I've always hated it when applications, including the Finder, didn't have command-key equivalents for some frequently used menu items. While there is a way to add command-key equivalents with the program "ResEdit," I don't like to have to modify the applications directly. Besides being time-consuming, that has the potential to corrupt the application. So I wrote KeyCommander.
KeyCommander adds command-key equivalents without modifying the applications themselves. It does it all in RAM without touching the applications. So you don't have to worry about your applications getting corrupted.
To use KeyCommander, simply drag it into the Control Panels Folder of your System Folder and restart your computer. Then open it up.
For help on how to use it, press the "Help" button on the control panel's window or turn on "Balloon Help" and point to what you need help with. Everything you need to know to use KeyCommander (I hope!) is contained in the online help files. The rest of this ReadMe file explains how to register KeyCommander as well as some other useful information.
System Requirements
KeyCommander requires System 7 or higher. For it to look good, you should have a color or at least a gray-scale monitor.
KeyCommander comes in two versions. One is written for Macintosh's with 680x0 processors and one is writen for PowerMacs. Make sure you are using the version that runs best on your machine.
Why Register?
There are several reasons to register: First, because you like KeyCommander and find it useful. Second, because the price is reasonable. Third, to support my efforts to write more good software for the Macintosh. Fourth, the annoying delayed About Box that appears everytime you start KeyCommander won't appear any more! Once you register, as detailed below, I'll send you a registration number that will disable that annoying nag screen.
Price
KeyCommander has the following pricing:
Ñ Single User License: US$10
Ñ Site License: US$150
Ñ World-Wide License: US$750
A single user license applies to one person. A site license covers all locations for your organization within a 160 km (100 mile) radius of your site. With a site license you don't need to keep track of how many people at your site are using the software. A World-Wide license covers all locations for your organization on the planet.
How to Register
Payment is relatively painless. Open the Register program that accompanies KeyCommander. Enter your name, your e-mail address, and the number of single user licenses you desire (or site or world-wide licenses). Save or Copy or Print the data from the Register program and send the data and payment to Kagi Shareware. Kagi Shareware handles my payment processing.
If paying with Credit Card or First Virtual, you can email or fax the data to Kagi Shareware. Their email address is shareware@kagi.com and their fax number is +1 510 652-6589. You can either Copy the data from Register and paste into the body of an e-mail message or you can Save the data to a file and attach that file to an e-mail message. There is no need to compress the data file; it's already pretty small. If you have a fax modem, just Print the data to the Kagi fax number.
Payments sent via e-mail are processed within 3 to 4 days. You will receive an e-mail acknowledgment when it is processed. Payments sent via fax take up to 10 days and if you provide a correct internet e-mail address you will receive an e-mail acknowledgment.
If paying with Cash or US$ Check you should print the data using the Register application and send it to the address shown on the form, which is:
Kagi Shareware
1442-A Walnut Street #392-HG
Berkeley, California 94709-1405
USA
You can pay with a wide variety of cash from different countries but at present if you pay via check, it must be a check drawn in US Dollars. Kagi Shareware cannot accept checks in other currencies, the conversion rate for a non-US$ check is around US$15 per check and that's not practical considering that KeyCommander only costs US$10.
The Invoice option is for companies with purchasing departments. If that's you, then enter all the data, print three copies of the form, and send it to your accounts payable people. They must include a copy of the form with their payment.
Please do not fax or e-mail forms that indicate Cash, Check, or Invoice as the payment method. These need to be sent through the postal mail with payment. Payments sent via postal mail take time to reach Kagi Shareware and then up to 10 days for processing.
Legal Stuff
You may copy and distribute unregistered copies of KeyCommander but you may not sell them for profit. If you want to include KeyCommander in a shareware/freeware collection, contact me at the e-mail address below. If you distribute unregistered copies in any way, you must include this "Read Me" file and the Register program along with them. You may not distribute registered copies of KeyCommander in any way with the following exceptions:
1. If you hold a site license for KeyCommander, you may distribute registered copies within your organization within a 160 km (100 mile) radius of your site.
2. If you hold a world-wide license for KeyCommander, you may distribute registered copies within your organization.
Use KeyCommander at your own risk. I make no warranties as to performance of merchantability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. No warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. If the program does something weird, like damages a file or disk, I am not legally responsible. However, if it does something weird, I'd like to know so I can try to fix it in future versions. Please send bug reports to the e-mail address below.
How to Contact Me
If you find a bug, have comments, or just want to say hi, my e-mail address is gherrick@kagi.com.
Known Incompatibilities
The only incompatibility that I've found so far is with Microsoft Word. This is because Word handles its menus in a nonstandard way. Since Word allows you to set the command keys of menu items anyway, I hope this doesn't present much of a problem.
If you find that KeyCommander is incompatible with any other program, send me an email so I can try to fix it or list it here in future versions.
Version History
May 1996
KeyCommander 1.0 is the first public release of KeyCommander.
Other Programs
Here's a few of my other programs:
ÑFinder Windows: Have you ever wished that the Finder had a simple "Window" menu like many other applications? Finder Windows is a control panel that adds a "Window" menu to the Finder. You can now see a list of all the Finder's open windows, choose among them, stack them, and arrange them. Finder Windows is available at Info-Mac and other popular Macintosh shareware archives. The latest version (as of the writing of this ReadMe file) is 1.1.3.
ÑFile Merger: This is a small drag-and-drop utility that merges together the data forks of files such as text files. It is useful if you download binhexed segments off of Usenet, work with large text-based data files, and other things. It is available at Info-Mac and other popular Macintosh shareware archives. The latest version (as of the writing of this ReadMe file) is 1.1.
ÑAddiction Manager: This is a program that helps people manage their addictions to computer games or other stuff (like the internet). It is available at Info-Mac and other popular Macintosh shareware archives. The latest version (as of the writing of this ReadMe file) is 1.0.1.
ÑSokoban 3D: This computer game, based on the classic Sokoban game, puts you into a 3-D puzzle from the first-person point-of-view. It is available at Info-Mac and other popular Macintosh shareware archives. The latest version (as of the writing of this ReadMe file) is 1.0.
"ResEdit," "Macintosh," "Apple" and "Finder" are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. "Microsoft" and "Microsoft Word" are trademarks of Microsoft, Inc.
