1. Mac Ui
2. Folder Icons For Mac

A screen shot of MacOS 9 browsing the hard drive to show some of its icons. In 9.0 - 9.0.4, most applications would install to the 'Applications' folder. 9.1 changed that, as it shipped at the same time, and along with, Mac OS X 10.0. 'Applications' is now used for OS X applications, and 'Applications (Mac OS 9) for OS 9 apps.

MacOS 9.0 was released in October 1999 with the final update for it,version 9.2.2, release in December 2001. MacOS 9.2.2 is the last versionof MacOS based on the original Macintosh operating system.

This is the MacOS 9 desktop. Over all the user interface is not muchdifferent from the MacOS 8.x desktop but there have been many technicalimprovements and some new features added. (Note, these screen shots alsoshow a useful third party utility called 'Dave' that enables Macs to fullyparticipate in a Windows NT network)

The control strip, which was available for earlier versions of MacOShas been improved. You can now simply drag tiles onto the strip to installthem, instead of having to put them in 'Control Strip Modules.' You cannow also delete one by holding the Option key, then dragging it out.

Mac OS 9 can, optionally, have multiple users. Each user can have adifferent desktop theme and sound settings. Users can be given limitedpermissions so as to prevent them from messing up the Mac while still lettingthem use it.

With multiple users enabled the above login box appears at startup.Microsoft completely ripped off the appearance of this login window inWindows XP.

This is the multiple user control panel used to add and modify usersettings.

A very funky feature of MacOS 9 is that it can use your voiceprintas a password. You record a phrase and when you log in it does not justcheck the phrase but also that you are the one saying it.

This is a quick and dirty theme meant to approximate (but not really be too pixel accurate) the MacOS 9 (or System 7) theme. Place the folder NineIcons in /.icons (created the folder if it doesn't exists), same with the GTK theme, place it in.themes. An easy way to run 'classic' Mac OS applications under Windows. Under Windows, software written for the 'classic' Mac OS (i.e. Versions 6 through 9) can only be run through software that emulates Macintosh hardware from 1980s and 1990s. The most advanced of these emulator programs is SheepShaver.

Also on the subject of security, MacOS 9 adds the ability to encryptfiles on your hard drive.

A screen shot of MacOS 9 browsing the hard drive to show some of itsicons. In 9.0 - 9.0.4, most applications would install to the 'Applications'folder. 9.1 changed that, as it shipped at the same time, and along with,Mac OS X 10.0. 'Applications' is now used for OS X applications, and 'Applications(Mac OS 9) for OS 9 apps. It cannot be renamed to remove the (Mac OS 9).

MacOS 9 ships with Sherlock 2. You can use it to search your hard drive,as well as places on the internet. Google even has a plugin you can installthat allows Sherlock to search it.

This version of MacOS also ads a software update feature that can getsystem software and application updates from Apple over the internet. Youcan get updates manually or schedule a time to get updates automatically.

It also adds a network browser that enables you browse file servers,web servers and FTP servers.

Also on the subject of networking, MacOS 9 has an improved versionof AppleScript that can work remotely over TCP/IP with other Macintoshes.

Not that it is part of MacOS (thank goodness) but a web browser thatwas once popular for it was Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 for the Mac.Microsoft, however, has completely abandoned IE for the Mac. Thisversion will run on 9.x but actually can run on MacOS as far back as 8.1(on PPC only). There is also a MacOS X native version but Microsoft hasabandoned that version as well.

The last version of Mozilla that will Run on MacOS 9 is version 1.2.1.Unlike IE, however, Mozilla is still being actively developed for MacOSX.

This is the Quicktime 6 Player, MacOS 9.0 - 9.1 comes with Quicktime4, and 9.2.1 comes with Quicktime 5. Quicktime is used internally by MacOSfor many image, drawing, and sound operations.

Logging out of MacOS 9.

The Apple menu — see that multi-colored apple in the upper-left corner of your menu bar? — is fully configurable. Whatever is in the Apple Menu Items folder appears in the Apple menu. It’s that simple.

So start transforming your Apple menu from a dull repository for barely useful software to a turbocharged powerhouse that enables you to open any file in seconds. Just open your Apple Menu Items folder (it’s in your System Folder) and get ready to rock.

Before you do anything else, choose View–>by Name. Now the contents of the Apple Menu Items folder reflect the order in which they appear in the Apple menu.

Doing the right thing with your desk accessories

Mac Ui

Most desk accessories are pretty lame and you probably won’t use them very often. You can rearrange your Apple menu so that desk accessories don’t take up so much space but you can still open them quickly. Here’s how:

Folder Icons For Mac

1. Double-click to open the System Folder.

2. Open the Apple Menu Items folder and create a new folder inside it by choosing File–>New Folder.

3. Name the new folder Desk Accessories.

4. Select all the icons in the window except for the folders (see Figure 1).

You have two ways to do this: the easy way and the hard way. Easy way first: Press Command+A (or drag a selection box around the entire contents of the window) to select all the icons; then hold down the Shift key and click each folder. Hard way: Click Apple System Profiler, hold down the Shift key, click AppleCD Audio Player, hold down the Shift key, click Calculator, hold down Shift key, and so on until all the nonfolder icons are selected.

This step illustrates one of the Finder’s finer points. You can select multiple items or deselect individual items from a selected group by holding down the Shift key and clicking the item.

5. Drag these icons onto the Desk Accessories folder that you created in Step 2.

After you release the mouse button, all the desk accessories, applications, and aliases that aren’t folders move into the Desk Accessories folder.

6. Pull down your Apple menu and revel in your handiwork.

The menu should now look like the one in Figure 2.

Putting your stuff into the Apple menu

That last trick was pretty easy, wasn’t it? Try one more thing before you move on. Why not add your favorite applications — the programs you use most often — to the Apple menu? Here’s how:

1. Find a favorite application on your hard disk, select it, and make an alias of it.

To make an alias, choose File–>Make Alias or press Command+M.

2. Move the alias to the Apple Menu Items folder.

3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for any additional applications that you want to appear in your Apple menu.