Uncle Ag's OS X Customization Thread

[Agathon]

And if you are having trouble with pictures then you absolutely must go to http://pixture.com/macosx.php and download the free Quickimage utility. This adds items to the contexual menus (accessed by ctrl-clicking) of pictures. You can then view them, convert them and do various other things without opening any application.

It is so quick and easy that this is a piece of freeware that everyone should have.

Here's what it adds to the menu:

[Agathon]

And here's what you get when you click "view image" in the menu:

[Agathon]

Originally posted by FlameFlash

Rather than just use favorites, the first folder is Office X, next has all of my Internet apps, next have utilities or just useful apps I find I use often (Photoshop, iTunes, iPhoto, and the like), and then last is my games folder, because of course I want quick access to all of them.

It depends how many apps you use. I keep all my frequents like Mail in the left hand side of the Dock.

Ugh, between Classic and my X-Native apps I have way too many, instead I'll just drop something into my "usefuls" folder if I find I use it more often. For some reason, I'm just favorites-phobic.

What's wrong with the favourites folder? All you do is control-T and it's done.

eh? So it's an icon editor?

No, explained above.

* FlameFlash shudders at Mail.

What's wrong with Mail? It's certainly better than Entourage at picking up junk and that's what matters most to me.

I do have to agree though, more apps being Dock aware would be great. Right now I've only seen the true Apple apps doing anything really well with the Dock.

You'd think they'd wake up

Here's my dock

[Agathon]

Also, check out ican from

http://www.kanzu.com/index.html

Puts the trash back on the desktop and let's you customize it.

See:

[Agathon]

This is an unadvertised Safari feature.

Most browsers have a multifunctional back button on the browser toolbar. For example IE and Omniweb. You can see when it is operating by the small arrow display under the button.

Safari doesn't show this, but the functionality is still there. Control click the button and a list of previously visited pages will pop up.

Like this:

[FlameFlash]

Originally posted by Agathon
What's wrong with the favourites folder? All you do is control-T and it's done.

I think that would be my feeling that "Favorites" is too Micro$oft so I'd rather do it manually so I can also organize it further.

What's wrong with Mail? It's certainly better than Entourage at picking up junk and that's what matters most to me.

Seriously? I've had really good luck with Entourage's junk mail filter. Granted, it marks almost everything junk but I've set it up so I can have it send out a "you've been bounced message... if in err... blah blah." Maybe it's just that I'm used to Entourage from using OE for so long before. In Mail, for instance, can I check multiple addresses at the same time, etc.? When Mail first was out it just seemed so... shoddy... and I haven't been tempted to go and check it out to see if it improved any. I take it it has?

[Agathon]

Originally posted by FlameFlash

I think that would be my feeling that "Favorites" is too Micro$oft so I'd rather do it manually so I can also organize it further.

Anything to stay away from Redmond, eh?

Seriously? I've had really good luck with Entourage's junk mail filter. Granted, it marks almost everything junk but I've set it up so I can have it send out a "you've been bounced message... if in err... blah blah." Maybe it's just that I'm used to Entourage from using OE for so long before. In Mail, for instance, can I check multiple addresses at the same time, etc.? When Mail first was out it just seemed so... shoddy... and I haven't been tempted to go and check it out to see if it improved any. I take it it has?

I don't use Entourage because it keeps my POP and IMAP accounts separate. Mail puts everything in one Inbox. Mail's Junk Mail filter is much better. But Entourage has lots of other good features though.

Junk really bothers me though. And Mail manages to filter out all but one or two a day without making any mistakes.

[CivPatriot]

Place to Get Themes

found a good place to get some nice looking themes(one of theme Aqua Extreme looks alot like the panther screenshots that i've seen, so i'm using it and i like it alot better than i thought i would).

Here's the place:
www.maxthemes.com

A little side note this place just has the themes, but it has a links to some theme managers on the site under the support>getting started area.

try some

[Agathon]

OK - thanks for the tip. I'd been thinking about themes, but was too scared to **** up my computer. Thankfully most of the problems with themes seem to have been fixed by now.

I have a question, is your installed theme working with Safari. So far all my apps work, but Safari uses the old striped theme.

Anyway, here are some pics of Smoothstripes.

[Agathon]

And an open folder in Smoothstripes:

[Agathon]

A Panther copy theme is available at:

http://www.resexcellence.com/themes/

Anyway, one more. If anyone thinks the desktops look like a cheezy ripoff of Aqua it is because they are. And they were ripped off by Microsoft for it's new Longhorn OS.

[FlameFlash]

Originally posted by Agathon


Anything to stay away from Redmond, eh?

Absolutely!

I don't use Entourage because it keeps my POP and IMAP accounts separate. Mail puts everything in one Inbox. Mail's Junk Mail filter is much better. But Entourage has lots of other good features though.

I hate IMAP and refuse to use it. The only IMAP box I have is my wife's and I only look at that in an emergency when she wants me to check her e-mail which is rare so I'm glad I don't get the IMAP in my inbox. Especially since it's hotmail.

Junk really bothers me though. And Mail manages to filter out all but one or two a day without making any mistakes.

I get most of the junk filtered out that way too... through Entourage. Only a little gets through, and it's not like it was, so I'm happy.

[Drake Tungsten]

And I raaaannnn, I raaaannnn so far awaaaayyyy...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
And I raaaannnn, I raaaannnn so far awaaaayyyy...

And no, I don't have the FOS haircut.

[CivPatriot]

Originally posted by Agathon
I have a question, is your installed theme working with Safari. So far all my apps work, but Safari uses the old striped theme.

Safari on mine seems to have the same problem, it removed the brushed metal, but it seems like i have the old striped aqua as well. Wish it would fully apply on to Safari.