CursorAnimator is an INIT/CDEV combination that replaces the standard Macintosh cursors with an animated or static cursor of your choice. These animated cursors consist of ‘acur’ resources (describing the animation sequence and speed) and a bunch of ‘CURS’ resources (the actual cursor images). To install CursorAnimator, simply drag the “CursorAnimator 1.2” file into your System Folder and restart your Macintosh.
Ease of Use:
After opening 'Cursor Animator' in your 'Control Panel' you can change the appearance of each of the 5 standard system cursors arrow, watch, plus, crosshair, and I-beam by selecting the corresponding radio button and choosing a replacement from the list. You can add additional cursors to the list by using the “Load…” button. You can select any of the cursors included in the “Cursor Collection” folder to load them into CursorAnimator.
Features:
If you happen to not like the name of a particular cursor, you may at any time rename it by pressing selecting that cursor and using the “Rename…” button. You can also remove cursors you don’t like any more by selecting them and clicking on “Remove”. In order to design your own cursor animations or cursor replacements you can use ResEdit to create the appropriate 'acur' and 'CURS' resources.
Drawbacks:
The only real drawback to this program is that if you should change the I-beam into a blinking, rotating planet, it can get difficult to use your word processing program with any degree of accuracy. Needless to say, one should choose their cursors with intellegence.
Summary:
This is a real fun program, and well worth the download time. It's amazing what you can do with some of the resources in the Macintosh. Many thanks to Mr. Plotz of West Germany for this neat little INIT/CDEV.
KOPYKAT
Program Name: KOPYKAT 0.90
Size: 34K
Author: Scott D. Silverman
Registration: none
Score: 8.0
Description: INIT
Where Found: Some Mac BBS's
Setup:
KopyKat is a simple Startup Document (INIT) which add a hierarchical menu to the Cut, Copy and Paste menu items in the Edit menu of any application. You simply place the KopyKat INIT in your System Folder and restart the Macintosh. If the INIT was installed properly, you will hear a friendly cat's meow.
Ease of Use:
Currently the only way to make use of KopyKat's feature is from the hierarchical menus off of the Cut, Copy or Paste menu items. You are still allowed to simply choose Cut, Copy or Paste without dragging over to the hierarchical menu if you simply want to do a normal cut, copy or paste. The hierarchical menu contains three choices each of which represent an individual clipboard which can be used both within an application or across different applications.
Features:
KopyKat does not interfere with the normal process of using the Cut, Copy or Paste commands from the menu nor does it affect the usage of the commonly used command key equivalents, Command - 'X', 'C' and 'V'. It's a great alternative to storing a variety of different items in the scrapbook and accessing them each time you need them.
Drawbacks:
When we used KopyKat, we had some INIT conflicts which would display a mixed-up Edit menu when we tried to access the different clipboards. Granted, this is a release number 0.90, so it's most likely that a few of the bugs need to be worked out.
Summary:
KopyKat is a program that can help you if you tend to copy the same thing into a document several times, such as an address, logo or phrase. It's a really great idea for the Macintosh, expanding the flexibility of an already powerful operating system. Keep your eye on this program for the next (hopefully 1.0) release.
TATTLETALE
Program Name: TattleTale 1.0
Size: 144K
Author: John Mancino
Registration: Do something environmentally sensitive
Score: 9.5
Description: DA
Where Found: Some Mac BBS's
Setup:
TattleTale is a DA and must be loaded into the system using the Font/DA Mover or a utility such as Suitcase II. It is compatible with System 7 and takes advantage of some of its enhanced system information features as well as balloon help.
Ease of Use:
This program consists primarily of a menu and a modeless dialog window. When you initially run it, the dialog window is visible and the first category of information is already displayed in a scrolling list. Subsequent categories are selected from the Pop-up Menu above the list. The Close button closes the window but leaves TattleTale active. Get System Info in the Main Menu will re-open the window. You can Quit completely from the Main Menu.
Features:
TattleTale provides very complete information about your computer and its system related software. The information can be viewed on screen by category or printed out. Information categories covered are: the CPU, Volumes + Drives, Monitors, Nubus Devices, SCSI Devices, ADB Devices, Serial Ports, General System Attributes, Startup Environment, System Files (System, Finder, INITS, CDEVs, RDEVs etc), DAs, Fonts, Drivers, Open Files, Processes, and Available and Missing Traps. The information provided varies greatly among these categories and is best understood simply by going to the dialog window and browsing through the categories.
Drawbacks:
No real drawbacks here. The program is used primarily as a reporting device to figure out what's going on in your machine. There are a number of things that we didn't understand, but there are probably plenty of programmers out there who can use the information that TattleTale can provide.
Summary:
This is actually a good program for anyone who uses a Macintosh. It's extremely comprehensive and appears to include just about every aspect of the operating system in it's report, it's fun and easy to use, and very educational.
