While the Vista kids wait for Service Pack 1 (zzzzzzz) . . .
The first 'service pack', aka update, for Leopard is out: 10.5.1.
But Leopard still has some maturing to go before all the quirks
and bugs are worked out. It is also not yet feature set complete.
There is more to come.
But the crafty Mac developer community has been busy creating
some odds and ends to tide us over. So I am starting a thread
series with the subject title above, dated as I find new items to
report, that presents useful freeware (mostly) utilities for
Leopard.
1) Snit and others pointed out the quirk in Spaces where you can
be inadvertently sucked into another space using the Spaces
feature in Leopard. Here is a first attempt at solving the
problem while we wait for Apple to work it out at the OS level:
SpacesSpacesSpaces 1.0.1
<http://www.scsc.no/products/spaces-spaces-spaces/>
> What is Spaces.. Spaces.. Spaces..?
>
> Spaces.. Spaces.. Spaces.. Ever since I got Leopard, I've been saying this
> over and over again - once every time the new Spaces feature on Leopard fails
> to do what I expect (like when it frantically switches spaces whenever I
> switch between different applications). Spaces.. Spaces.. Spaces.. is a
> partial attempt at a remedy. It works by injecting a small piece of code into
> the Dock. The code will prevent the Dock from switching to a different space
> immediately after switching to a different application (using Command-Tab,
> for instance). The result is a (hopefully) more intuitive Spaces experience.
>
> Due to its low-level nature, Spaces.. Spaces.. Spaces.. is currently only
> available for Intel-based Macs. The source code is available, however, so
> anyone willing to look into porting it to the PowerPC should feel free to do
> so :-) You can read more about the implementation in my blog.
>
> Requirements
>
> Spaces.. Spaces.. Spaces.. requires Mac OS X 10.5.0 (9A581) or 10.5.1 (9B18)
> and an Intel-based Mac. (Sorry PowerPC users, I don't have Leopard on any
> PPC-based Macs yet.)
>
> Known issues
>
> I have seen some minor issues related to activating applications (you
> sometimes need to click twice). Other than that things mostly work ok -
> certainly better than they used to. Let me know if you discover any other
> problems.
2) Some uses love the new Leopard Dock. Some people toss it over
on the left or right side to minimize the reflecting platform
effect. But you can dump the platform entirely, or even customize
the appearance with backgrounds if you like via a few different
freeware apps that have been released. The most flexible and fun
I have found so far is:
DockChanger 1.2
<http://www.whimsplucky.com/Whimsplucky/Software.html>
> Change the appearance of your Mac OS X 10.5 dock from 3D to 2D and back
> again* Plus change the dock to any theme to customize your Mac OS X
> experience.* DockChanger ships with 90 different backgrounds and themes, plus
> mix and match the separator image and the application indicator image to your
> own liking.
>
> More themes availible at Leopard Docks.com **
>
> Up to date themes automatically come with the install of DockChanger.
>
> Plus you can add your own themes by dragging their respective files to the
> Themes folder contained in the application.* Every month a new set of themes
> can be downloaded and installed.*
>
> FIRST 10 CHANGES FREE
> $10.00 REGISTRATION
Yeah, well, sort of freeware. DockChanger has received good
reviews at VersionTracker.com.
Here is are some simpler apps that are really freeware:
DockDoctor 2.0 widget
<http://innermindmedia.com/dock_doctor_widget.html>
DockColor 1.0
<http://www.elgebar.com/dockcolor.html>
DockRestore 1.0.0
<http://spacesoftware.ifastnet.com/softwares/dock-restore/>
2DOrNot2D
<http://www.eternalstorms.at/utilities/2dornot2d/>
DockDelight 1.0
<http://www.markallan.co.uk/software.php?page=DD>
ToggleDock 1.0
<http://brunerd.com/software/>
3) The Stacks feature in the Dock has received mixed reviews.
Personally I like it when the stack overflows into a box full of
icons from which to choose. But a lot of people don't like Stacks
at all, or don't like the tottering stack of icons view. So here
is a freeware solution:
OldFolder 1.0.1
<http://www.hawkwood.com/oldfolder/>
This program has received excellent reviews at VersionTracker.com.
Meanwhile, as ever, there are alternatives to the Dock as well as
replacements. Most of them are well known. But I did run across
one I was not aware of that received excellent reviews. It is
called:
A-Dock X (currently at 1.4.7b3) $10
<http://jerome.foucher.free.fr/ADockX/ADockX.html>
> A-Dock X is an implementation of A-Dock for Mac OS X 10.2. It is not a
> replacement for the Dock but a side-dock with some different features.
> Features include a skinnable interface with customizable colors and
> transparency, 10-level deep folder browsing, spring-loaded folders, hot keys,
> and exclusion lists. In addition, it allows you to position the Dock around
> the edges of your screen more freely.
Be warned that this series of beta releases is still working out
kinks when used with Leopard.
If you like any freeware, remember that most freeware developers
are happy to accept donations!
And, as usual, if you have additions to the information I post,
please add it to the thread!
Share and Enjoy,
:-Derek
--
Fortune Magazine 11-29-05: What's your computer setup today?
Frederick Brooks: I happily use a Macintosh. It's not been
equalled for ease of use, and I want my computer to be a tool,
not a challenge.
<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363107/>
[Frederick Brooks is the author of 'The Mythical Man Month'.
He spearheaded the movement to modernize computer software
engineering in 1975.]
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