CSM's in OSX

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CSM's in OSX
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Hello all, in googling around- I have found that for OSX, you can download and use a MacOS9 style launcher, an OS9 style ASM (application switcher menu in the top right corner), apple menus, and all kinds of things...

But not CSM's (control strip modules).

I cant be the only one who is missing this feature.

However, I was able to find OpenStrip- which is an open source project aimed at making a OS9 & OSX compatiable CSM clone.

The project looks like it died 5 or 6 years ago, however I feel it can be brought back to life.

So far I have been able to use resedit to give it the original OS9 apperance/skin, and the project as it was abandoned in 2000- has a few CSM modules already compiled, mainly:
-Volume Control
-Click Counter
-Activity Monitor
-Clock
-Eyeballs that follow the curser

Its a start at least, anyway I think it would be cool if I could find some people who like the old CSMs who would be willng to program their own CSMs for the OpenStrip project.

Here's what I think would be of use:
-Calender CSM (like the OS9 one)
-Multi-time zone clock
-Calculator
-Itunes controler (stop, pause, next song, prior song, etc)
-Capslock light CSM
-Timer

Anyone think they could help with this? I am not looking at stealing the code of commercial or shareware OS9 CSMs, but I think this would be a cool OSX toy.

Any programers here who did original CSMs back in the classic OS days?

I remeber first using CSMs in System 7 on my Powerbook190, I loved it, in fact it was one of the reasons why I was so quick and happy to buy the retail version of OS8.1 when it came out (and thus gave CSMs to desktops).

Almost forgot, the last release (a beta?) is here:
http://www.strout.net/info/coding/macdev/openstrip/

A friend of mine knows some program and will be doing the bulk of the work, I dont know C so I am more of a "hey, this is a good idea" type who wants to get the project started, contact people etc.

My friend did contact Joe (from the site above) and he said the project is open source and public domain and that we can try to bring the project back to life.

Attached file is the latest release (from before, no changes) with an OS9 style skin applied. Openstrip is the top one, the original OS9 CSM is the bottom one.

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I think this is a pretty cool

I think this is a pretty cool project, but wouldn't the dock get in the way? How about including a thingy like in tinkertool so you can tie the dock onto one side of the screen?

moros

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I can't speak for old OSX ver

I can't speak for old OSX versions, since I just started using OSX this past year (10.3 & 10.4), in the newer versions- you can control rather the dock is vissable, how big it is, and what part of the screen it "clings to".

I have it setup so you have to put your curser by the bottom of the screen for it to pop up in 10.4.3 and thus it doesnt get in my way with OpenStrip at all.

You can also move openstrip around on your screen- by holding down the option key, just like the OS9 Apple CSM.

Besides, dont feel bad about hiding the dock- it gets in my way all the time (try playing C&C Generals on a 15" display with the dock vissable....). Not to mention, I don't feel that the dock is anywhere near as good as the OS9 Launcher was-- i.e. those tabs came in pretty handy.

Using Launcher3.1 for OSX (shareware)
and X-Assist for an OS9 style top right application switcher menu,

All that is needed is a OS9 style CSM to give the OS9 "look & feel"

Maybe I've just been using the older OS's too long, but I have been disappointed in OSX in terms of the dock and feel this is the more efficiant (and more eye appealing) method.

And its not like it would be any less functional in OSX. In OS9 the CSM's did stuff you could always do from alterate parts of the computer. CSMs just put it all in a nice, easy to get to location.

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I guess each to their own, bu

I guess each to their own, but i rather like the dock (at higher resolutions that is…). IMHO the menu bar icon system seems to work pretty well for things I would have had in the control strip (Displays primeraly) although an itunes controller would be good.

moros

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i read in mac world

that you can (with the ternmal ) turn the dock off
I don't remember how (and I am not a my house right now
to look it up) but it is easy to do but I keep
the dock on and hideing on my ibook and pbg3
it is easyer to work than the cs was on os
9.I do miss some controls that it had but you
could not put your programs on it like you can the dock.

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also in macworld

Return of Control Strip

...an article about MenuStrip

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Yea but menu strip is fundame

Yea but menu strip is fundamentally flawed.

Why? Because OSX's gui just plain stinks in terms of that top menu bar, it throws so much junk up there- volume control, airport, bluetooth, classic mode, that in many resolutions, there simply is not enough room.

Say you have eyesight problems or a cheap/old monitor- OSX even with all the menu item goodies above turned off, is not big enough to accomidate many OSX programs.

The solution is not to just keep throwing stuff on an already far too overcrowded menu bar, that just does not work.

The nice thing abt CSMs, is they worked, and they worked in any res, and whenever you want/need- you can just collapse it into the corner, out of the way.

By and large the nice thing about the OS9 gui is that its time tested, and works and looks fine at most resolutions, which is more than what can be said about OSX.

That, and there are many people who feel the candy theme is a bit overdone in the OSX gui, the traditional os9 theme for shapeshifter for instance, implies i am not the only one with these issues, but, btw, shapeshifter is not free and thus unless everything it does can be done manually, its up to the end user to find lil freewhare apps to make OSX work properly in low resolutions, or to make it look like OS9,

Throwing yet an other menu up there, is hardly the solution. I do not see why Apple thinks they can replace the launcher & csms with the menu & dock, as both just seem to get in the way- time and time again.

OSX is a great OS, but I think the GUI was severely botched, its sad Apple did not give us the ability to select between an OS9 and OSX "look and feel" to the gui built into the OS, I think many people would find it useful.

Look how many sites, programs, board threads and blogs talk about add desktop trashcans, os9 style launchers, application menu switchers and other OS9 goodies. Surely this is not just a bunch of old mac timers used to the classic OSs- this is an entire aspect of the mac user community, hence the shareware, commercial and freeware apps aimed at making OSX look and work, well, the way OS9 did.

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[quote]although an itunes con

although an itunes controller would be good.

http://www.yousoftware.com/itunes/

Rick Smile

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