Developed using Metrowerks CodeWarriorｪ (Pascal language).
What is MyEyes?
MyEyes is a small extension that draws on the menubar a pair of eyes constantly following the cursor movement.
Yes, I've already seen the Eyeballs INIT (I loved it!) and I must admit that it's a very old idea, but when I started working on color machines those poor, black & white peepers seemed to me a little dull. So, guess what! I added color and lived happy.
Installation
MyEyes requires System 7 and color Quickdraw; Apple Events handling capability is needed too.
Starting with version 2.0 the MyEyes package is formed by two distinct items: an extension named ﾒMyEyes Extensionﾓ and a setup application named ﾒMyEyesﾓ followed by the version number.
To install MyEyes drag the extension to your System folder. A dialog will appear telling you that extensions must be placed in the ﾒExtensionsﾓ folder: confirm by clicking Ok.
Restart your Macintosh.
During the startup sequence, an icon will be shown reflecting the extension loading status. A crossed-out icon means that you don't have the necessary hardware/software requirements.
Use the setup application to configure MyEyes.
Configuring MyEyes
You can configure MyEyes to suit your needs by selecting the ﾒSettings...ﾓ option in the setup application. In the ﾒSettingsﾓ dialog, you can change a number of parameters affecting the appearance and the behaviour of the eyes.
The various options are pretty self-explaining but you can use Balloon Helpｪ to get additional info.
You can change the color of both the iris and the eyelids, the frequency of the blinking and the amount of mouse inactivity time after which the eyes must go to sleep.
You can choose the eyes movement mode between normal (i.e. not focusing) or independent (chameleon-like). Finally, you can change the eyes positioning mode.
The main feature introduced with version 2.0 is the automatic eyes positioning. The eyes are now displayed after the last menu item in the menubar (like the old Eyeballs did). This is the deafult setting.
As an alternative, you can still move the eyes using the click-and-drag technique to decide their horizontal position.
If you choose this mode, click on the eyes and keep the mouse button depressed (with no dialogs active); after a short delay a gray outline will appear and you will be able to move it horizontally to the desired position; at this point release the button and... that's all.
Finally, you can have the eyes positioned on the right side of the menubar (normally, on the left of the help menu in System 7). Unfortunately, MyEyes is still not compatible with clocks, battery minders or everything else using the same menubar space.
Note: as regards the eyelids colors, I used the terms ﾒlight skinﾓ and ﾒdark skinﾓ for practical purposes only: if you find them offending or in bad taste, you have all my apologies. My intention was to give the user the opportunity to make MyEyes the more similar to his/her eyes as possible. I introduced this feature after receiving complaints for the unnatural color given to the eyelids.
Disclaimer
MyEyes is Copyright ｩ1993-94 by Federico Filipponi, All Rights Reserved (the name Factor Software doesn't refer to an existing company: I use it as a nickname since 1983).
I made a great effort to ensure that MyEyes is bug free but I make no warranty whatsoever, either implied or express, as to its correct functioning. When using this software, the user assumes all responsibility for damages caused, directly or indirectly, by its use.
Distribution
You can distribute MyEyes freely, provided that you leave the software and the accompanying documentation unchanged. You can include MyEyes in CD-ROMs and other software collections only by previous agreement.
MyEyes is SHAREWARE, which means that you are allowed to use it on a trial basis for up to 30 days. After this period, if you want to continue using it, you are expected to pay the required shareware fee (see Registration notes).
Note that MyEyes is not ﾒcripplewareﾓ: unregistered copies are fully functional.
Registration
The shareware fee for MyEyes is US$10 for a single user license.
I am currently using the shareware service set up by Kee Nethery <kee@kagi.com>. This means that you can now pay your shareware fee with credit card (VISA, MasterCard and American Express), NetCash, First Virtual, US checks, foreign checks in US dollars, and cash in
a variety of currencies.
To register MyEyes, use the Register application included in the package. Send the form together with your payment to:
Kagi Shareware
1442-A Walnut Street #392
Berkeley, California, 94709-1405
USA
For credit card payments, send the form via Email to <shareware@kagi.com> or by FAX to +1 510 652 6589. Checks should be made out to ﾒKagi Sharewareﾓ.
You can still send your payments directly to me, but I can only accept CASH (US dollars or italian Lira). Anything else must be sent to Kagi.
To pay MyEyes with cash fill the ﾒRegistration Formﾓ included in the package, put it in an envelope along with the money and send the whole thing to:
Federico Filipponi
c/o Fondazione Ugo Bordoni
via B. Castiglione, 59
00142 Rome
ITALY
After receiving your fee (or a notification from Kagi) I will send to you (preferably via Internet) a unique registration code for you to enter in the ﾒRegister Your Copyﾓ dialog.
In general, when you register through Kagi Shareware, you'll have to wait for your registration code to come directly from ME (not from Kagi). Normally, as soon as I receive payment notices from Kagi, I send the codes to the personal e-mail addresses provided by the users.
If you're not equipped with an e-mail address, you'll have to wait a bit more (usually one or two weeks). A US$1 bonus for postal coverage is welcome.
Please note that Kagi is already asking an extra US$1 for paper receipt. That's only an acknowledgement and does not contain your registration code.
Note: when sending money in an envelope make sure it is not visible from outside: wrap the bill with an opaque paper leaf (here in Italy we are used to say: to trust others is good, not to trust is even more good).
How to contact the author
For any request, suggestion, bug report, etc. you can e-mail me at:
Internet: <fedefil@fub.it> or <fedefil@kagi.com>
Don't forget to visit my Home Page at:
http://www.kagi.com/authors/fedefil/
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to everybody who sent me e-mail and helped me improving MyEyes.
Special Thanks to:
Marco Bucci (for his technical support), Karl Bunker, Tom Dowdy (of DarkSide and SimpleText fame!), Stephen F. Levinson (for some of the new beautiful eyes icons) and Diane M. Bishop (grazie Diana per il tuo aiuto e la tua simpatia).
Even more special thanks to my beta testers:
Jens Alfke,
Pieter K. de Vries,
Bill Eberwein,
Pat Gardella,
Jay Heath,
Karen J. Nakamura,
Nobuaki Nomura,
Ed OﾕMalley,
Dominique Pelletier,
Greg Schwartz,
Joakim Skog,
John Stein,
Rob ﾔDocﾕ Walker.
And obviously to all registered users (you know who you are).
Version history
2.1.2 (February, 1996)
･ Recompiled with CodeWarrior IDE 1.3 (CW7).
･ The extension have been partially rewritten in order to increase its performance by optimizing some time consuming routines and reducing its interference with other processes to a minimum.
･ Fixed a potential bug in the file management routines.
･ Fixed a minor bug in the registration/personalization dialog.
･ The registration data are now stored in the Preferences folder. The file is named ﾒMyEyes Registrationﾓ. This implies that you won't have to retype your registration code when upgrading.
･ Added my Home Page URL to the contact info.
2.1.1 (October, 1995)
･ Recompiled both the setup application and the extension with Metrowerks Pascal 1.1.
･ Fixed a bug on the setup application that caused the main window to be incorrectly repositioned on Systems using non-standard window definitions (like those with the Aaron extension installed).
･ The non-standard ﾒSectionsﾓ popup menu on the Info dialog of the setup application has been substituted with a standard popup control.
･ Added the ability to launch the Register application from within the setup application. The ﾒRegister...ﾓ button is now used for this purpose (to open the Registration dialog box you have to use the new ﾒEnter Code...ﾓ button).
･ Some minor code refinements.
2.1 (March, 1995)
･ Fixed a bug on the setup application that caused memory not being properly handled when sending Apple Events to the extension (I forgot to dispose some of the data structure used by AE Manager routines).
･ Introduced an option for adding eyelashes to the eyes to give them a feminine touch.
Note: with this option on you may notice some problems when using those controls that let you change the menubar background color (like Greg's Buttons, Color7, Menubar Pattern and others).
In certain situations MyEyes fails to correctly redraw the menubar background portion used by the eyes, until you switch to another application. This is not a bug, so don't report it. I will try to fix it, if possible.
･ A ﾒLook Aroundﾓ mode has been implemented: when the eyes are asleep, they open up every now and then to see what's happening on your desktop.
･ The setup application's interface has been slightly revised and improved. The non-standard popup menus on the Settings dialog have been substituted with standard popup controls. A ﾒSectionsﾓ popup menu has been added to the Info dialog. Now the small icon used to toggle Balloon Helpｪ reflects the current System version (you'll see the Apple Guideｪ icon if in System 7.5 or the old balloon icon otherwise).
･ I completely changed the registration code generation/verification algorithm. Now the codes are far more easy to type in and, best of all, registered users won't have to ask for new codes to personalize new versions. Obviously, you'll need a new code for MyEyes 2.1. To make life easier to users without an e-mail address I added a ﾒRegistration Updaterﾓ (please read carefully the Notes for Upgrading file).
･ Introduced new methods of registering (see the Registration section).
2.0.2 (January, 1995)
･ Fixed an incompatibility problem with Now Utilitiesｪ (versions 4.0.2 and 5.0).
･ The memory managing routines have been made more robust to handle certain critical situations and avoid crashes in out of memory conditions.
･ Fixed a bug in the registration code generation/verification algorithm (no more spaces in the code strings).
･ The extension has a new, nice looking icon. You have to rebuild your desktop to see it.
･ The icon shown during the startup sequence is now the extension's one.
･ Upon user request, I enabled the mixing of color and B&W icons for the eyes.
･ Now, when you change a setting, the eyes are redrawn in a more pleasant way (they don't flicker anymore).
･ Updated the documentation as usual.
2.0.1 (December, 1994)
･ The extension now runs well under System 7.5.
･ The icon shown at startup now reflects the loading status of the extension (see installation notes). Upon user request, an option for not showing the icon at startup has also been added.
･ Fixed a bug that caused the eyes to be incorrectly shown at startup with the ﾒEyes Offﾓ option selected.
･ Fixed a bug that caused the extension not to work properly on machines with external video cards (like Duos and the AV series Macs).
･ Fixed a bug that caused occasional crashes, under certain circumstances, when launching some applications.
･ Now the setup application tries to launch the extension when it finds it not running or not responding to Apple Events (the extension must be in the Extensions folder).
･ Now the changes made in the Settings dialog box are instantly applied to the eyes (you don't have to exit the dialog to see the effects). A ﾒRevertﾓ button has been added.
･ Some minor bug fixes and code improvements.
･ Updated the documentation as usual.
2.0.0 (November, 1994) (Released as beta)
･ MyEyes is now separated in two distinct items: an extension and a setup application.
･ The eyes won't interfere no more with your favourite screensaver. The method of determining if a screensaver is running is based on a feature introduced by After Dark and now used by the most popular screensavers (for the techies out there it's the 'SAVR' gestalt value). Tested with After Dark v2.0, DarkSide v4.2 and BasicBlack v1.4.1. It also have to work with Pyro!. Older screensavers, like Moire, aren't supported.
･ Introduced a method of determining if the menubar is gone so that the eyes don't keep popping out in front of game screens and full screen presentations.
･ Introduced the independent eyes movement mode (see configuration notes).
･ Introduced the automatic eyes positioning (see configuration notes, again).
･ Added a small set of different colors for the eyelids (a new color for the iris has been also introduced, along with some minor cosmetic refinements).
･ Now you can set the sleep time in seconds, not only in minutes.
･ The animation speed setting has been removed (it was pretty useless, indeed).
･ Added a dialog with a scrolling text box containing useful information about MyEyes (in fact it's the same as this read me, excluded the version history).
･ Added the capability to determine if the Preferences file is corrupted or out of date.
･ Also introduced minor adjustments to the System environment checking routines.
･ Since MyEyes is now a SHAREWARE product, I included a registration dialog and a registration form in the documentation (see registration notes).
･ Finally, I almost completely rewrited the read me file and tarted it up a bit with styles and a picture (you need SimpleText to view the styles).
1.0.6 (October 8, 1994) (Not released)
･ Development version.
1.0.5 (September 5, 1994)
･ Screen depth changes are now detected and correctly handled.
