We received some interesting email about the last issue. Here is a sample:
Hi, just a quick note. It seems over the last few months that there have been a zillion drag/icon strip/tablet/panel/bar type things released. I think I've tried nearly all of them, including some commercial ones. However, I consistantly go back to Malph, which is a tiny little app like this, written by Nitin Ganatra at Apple. It's been around for quite a while, and has had good upgrades along the way.
I am sending this to you for two reasons. First, Drag Thing is very similar, yet has one glaring difference, which seems to be a common problem for all the bars like this. The running applications are on a seperate bar. Why is this? It's so silly that they have you put an icon of a commonly used app on your bar, yet duplicate it on a "active apps" type of bar somewhere else, taking up yet more desktop space.
I realize that everyone has their own taste for these tools, but this one feature seems so odd to me. Malph takes <100k memory, can use large or small icons, with or without titles, you have full freedom on how to configure it horizontal, verticle, floating, and also same goes for the icons within it. It also has an easy to use interface for adding and subtracting stuff, shows which of the running apps is the current one, and makes use of modifier keys with the mouse to do neato stuff like show you where the app resides on your disk, etc. It's also 100% free, unlike many of the related programs. It should be available on info-mac somewhere, sorry I don't have a bookmark or a direct path. I highly recommend it (as do many at my place of work). I don't work for apple, know Mr. Ganatra, etc. I just dig his program.
Christopher R. Bailey
Thanks for the input Chris! I'm sure all us drag/icon strip/tablet/panel/bar fans will check it out. We also received a complaint which we felt would be important to air, in case anyone was feeling the same way as this writer was:
One small voice, but why on earth would you want to review a game that trivializes a tremendous horror for the human race. As a generally non-games player I'm mainly interested in more interesting concepts of computer use, not the hack and slash and racist type of games that seem more popular with some kids.
As a parent I'm sure glad that my kids read books about the people who survived the war, the rescuers who made tremendous sacrifices... Anyway my point is surely there's more interesting things to review than nazis and zombies. Don't you know there are still people to whom nazism is still a lifestyle? Don't you have any self-esteem and pride for your company???
Peter Long
We would like to extend our apologies to Mr Long and anyone else who might have been offended by the articles on Wolfenstein. We did not intend for the articles to be offensive in any way, shape, or form. We realize that there is still the scourge of Nazism in the world, but we did not feel that the game trivializes the Holocaust any more than any other form of entertainment making reference to the Nazis, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dr. Strangelove, Pathways into Darkness, or every episode of Hogan's Heros. Yes, we have lots of pride and self-esteem in our company and will continue to do so.
