April Macintosh Shareware

Some of the most popular and useful Mac OS utilities have recently been updated to be compatible with Mac OS 9. We start with an alternative Finder interface and a highly sophisticated system clipboard. You can have Enhanced Application Menu functionality and arguably the most complex and useful Contextual Menu system for free or very close to it. There is another free well-known utility for rebuilding the desktop, zapping PRAM and checking system files.

Surprisingly, few new utilities have appeared for Mac OS. Those that have provide little of interest, which is perhaps a testament to the enduring quality and usefulness of these favourites.

By Steve Cooper

Note: AppleShare Client 3.8.3, mentioned in the Mac OS column of this month's APC, can be downloaded from 
ftp://ftp.apple.com.au//pub/Apple_SW_Updates/
MultiCountry/Macintosh/Networking-Communications/
AppleShare_Client/ZM-AppleShare_Client_3.8.3.smi.

If you hanker for a new view of Finder files and folders -- one more like Windows Explorer -- then GregÆs Browser is likely to appeal to you. WhatÆs more, it gives you a rough preview of the new Finder view in Mac OS X.

The contents of your hard disk are displayed in columnar list form. If you select a folder in this list, its contents are displayed in a column immediately to the right. This process is repeated until the Browser window is filled with columns. As the window fills, they scroll to the left to make room for more; you can scroll right and left across this columnar layout at will.

Double-clicking any item in the Browser window has the same effect as if you were doing so in the Finder, while drag-and-drop is fully implemented across file lists. Multiple items can be selected as in the Finder, and information about selected items is displayed in a panel below the main column layout. There are docks for favourite files or folders above the layout. Clicking one of these jumps the main display to show that item in the column view. Files or folders can be dragged into folders in the favourites bar, making it easy to collect files from folders all over the hierarchy.

In addition to normal Finder actions, GregÆs Browser allows you to view the contents of Stuffit archives, and see invisible files (and make them visible).

You can have multiple Browser windows open at any time, and drag and drop items between them.

Moving a collection of separate clippings between documents or applications is greatly simplified by CopyPaste, which allows ten clipboards to exist simultaneously. Each CopyPaste clipboard is assigned a number. To copy or paste from a specific clipboard you simply add its number to the traditoinal Command-C or Command-V keyboard short-cuts.

To help you remember whatÆs where, a segment of each clipboardÆs contents is displayed in a floating palette, available at any time. To view the full content of any clipboard, just click its corresponding sample in the palette. The item will be displayed in a small window that provides a variety of text editing and graphic manipulation functions. 

CopyPaste has a clip recorder that remembers up to 200 clips collected (copied) in the standard manner, allowing you to reuse those clips not retained in the 10 CopyPaste clipboards immediately at hand. Further, you can maintain up to 10 sets of 10 clips each,  and name, save and retrieve any needed set.

A free, lite version of the commercial TechTool Pro, this utility allows you to accomplish a couple of otherwise tricky system functions: rebuilding the desktop and zapping PRAM.

TechTool rebuilds desktop files by deleting them entirely and then allowing the Finder to rebuild them from scratch -- a more effective method than holding down Command-Option during startup. Without TechTool, you would have to know all the invisible files involved and how to locate and trash them.

Zapping PRAM requires different procedures depending on the Mac model and OS version. TechTool gives the process one-click simplicity. As a bonus, you can save the contents of PRAM before zapping it if there is a mishap, and TechTool ensures that you do not lose the record of your MacÆs date of manufacture and its hours of use.

Analysis of your system files -- System, Finder and enablers -- is another useful function that tells you if any standard resources are missing. In addition, TechTool collects a wealth of information about your system and network configurations which can be very useful for troubleshooting.

This free control panel gives you access to a number of hidden features in the Finders of Mac OS 8.5 and later. It allows you to select almost any combination of keys (including function keys) to activate application switching. 

Prestissimo also allows you to configure the Application MenuÆs tear-off palette. You can alter its position, the visibility and length of its application names, the visibility of  its title bar and borders, its horizontal or vertical orientation, and order of its buttons and size of icons. (With small icons, no names and no borders, it becomes truly unobtrusive and really useful.)

Arguably one of the premier enhancements for Mac OS 8 and later systems, FinderPop provides control-key-free contextual menus -- simply click and hold the mouse button for a set time and the menu appears. But thatÆs just the beginning. FinderPop adds a host of useful functions to all your contextual menus -- the most useful of these is a hierarchical menu of the contents of any folder you click on. Pressing an appropriate key while selecting an item in such a menu allows you to perform various actions such as opening, getting info, grabbing, copying, moving or making an alias. This hierarchical menu function can coexist happily with the FinderÆs spring-loaded folders.

Other selections in contextual menus allow you to examine the contents of Stuffit archives, display active processes, empty the trash and perform most common Finder menu functions.

You can also access the hierarchical menus of all open Finder windows, and of your MacÆs desktop, from the contextual menu -- thereby giving you access to the contents of all your mounted volumes.