Special thanks to Troy Gaul for getting one of the Apple Powerbook software engineers to tell him about a better way to patch Control Strips so they'll work on desktop Macs. Turns out, I was doing it the hard way...figures.
ABOUT CONTROL STRIP
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When Apple released their new Powerbook 500 series, the included a neat-o keen little utility called "Control Strip". I tried it on my trusty Mac IIci but it wouldn't work! Strange I thought... I asked around on the net and it turned out that for some strange and unfathomable reason, Control Strip would only work on Powerbooks and Duos.
Following the advice my father gave me many, many years ago, I stopped asking why and did something about it. The result is the little piece of software you just downloaded. It is an application to "patch" or modify Control Strip so that it can work on plain jane desktop Macintoshes like IIci's, Centris's, Quadra's, LC's and Performa's.
PATCHABLE VERSIONS
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The Control Strip Patcher will patch versions 1.0 and 1.0.1 (which is bundled with the new Powerbook Duo's and the Powerbook 500's) and the beta of version 1.1 (which is included in the System 7.5 beta release). It might work on other versions, but don't count on it...
HOW TO USE IT
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Just run it, hit the "Patch" button, and find the Control Strip you want to patch.
That's it.
You need to be running System 7, to use Control Strip.
WRITING CONTROL STRIP MODULES
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If you're a programmer and are interested in writing new Control Strip modules, take a look at the "ControlStrip.h" header file included with The Control Strip Patcher. It provides the interface info needed to create modules. Apple has not yet released an official version of this stuff so buyer beware.
The primary documentation for creating Control Strip modules is in the Powerbook 500 developers note. It can be found on the developer CD's or on ftp.apple.com.
"Data" has also started an FTP archive just for Control Strip modules at:
I'm in the process of writing a cool Control Strip module and others are writing new ones as well.
Troy Gaul has an analog clock/calendar called "Infinity Clock" in beta and has told me that he is working on a module to control InterSLIP.
And finally, Tho T. Ha has already written and released a screen depth changer called, "Monitor BitDepth".
Jeremy Kezer has written a bunch of modules, including a clock, volume control, battery monitor and sleeper.
Pat McClaughry has written a module called "BalloonHelpMe" that turns balloon help on and off.
I heartily encourage other people to write control strip modules...they're easy and fun. If you do write some, please send me e-mail describing your creation, I'd like to keep track of them for people and will post an FAQ about Control Strips and independent modules from time to time.
DISCLAIMERS
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Obviously, this patch is not sanctioned by Apple, me or anyone else. It may, through some twist of fate, blow up your computer. Or it might work without a hitch. I have tried to test on a wide range of machines, from IIsi's and Classics to the a few of the new PowerMac's. BUT, if it doesn't work on you machine—hey, what do you want for free? Well, you can always drop me a note, and I'll see what I can do, but no guarantees...
Finally, Control Strip is the property of Apple Computer and using this patch may be a violation of some strange law somewhere or other. I cannot be held responsible for other people's actions. In other words, this utility is provided for educational purposes only. I am not authorized to distribute Control Strip and doing so would be a copyright violation. Don't even bother asking.
