An Architect's View

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An Architect's View

Tweaking OS X

March 25, 2007 · 10 Comments

What's the first thing any self-respecting Mac-head does when they get a new computer? Customize it so it's your very own "personal" computer! I've been relying on a work-provided computer for quite a while (since I joined Macromedia nearly seven years ago) so I haven't paid much attention to what's available for OS X - my last personally owned Mac run System 7! Unsanity seem to be the company with the best tweaks so I just bought:
  • ShapeShifter ($20) which applies new themes to your system. I'm currently running Cold 1.2 which I think gives the system a very clean but dramatic look to everything.
  • FruitMenu ($10) which adds customizable cascading menus under your Apple menu and to your contextual menus in a number of applications. A very useful way to speed up navigation and access to commonly used files and programs.
  • WindowShade X ($10) which introduces a number of different behaviors for double-clicking on the menu bar in a window. The classic WindowShade extension used to just roll the window up into the menu bar but this new version adds options to make windows transparent or minimize them to a series of "live" icons arranged around the screen.
If you buy more than one product, you get a dollar off each additional product which is a nice touch. I also downloaded ClearDock which removes the background from the dock so your icons just float on the screen. I've always been bothered by that semi-transparent white background so it's good to get rid of it!

Tags: osx

10 responses so far ↓

  • 1 John Barrett // Mar 25, 2007 at 8:21 PM

    Hey Sean,
    Thanks for sharing the link, very cool! I think that I will be getting this too.

    The most I have done is make the apache default page have a "Mac-Look" instead of the usually default apache images.

  • 2 dave // Mar 25, 2007 at 9:32 PM

    this site has frickin everything http://www.freemacware.com/

  • 3 Rob Wilkerson // Mar 26, 2007 at 4:35 AM

    I guess it's because I'm so new to OS X, but I kind of like the default theme. I still get a little charge out of how...pretty it is. Clear Dock looks nice, though. Might have to give that a run...

  • 4 kenneth // Mar 26, 2007 at 5:03 AM

    If you're more predisposed to the keyboard than the mouse you must grab QuickSilver (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/). Makes your whole workflow available through an ingenious set of key commands - I don't even use the doc anymore as a result.

  • 5 Rob In der Maur // Mar 26, 2007 at 6:32 AM

    The first thing I always put on an Mac OS X box is QuickSilver; the ever so handy app launcher and what not...

  • 6 Jeff Hubbach // Mar 26, 2007 at 7:07 AM

    Sean, congrats on the new laptop. The first app I now install on my OS X machines is Quicksilver.
    http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

    It's an app launcher, plus alot more. I recommend you try it out.

  • 7 Kurt Wiersma // Mar 26, 2007 at 7:53 AM

    The first thing I always install is Quicksilver. It is like a command line for a GUI. For example I type command-space and then "ec" and then Quicksilver pops up eclipse which I launch by hitting the return key. This is only the beginning of what you can do with Quicksilver.

    http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

  • 8 Russ Johnson // Mar 26, 2007 at 10:13 AM

    WindowShade is a MUST-HAVE in my opinion. Growing up on a mac and having that roll-up/down ability was something a grew very accustomed to. So much so that when I started using PC's I had to buy a copy of Windowblinds just for that great feature. Why they took it out of the default OS X is beyond me!!

    I also purchased ShapeShifter but I dont seem to use it much for somereason.

    CandyBar is another very nice application. It allows you to change ALL of you system icons. There are some really nice icon sets on interfacelift.com.

  • 9 Sean Corfield // Mar 26, 2007 at 10:17 AM

    @All, guess I'll have to try QuickSilver - I keep hearing good things about it...

  • 10 Joshua Curtiss // Mar 29, 2007 at 7:02 AM

    Sean, I will second the notion to check out QuickSilver. It can revolutionize your life more than any of those other OS extensions. Calling it just an app launcher doesn't do it justice. You can do almost anything from QuickSilver, it even makes you toast :-), and you can do it in less time, which is the point.

    Check out Merlin Mann's QuickSilver tips at 43 Folders: http://www.43folders.com/category/quicksilver/

    He's an absolute QuickSilver geek and just awesome Mac guy in general.

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