way down to 16 x 16. While you can still change most individual icons by pasting a replacement into the Get Info window (now called The Inspector), how do you change the Trash, default folder, and other System-wide icons? This tutorial will show you how. (Continued...)
X-Tips
All of our MacOS X tips have been placed on a single page. If you think you may have missed any, take a look.
Last update, I mentioned David Butler's little trick to get more Finder features out of Classic under MacOS X. Several readers emailed to mention something surprisingly easy. Just go to your Classic MacOS System Folder and double-click on the Finder! It launches, adding Popup windows, dragging between X and Classic Finders windows, and a few other tricks. I only recommend this as an experiment of what is possible. How practical or stable the system is with the addition Finder running has yet to be seen.
MacInstuct has posted two new tutorials. How to Use Graphic Converter by Vivian Lynes, and an advanced write up on A Guide to CGI and SSI. I can't imagine creating ResExcellence without either of these technologies.
Whoa! There are 40 new desktops at Mandolux! Most feature the Mercedes Benz Vision SLR Series automobile.
A-Graphics posted a new desktop titled, "Open View" inspired by Mariah.
It's not exactly meant for Halloween, but the new picture "Death Under Glass" will look great on your desktop this Friday the 13th, when the moon is full. Get it at Rampant Mac with two other new creations.
Geez, I just hate the way these net-savy wonder-kids make me feel like the old man I am! The latest culprit is 14 year old Brien Edick. He has a little web site with a nice desktop picture and icon set. How come kids aren't satisfied just maintaining an aquarium?
Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly
The OS X kickoff in the Snapshot Archive continues! Wednesday’s and Friday’s updates bear OS X Public Beta snapshots. Here’s Wednesday’s crop:
- Our benevolent Webmaster, Michael Coyle, contributed this cool OS X Public Beta snapshot sporting a desktop picture from Blue Sky Heart. Carbonized versions of Quake 3, Audion, and Drop Drawers are also shown off. The giant custom icons were made with Iconographer.
- Lars Hedemann submitted this screenshot touting OmniGroup’s OmniWeb browser. The Apple Music Player is dishing out tunes in the upper left-hand corner. Terminal is handling a Telnet session in the lower right.
- This OS X Public Beta snapshot from Jeff Welsh sports a custom desktop picture. Internet Explorer is showing off his website.
- This contribution from Kenneth Yan features Netscape Communicator and ICQ running in the Classic environment and Mac OS X’s CPU monitor utility. The iBook X icon from Icon Factory is displayed in the Finder window.
Do you have a cool setup you want to show off? Click on over to the submission guidelines page!
Click here to learn more about Toast 6 Titanium
Icon/Desktop News 10-11-00
Icon & Desktop News
by Brian
My doctor said the tests are conclusive: I have an allergy to Cletus' cologne. His prescription: Depart the Valley of the Fog of Hai Karate by Friday!
For now, please visit the Icon Archive and Desktop Archive for previous submissions!
Three new and strangely cool icon sets are docked at Intergalactic Desktops, having arrived just days after some of Tomoya Shinoda's finest deskpics to date.
It's becoming a happilly regular occurence for Colheres to release some of the most beautifully quaint and curious icons anywhere ... and the blue | azul set (by Luisa) is no exception.
With two new icon sets and four new wallpapers, amongst other new goodies, Live Pencil certainly lives up to its "lively" cybernym.
Dangerous Universe brings scifi television to your desktop with two new icon sets, one for WB's Roswell and one for Fox's Dark Angel. The pixels are out there. (Really bad pun)
Desktop beautificator Dan Flax offers 5 news wallpapers at Flax Creations, his stockpile of lovely art suitable for monitor framing.
Technologically abstract? Abstractly technological? Four new deskpics at Gridface tickle your cerebral cortex.
Is your site chock full of new creative goodness? Are there wholesomely delicious icons? How about nutriciously energizing desktop
pictures? Let us know! We'll post it!
Software News 10-11-00 Software News: by Cletus™ I'm just hanging out down here on the bottom. Drop down and see me!
I found when using Expression to make a sound set that I was unable to extract sounds from existing Entourage sound sets. Despite using the "extract sounds" menu item I was unable to even see the existing sets in a dialog box. Perhaps I was doing something wrong. I then downloaded SoundExtractor by Riccisoft which performed this task effortlessly.
Once the sounds were extracted I drug them into the Expression window and created my custom e-mail sounds for Entourage. Expression performed excellently in this regard. In any case I was so impressed with SoundExtractor that I am adding it to the archive based only on my input. I think I can do that since I run the archive! :)
ACTION Menus 1.01 has been released by PowerOn Software. This version provides several bug fixes including:
• Fixed a bug that prevented keyboard assignment of favorite menu items, assignment of key commands for menu items and deletion of items from menus on certain Macintoshes running MacOS 9.0.x
• Fixed a bug that prevented documents created by certain applications from showing up properly in Recent Items menus
• Fixed a problem with the Multi action Menu Commands on certain Macintoshes running MacOS 9.0.x
I can listen! Jeremy asked me to check out the latest Snapshots which he is posting featuring the Mac OS X beta. Why? He thought there may be some cool GUI software listed there which would fit nicely on the Mac OS X Archive page. He was right. Check out wClock by Wolfware. As their page states short and sweet: "wClock restores the menu-bar clock to MacOS X!"
Themes and Schemes news:
MacThings has posted GlassWorks Ruby to their archive as well as a preview of Pastel Blue. There is also a preview of a Doghouse Online Theme. I was unable to get to Doghouse Online to announce this. Apparently their site is offline again.(?) If anyone has information on this please drop me a line.
Submit Software News Suggestions!
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
10/10/00
Snapshot Gallery by Jeremy Hoesly
Heads up! Here come Tuesday’s snapshots:
- Akio, whose name has become synonymous with Danger Girl submissions, has contributed this screenshot touting an unreleased Danger Girl desktop picture coupled with the BIG Graphite K-Scheme. Audion, retro-fitted with the custom SlickCorner Graphite face, is pumping out soundwaves in the lower left-hand corner. Danger Girl icons along with other custom icons are present throughout.
- Blue Sky Heart’s “Dragon Stone” desktop picture in combination with the MacQNX K-Scheme debut in this awesome submission from Michael Holdren. Audion, retooled with the Blade face, is dishing out tunes in the lower left-hand corner. Some custom icons from Space Adventure Cobra are also shown.
- Mark Lovatt loves his Mac so much that he gave his Windows 2000 PC at work a Mac facelift! The “XTop” desktop picture from RAILhead Design is featured along with the MacAqua WindowBlinds skin. The Verona Desktop Enhancer simulates the OS X dock, and the Windows Media Player, equipped with the X-Aqua skin, is sitting in as digital DJ in the lower right.
- This impressive submission from Willy Wang sports the MacQNX K-Scheme and the brand new Netscape 6 Preview Release 3. SoundJam, overhauled with the AquaX skin, is serving up music in the upper left-hand corner.
Do you have a cool setup you want to show off? Click on over to the submission guidelines page!
Icon/Desktop News 10-09-00
Icon & Desktop News
by Brian
I just knew this would happen: I've been reactivated to Her Majesty's Secret Service! Good for the security of the free world, but bad for the staff of ResExcellence. To put it simply, I get the trophy for Icon/Desktop Editor for Fewest Consecutive Days.
For now, please visit the Icon Archive and Desktop Archive for previous submissions!
A chain-laden spectre wearing an Iconfactory t-shirt came to me in the night and spoke these words: "This year, we've started a holiday section called 'The Web's Attic' where users can check out the latest Halloween GUI goodies from around the Web. The Web's Attic acts as a one stop source for Halloween related icons, desktop pictures, fonts, sounds, KAL schemes and software." Then he went on to tell of Showroom frights, OS X iconic horrors, and other sundry Halloweenie fun ... only at the Iconfactory ... then he left me whimpering like a puppy.
BlueSkyHeart announces its latest semi-weekly release of desktop ultrabeauty: DC acintosh!
mCON6 is a parcel of monochromatic bitmappy happiness delivered directly to your desktop courtesy of MauMau.
The latest icon release at TopIcons, Bad Luck, is aptly named since I experienced a little webular disturbance that attempted to prevent from downloading! Threw some kilobytes over my shoulder, just in case.
Guy: "Are you an organ donor?" Girl: "Sure, I'd love to go out!" ....... Boy, I really screwed up: The Iron Devil did NOT say he WOULD be making more icons (specifically: OS X guitars), but had only considered it as a remote possiblity on an undetermined date. I apologize for the misinformation that has resulted and for starting this little string at all!
Speaking of legendary icons/iconists, if you've never gotten your hands (cursors?) on any Zapaticons icon sets, your mammoth icon horde is sadly incomplete. Archaelogicons, Arthropodicons, and Zoologicons make me plain pixel-giddy.
Two new desktop pics, one a hot little cube and the other a big chill, are yours for the nabbing at part vi : the launch.
Just as enigmatic as the music by Radiohead are the deskpics at exitmusic which celebrate said group's newest album. Collect all 8! Packt up like sardines in a crush tin box?
I'm not certain as to whether it's a freeing of the mind or simply a bending of it that's taking place amongst the 8 new pics at K.C.s Kcustom Desktops. You'll be consulting page 11, so put a flower in your hair.
What's shakin' at your site? Is it the swinging icons? Could it be the groovy desktop
pictures? Let us know! We'll post it!
Software News 10-09-00 Software News: by Cletus™
Jérome Foucher has updated Wapp Floater, his companion piece to Wapp pro. For those who do not know it displays all the opened windows of the front application in a floating palette. Extremely useful if you have a lot of windows open in any one application. Version 2.1.2 is now free and offers the following changes:
• Fixed display glitches with some positions of the palette.
• Faster expansion/contraction.
• Fixed a contextual menu glitch.
TaskMenuBar, which makes use of the unused portion of the menu bar, also displayed a printer menu to choose the default printer as of the last update. This update provides a fix that will "can select printers that don't create desktop printers."
Joseph Strout has posted 0.3 of OpenStrip, the open-source reimplementation of the Control Strip for OS X. Changes in this version:
• Fixed bug which allowed you to shrink strip to a negative size
• SoundVolume module now works properly under OS X
• Clock module now shows the date for 2 seconds when clicked
• Implemented collapsing via the "anchor" tab on the right side of the strip
While it is not typically in my news, Epicware has release "the first collection of Mac OS X screensavers, now available for Mac OS X Beta. The first collection consists of 7 screensavers, 5 OpenGL accelerated savers and 2 non -accelerated savers." It gives you more to play with while you are test driving Mac OS X!
Submit Software News Suggestions!
Over half of the readers who responded are running MacOS X! I've been having a great time putting it through its paces.