Copyright ｩ 1996 by Gregory D. Landweber, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
By the coauthor of Aaron and author of Greg's Buttons and Greg's Browser.
greg@math.harvard.edu (Greg Landweber)
http://greg.math.harvard.edu/
Power Windows is a tiny extension that lets you drag the entire contents of windows instead of a dotted outline. Unlike other similar extensions, Power Windows uses backing store to preserve the contents of the screen as you drag, instead of turning your window into a giant eraser.
To install Power Windows, just drop it into your Extensions folder, or drop it onto your System Folder and let the Finder put it where it belongs. To disable Power Windows, just drag it out of the Extensions folder or disable it with Extensions Manager or a similar utility.
Changes in Version 1.2.1
･ Fixes conflicts with MiniCAD, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Exchange.
Changes in Version 1.2
･ Now affects all window dragging, even in applications that do not use the standard window dragging routines.
Changes in Version 1.1
･ Dragging is significantly smoother on single monitor systems.
･ Includes "Translucent Power Windows".
Changes in Version 1.0.2
･ Fixed a conflict with Now Tabs (part of Now Utilities 6).
Changes in Version 1.0.1
･ Fixed a problem with multiple monitor setups where the main monitor has a lower bit depth than the others.
Shareware
Power Windows is shareware. If you use it, please pay the $5 registration fee. Registrations are handled by the Kagi Shareware service run by Kee Nethery. Please note that Kagi is NOT a software publisher; they just process registrations. In addition to cash in various currencies and checks drawn on US banks, Kagi also accepts credit cards by snail-mail or e-mail (your card number is scrambled). For organizations, they handle invoices and site licenses, too. For more information, run the ﾒRegisterﾓ program, which creates a customized registration form for you. Once you have filled out all the necessary information, you can copy the form to paste into an e-mail message, print the form to mail it, or save it as a SimpleText document to print later. The Kagi Shareware e-mail and snail-mail addresses are given on the registration form created by the ﾒRegisterﾓ program. You must use this form, or as close a facsimile as possible, when registering since Kagi handles payments for several dozen authors using a highly automated system.
Once you register, Kagi will send you an e-mail reply acknowledging your payment. There is also an option for a Postcard Receipt (which adds $1 to your total) if you do not have e-mail or want a hard copy. Power Windows does not have an Annoying Shareware Messageｪ to disable, features to unlock, or any other form of shareware incentive. I believe in the honor system.
Please note that I do not send out new versions to registered users or keep a mailing list to announce upgrades. However, I do plan to create new and improved versions, and I try to make sure that each release is distributed as widely as possible. Some people do not like that I do not provide any special support for registered users. Please keep in mind that I put a great deal of effort into writing this program in the first place, and if you want value for your money, remember that it costs only $5.
Notes
Dragging windows with backing store is extremely processor intensive. With slower Macs, large windows, or high monitor bit depths, you may experience a brief delay when starting a drag, and dragging might be choppy. I have worked very hard to make Power Windows as fast as possible, but I fear that on some machines it may be unbearably slow. I am quite happy with it on my Duo 210 and Power Mac 6100/60, and I am told that it flies on the 9500. If it is any consolation, you can use Power Windows as an excuse to buy that faster Mac you want.
Many applications bypass the standard window dragging routine and use their own custom versions. These applications will not be able to take advantage of Power Windows. I hope to patch some of these nonstandard cases in a future version of Power Windows.
When dragging, Power Windows leaves a ﾒghostﾓ window behind in the original position. The Mac OS does not provide a good way to force these background windows to update while the drag is in progress. I am looking into ways to hack around this. (It is possible to do solid dragging withot leaving original window behind, but that would either be significantly slower than Power Windows, or the uncovered space would not update its contents. Neither of these are satisfactory to me, and I prefer the ghost window.)
If the window being dragged originated partly offscreen, the offscreen portions of the window will be solid white (or whatever the window's background color is) until you release the mouse to end the drag. Again, this is because there is no good way to force the window to update during the drag. In a future version, I hope to at least draw the window frame for the offscreen portion.
When memory is low, Power Windows does not use backing store. In that case, you still drag a solid window, but it erases the contents of the windows you drag over. They will be redrawn once you release the mouse to end the drag. To see this ﾒgiant eraserﾓ effect, open up apps until you have taken up all the free memory and try dragging a window.
System 7.5.3 (aka System 7.5 Update 2.) has a ﾒTranslucent Drag Managerﾓ that drags icons and data as solid but partly transparent images instead of the usual dotted outline. This sort of dragging is completely unrelated to window dragging. Please do NOT ask me to hack the Translucent Drag Manager or implement it on 680x0-based machines. Not only would that be extraordinarily difficult (the internal working of the Drag Manager is not documented), but it would also be too slow to use. Translucent dragging is extremely processor intensive. The 680x0 is not powerful enough to handle it, and current PowerPC processors can only do it for small regions.
Disclaimer
The author, Gregory D. Landweber, makes no warranties, either express or implied, regarding the fitness of ﾒPower Windowsﾓ for any particular purpose. Use ﾒPower Windowsﾓ at your own risk. The author claims no liability for data loss or any other problems caused directly or indirectly by ﾒPower Windowsﾓ.
