It's a control panel that makes cool noise when you press the mouse button or when you press a key on your keyboard (special sounds for tab, return and space key if you choose).
What good is it making to me?
It makes your live at the Mac somewhat more funny...
It's a control panel, can cause it conflicts?
Clicker installs, as many extensions do, a trap patch in order to receive events from the system. This trap patches are the things in extensions and control panels that can conflict with others if they are not good programmed. Clicker has a very small trap patch. It can conflict with other extensions, but it should'nt. I activated my very long INIT row (1.5 rows on my 14" screen) and all was pretty.
Are there any side effects?
Yes, one. Can be it becomes boring to hear the click-sounds.
What Mac do i need in order to use it?
Any Macintosh, but i recommend you use a 68040 or a PowerPC-Processor. Absolute minimum: 68030 Processor.
How can i install it?
Just drop the "Clicker 3.0" Control Panel in your Control Panels folder.
Activated:
Error:
How many RAM does it “kill”?
Not much. Around 32 KB for the sounds and the trap patch. This is'nt a memory intensive extension.
The sounds are played very slow. When i'm through with typing, the Mac is still generating sounds. The sounds are not played synchronous with my keyboard types.
Just one reason: your Mac is to slow. I play the sounds asynchronous, but can be that on some old Macs it's too slow. Three Things to make it faster:
1. Throw away some system extensions you won't need (or deactivate those you won't need often)
2. Buy more RAM. I recommend you have 8 MB real RAM installed
3. Buy a faster Mac. (but i think a Quadra 800 should be enough)
What happened when a Error Icon will be displayed?
There are only two reasons for Clicker to display a Error Icon:
1. There is not enough memory to load the sounds
2. A Sound Resource was not found
What can i do in this case?
1. Get a new copy of Clicker.
2. If this don't worked, deactivate all system extensions and control panels except Clicker. If it works then, another System Extension conflicts with Clicker.
3. Make sure you have at least 4 MB real RAM installed.
4. If nothing worked, send me Mail.
How can i customize Clicker?
This version of Clicker is built as a control panel. You can customize it by double clicking on it and then selecting the options you want. Click also on the Picture at top of the Window (displays a about box)! You can choose on wich actions Clicker makes sounds. Note that if you have the "Sound on Key Down" Option activated, but, for example, leaved the "Sound on Return" Option unchecked, Clicker will play the normal Key Sound when you press the Return key (instead of the special one). This version also supports Key LED's. If the option is turned on, Clicker will flash the lights on your Extended Keyboard whenever you press the mouse button or type a key. You can set up wich lights should shine on wich actions by pressing the "Setup LED's" Button in the Control Panel.
What's up with the registration dialog?
Clicker is FREE. Yes, the only thing you have to do is to send me E-Mail about what you think from Clicker. Write your full name. You will receive a code then via E-Mail to disable the registration alert and the messages on startup. Please also write wich version (68K or PPC) of Clicker you use. That don't affects to the code, but it's useful for me when i send updates so i only have to send you the version you need. Note that the code you receive can only be used with your name; you have to enter the name you wrote in the E-Mail.
What's up with the Clicker FKEY file?
It contains the Clicker FKEY wich allows you to toggle Clicker on and off. It's included for guys who now how to use ResEdit to copy a resource. Just copy the FKEY-Resource into your System File. After that, you can press Command-Shift-9 instead of going to the Control Panel and click "Off". Warning: you can damage your System with ResEdit! Be careful!
Note to users of Clicker 2.01 or earlier:
Because the settings are saved now in a Preferences File, you must set up Clicker again (it won't copy the settings from the old Clicker). Sorry. But in further versions, that won't be a problem because the Preferences are not deleted if you remove Clicker.
Note to users of Clicker 2.5:
I recommend you go to your Preferences Folder and delete the Clicker Preferences File before using the new Version (the preferences of the new version are having another structure to hold the new settings).
If you use Clicker, please send me (E-)Mail from what you think about it. You will receive a registration code then to disable all Messages. Bug reports are also welcome.
Thank you!
Thanks to Peter N Lewis <peter@mail.peter.com.au>, Jim Walker <JWWalker@aol.com> and François Pottier <pottier@dmi.ens.fr> for "ShowInitIcon" wich helps me displaying the startup icon while loading.
Tested on:
Performa 630 (with and without activated PPC-Upgrade-Card)
Mac IIcx
Some other tests will be performed next time. I plan to test my Program on a PowerMac 8500/120 and a 9500/150 when i have time.
-- Sorry for my pretty bad English. I'm a 12 Years old guy from Switzerland, if this is an excuse for you.
Version History:
1.0 - First version (never released). Used synchronous sounds.
1.3 - Now asynchronous with SoundHelper. Was available on Info-Mac. First released version. Only for PowerMacs.
1.5 - Now without SoundHelper (wich results in a 68K Version of this, when i used SoundHelper, the Mac freezed on Startup when executing the 68K Code. Wonder why.) I allocated the sound channel myself in this version. That is'nt hard.
2.0 - Built as a control panel (thanks to Jason Larson of giving me the "push" to do it!). I had the idea in the first version, but after viewing some examples, i was confused with it and made a extension. But now, after 5 hours of late night hacking (it's 22:05 now), i got it. Cool!
2.01 - Whenever a update event was generated, the control panel manager redrawed the dialog and then sent me a update event. And i redrawed too. That resulted in flickering. I removed the code to respond to update events, so the problem is fixed now. Also shows a version number in the lower right corner.
2.5 - Fixed some problems. Has now special Sounds for Space, Return and Tab-Keys. Asks for registration codes (wich you will receive for FREE, just send me E-Mail!). Settings are saved in a Preferences File (instead in Clicker's Resources).
3.0 - Better user interface, new features. It can make the LEDs on your Keyboard shine and has a sound for the delete key. Just try it out to see what changed. Now, there's only a 68K Version of Clicker. The PPC Version don't made the thing much faster, and i had a problem with two words of Assembler Source Code (for Technicians: in order to complete the ADB-Command for making the LED's shine, i had to move a nonzero value into the word pointed to by register A2:
MOVE.W #$FFFF,(A2)
(Hexadecimal: 34BC FFFF)
Unfortuately, i'm not familiar with PPC-Assembly nor with Mode Switches. And finally, it's easier if there is only one version of Clicker. But if someone can help me with the PPC-Assembly, i will continue making a PPC-Version.
Legal Stuff:
You can surely understand that I can't make any waranties pertaining an error-free function of this control panel. In no event shall Manuel Kasper be liable for any consequential, indirect or similar damages, including but not limited to any lost profits or lost data arising out of the use or inability to use this control panel. You use this control panel on your own risk.
