If you're one of those people with a clutter of aliases on your Mac's desktop, then this utility is for you. PowerDock™ (formerly called Launch Pad) is a utility that makes file access easier and faster. It puts a dock at the bottom of your screen and allows you to launch applications, open documents with applications (sub-launching), mount remote volumes on a network and lots more.
• System Requirements:
PowerDock™ will work on any Macintosh with 16 colors (or more.) and System 7.x is an absolute must. You also need a minimum of 375k of RAM.
• Improvements (over Launch Pad v 1.0.0)
* Lightning fast loading. PowerDock™ takes approximately 6 seconds to load a full dock instead of the 30 required by Launch Pad.
* Improved stability.
* Better error handling.
* Superior color management.
* New drag-and-drop feature.
* Improved for network performance.
* No longer causes slow-downs.
* Couple of minor bugs removed.
• PowerDock™ installation:
The first time you launch PowerDock™, you’ll see a dialog box asking for a serial number followed by a standard get-file dialog asking you to find the “Items folder.” (Should this not appear, Quit and restart PowerDock™ with the Command key held down. You can also do this if you ever want to change your items folder.) This folder contains all the items you wish to put onto the dock. The items folder must be on your start-up volume. Other than that, you can do anything from re-naming the folder to moving it elsewhere (on the startup volume); PowerDock™ will be able to find it.
• Adding items to the dock:
The items folder will hold all the items you wish to appear on the dock. To add an item, make it's alias and put it into the items folder just as you would add an item to the "Apple menu items" folder for it to appear in the Apple menu.
PowerDock™ will load the following items in that specific order:
Servers*
alias type: 'srvr'
Hard drives*
alias type: 'hdsk'
Folders*
alias type: 'fdrp'
Control panels
alias type: 'cdev'
Applications
alias type: 'adrp'
* These items require custom icons to appear on the dock.
NOTE: Registered versions of PowerDock™ have a limit of 40 items whereas unregistered versions have a limit of 2 active items.
When a new item is added to the dock, important information (like its icon, location etc.) is added to a file called the 'QuickLoad' file. This file is automatically created in the items folder. The 'QuickLoad' file acts like the Finder's Desktop file, however, it does not require rebuilding.
• Parts of the Dock.
The Dock is made up of 4 parts or segments. They are:
1) The company logo.
2) The Info box.
3) The scrolling region.
4) The Dock.
Each of the segments have a specific set of functions. For this reason, we will discuss each segment individually.
• The company logo.
This segment performs three functions.
1) Hide/Show dock. Clicking in the logo with no modifier keys causes the Dock to toggle. When first clicked, the dock collapses to the company icon and when clicked again, restores itself.
2) When the control key is held down and the logo is clicked, PowerDock™ reloads all the items in the items folder. This means you do not have to quit and launch PowerDock™ just to make changes to the items take effect.
3) It looks cool.
• The Info box.
The info box provides information on the current status of your Mac. It provides the following info:
1) App: The name of the current foreground application.
2) Tmr: The amount of time the foreground application has
been running. (hrs and mins)
(Note: In the Finder, it therefore shows how long the Mac
has been on)
3) CPU: This graphically shows the ratio of how much time the cpu
has been busy since the foreground application has
been running.
4) Mem: The current memory status of your Mac. (see below)
The memory status bar shows memory usage at two levels, the global and local level. Local refers to the foreground application only and global, the overall status of your Mac. Special colors are used do display this data:
Global:
grey area: Free memory.
black area: Used memory. This area turns red of more than 80% if the available memory is used up.
Local:
The local memory bars overlap the global areas.
blue area: Occupied memory.
yellow area: Memory free in the applications heap. The wider the yellow area, the more documents you can open from within the application.
The blue + yellow area refer to the memory used by the foreground application. This is the amount you allocate for the application when you select "Get Info" in the Finder.
• The scrolling region.
The scrolling region has two functions.
1) The dock can hold 40 items. This would alone take up 1520 pixels horizontally! Unfortunately, most users do not have a 35" monitor. PowerDock™ thus allows you to scroll to whatever item you want. The scrolling is in real time and any item can be easily accessed in the blink of an eye.
NOTE: This feature also has a dual function. It is an excellent stress reliever. I have lost count of the times I have sat at my terminal, dragging the thumb back and forth after my mind has turned to putty following a full day of programming.
2) To the far right of the drag region is a second tab which allows you to resize the entire dock.
• The Dock.
The Dock is where all your items appear. Various modifier keys allow you to perform an array of functions. They are listed as follows:
No modifier.
Cursor: Application.
Clicking will launch/open the item. If the item lies on a remote volume, the Finder will ask for the user name and password and mount the volume for you.
Command click.
Cursor: Question mark.
Command clicking will pop up a dialog box with information about the item.
Control click.
Cursor: File sharing.
Control clicking will take you into the Finder and a dialog box showing the current sharing status of that item. File Sharing has to be turned on for this to work.
Shift click.
Cursor: Folder.
Shift clicking will take you into the Finder. The folder containing the item you clicked on will pop up and the item will be selected.
• PowerDock™ other features:
Cursor: Document
1) Sub-launching. To sub-launch, simply drag an item onto PowerDock's icon in the Finder. PowerDock™ will pop to the front and the cursor turns into a document. You then simply select which item you want to use to open the document. If you change your mind, you may hit the Escape key and PowerDock™ will ignore the items.
NOTE: PowerDock™ does not check to see if the item(s) dropped onto it can be opened by the item you select. It is up the application to ignore your command or display an error message.
It is recommend that you keep PowerDock™ or it's alias on the desktop so it's easy to drop items for sub-launching.
2) Auto-switching. When this feature is checked in the Options menu, PowerDock™ pops to the front when the cursor wanders onto any visible region of the scroll region or dock. When the mouse leaves this area, the previous application pops back to the front.
3) Sounds. When this feature is checked in the Options menu, PowerDock™ plays sounds when you click on items on the dock.
• Obtaining a serial number.
Without a valid serial number, PowerDock™ will only display 2 active items on the dock. Try the dock out and if you like it, print and fill out the registration form and mail it with US$15 enclosed to:
SNR Enterprises,
Software Division,
3480 Carnarvon Ave,
North Vancouver, B.C.,
V7N 3K9,
CANADA
NOTE:
- Make the check(s) payable to: NARAYAN SAINANEY.
- Do not send cash in the mail.
- If you wish to have the latest version of PowerDock™ sent to you, add US$3 for shipping and handling.
Be sure to include:
* The name of the application you are registering (PowerDock™ v 1.0.0) or we might mistake you for a deranged millionaire sending out money for kicks. (Just kidding, we'd probably call you and check that you're indeed a deranged millionaire)
* Your name, address and telephone number (Please print!).
• Legal stuff:
This is a legal agreement between you and the Publisher. The terms of this Agreement govern your use of this software. Please read this agreement carefully before you register this package. By registering this package, you are agreeing to be bound by this Agreement.
In consideration of payment of the license fee, the Publisher, as Licensor, grants you, as Licensee, a non-exclusive right to use and display this copy of the software on a single computer (i.e. a single CPU) at one location at any time.
The software and the accompanying written materials are protected by International Copyright laws. Unauthorized copying of the software, is expressly forbidden. You may be held legally responsible for any copyright infringement that is caused or encouraged by your failure to abide by the terms of this agreement. Subject to these restrictions, you may make one (1) copy of this software solely for back-up purposes provided such a back-up copy contains the same proprietary notices as appears in this software.
As the Licensee, you may physically transfer the software from one computer to another provided that the software is used only on one computer at a time. You may not distribute copies of the software, once registered, to others. You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or create derivative works based on the software. You may not modify, adapt, translate or create derivative works based on the written materials without the prior consent of the publisher.
This software is licensed to only you, the Licensee, and may not be transferred to anyone else without the prior written consent of the publisher. In no event may you transfer, assign, rent, lease, sell or otherwise dispose of this software on a temporary or permanent basis except as expressly provided herein.
THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND PUBLISHER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY.
However, the publisher warrants to the original licensee that the disk(s) on which the software is recorded is free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery as evidenced by a copy of the receipt of purchase. Further, publisher hereby limits the duration of any implied warranty(ies) on the disk to the period stated above. Some jurisdictions may not allow limitations on duration of an implied warranty, so the above limitation may not apply to you.
THE ABOVE ARE THE ONLY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, THAT ARE MADE BY PUBLISHER ON THE SOFTWARE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY PUBLISHER, ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY, AND YOU MAY NOT RELY UPON SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVISE. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH VARY ACCORDING TO JURISDICTION.
NEITHER PUBLISHER NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THE SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGE (INCLUDING DAMAGE OR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFIT, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF DATA, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE EVEN IF THE PUBLISHER HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGE.
Publisher's entire liability and your exclusive remedy as to the disk(s) shall be, at publishers option, either (a) return of the purchase price or (b) replacement of the defective disk(s). If failure of any disk has resulted from accident, abuse or misapplication, publisher shall have responsibility to replace the disk or refund the purchase price. Any replacement disk will be warranted for the remainder of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer. In no event shall publishers liability arising under any cause of action exceed the purchase price of the Software paid by Licensee.
This license is not a sale of the original software or any copy. SNR Enterprises reserves all rights not expressly granted to licensee.
The act of entering a serial number into a copy of PowerDock™ signifies that you have read the above information and have agreed to the terms and conditions mentioned above.
