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Mac OS X Services in Snow Leopard

Mac OS X Services let one application supply its powers to another; for example, a Grab service helps TextEdit paste a screenshot into a document. Most users either don't know that Services exist, because they're in an obscure hierarchical menu (ApplicationName > Services), or they mostly don't use them because there are so many of them.

Snow Leopard makes it easier for the uninitiated to utilize this feature; only services appropriate to the current context appear. And in addition to the hierarchical menu, services are discoverable as custom contextual menu items - Control-click in a TextEdit document to access the Grab service, for instance.

In addition, the revamped Keyboard preference pane lets you manage services for the first time ever. You can enable and disable them, and even change their keyboard shortcuts.

Submitted by
Doug McLean

 

 

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Double the Trouble

Double the Trouble -- Connectix recently announced the latest in its Doubler suite, a new browser plug-in called JAVADoubler (formerly known by its code name, DoubleShot). Slated for release on 01-Apr-97, the plug-in downloads all Java applets twice. Using special parallel download technology described by engineers as "caffeinated to the max," the double download takes no longer than a normal, single download. Why download two copies? Well, JAVADoubler doesn't stop percolating its magic once the copies are downloaded. Using memory buffering technology borrowed from RAM Doubler, JAVADoubler monitors the first download's activities, and when the applet crashes or hits an offending instruction, JAVADoubler moves operations over to the second downloaded copy. While that copy continues to run, JAVADoubler quickly downloads another copy. We applaud Connectix for its continuing efforts to help users catch up to the ever-rushing train of technological change. [EJT]

<http://smeg.com/backwards/b2.cgi? url=www.connectix.com/>

 

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