Once unpacked, you will find you will find two files beyond this one, called INIT.MFS and INIT.HFS. Obviously, one is intended for those of you running HFS (new ROMs) and for those of you who are still running MFS (old ROMs) and are waiting for the Alladin!
Both these files are meant to be used with System file 3.2 which has a mechanism that allows initialization resources (pieces of code that are executed each time your Mac is brought to life) to be loaded from a separate file rather than being installed into the System file itself. Thus they are easier to remove if neccessary. For MFS folks, this file must be on the Start-Up disk (that which you boot your Mac with), for HFS folks it must be in the system folder (the folder with the System and Finder).
What will these do for you? Well, I'll tell ya...
1. You will now have a digital clock that will appear in the right most position of the menu bar. This clock (known as JClock) does not tell time in military fashion, but in what most of us are used to. By pressing the mouse button on it for about two seconds, it will go away. If not there, pressing and holding the mouse button for about two seconds will bring it back to life. Keep in mind that a very few applications (Excel) string menus clear accross the menu bar. The JClock tends to take precedence over these menus, however, as long as you have a character or two of the application's menu, you can still select it and have it drop down. Excel users note that you will only see "Wind" for the Window menu. Fear not, it still works fine!
2. For MFS users, your menus for desk accessories and fonts will now be alphabetized. Andy Hertzfeld's Sort Menu program has been turned into an initialization resource so you don't have to run his program every time you boot up.
3. If you have the appropiate sound files (see Music & Sound section) an alternate beep and start-up sound will be executed.
4. You will now no longer need to press the mouse button to have menus drop down! Yes, this is Don Brown's EZMenu resource! At first it may be a little disconcerting, but everybody I know who has tried it has fallen in love with it after about 10 minutes. Note that the menus will stay down for about 60 seconds. Be aware that once a menu has dropped down, it will stay that way until you A)move the pointer to an empty part of the menu bar, B)click on a menu item, C)click anywhere else. Also note that once you move the mouse down the menu to an item and it is highlighted, pressing any key will also select it.
5. Lastly, whenever the wristwatch icon is displayed, the hand will move. Yes, this is MacWait.
Note that the only difference between the MFS and HFS versions is the inclusion of the Sort Menu routine for the MFS version. As HFSers know, the new ROMs handle alphabetizing of the DA and FONT menus. Be aware that there has been some controversy over the use of some of these items. I have been running these on a MacPlus and on an old ROM Mac with a HyperDrive for many months and they are as solid as any software that runs on the Mac. As most techie minded HyperDrive owners know, the HyperDrive does some messing about with the system heap that has itself caused a bunch of controversy. Since I have been using HyperDrives for a good year and a half, I have found that if a piece of code will run with the HyperDrive, it will absolutly run fine without one.
Realize that I did not do any of the programming. I have simply compiled these various little items into one file, added an icon and the appropaite resources to handle the icon and written this documentation. I make extensive use of my Macs both all day at work and at home, so I am reasonably confident that they are all pretty solid stuff. And as I've explained, if you feel that they are causing you some problems, simply throw the file away (or move it out of the System Folder for HFSers). Enjoy...
