I've been very happy in OS X since Panther (OS X 10.3) debuted
in 2003, at which point I found that I missed more OS X
features when running in OS 9 than I did Classic features when
booted from OS X. I've gotten addicted to preemptive
multitasking, virtual crash free-ness, Spotlight, and perhaps most
of all the superior Web browsers that are available for
OS X.
However, there are OS 9 features not available in OS X that
I miss. Happily there are a number of third-party workaround
solutions available.
WindowShade X
For example, Unsanity Software makes several different "haxie"
applications that add OS 9 features to OS X. My
hands-down favorite is WindowShade X, which is
one I really couldn't get along without. The current version is
WindowShade X 4.0.2, which works with OS X 10.3 or newer and
supports 10.4.
With WindowShade X, when you double-click a window title bar or
try to minimize a window, it will enable actions that can be
different from the default OS X behavior (collapsing the
window into the Dock, which I detest). WindowShade X has five
alternative minimize modes: WindowShade, Minimize-In-Place, Make
Window Transparent, Float on Top, Hide Application, and Do Nothing.
These actions can be set on per-application basis, so you can
configure your workspace in the way that is most convenient for
you. Personally, I pretty much prefer windowshading across the
board.
$10 demoware
Other Unsanity OS 9 retro haxies include:
FruitMenu
FruitMenu 3.6.1,
which restores the ability to customize the Apple Menu and
contextual menus, and lets you edit the contents of the menus to
suit your needs and taste.
FruitMenu features include:
- Put any folders and files in your Apple and contextual
menus.
- Put complete disks in your Apple and contextual menus for easy
navigation.
- Assign hot keys to your files, folders, and commonly used
tasks.
- Access individual System Preferences immediately from a
submenu.
- See your IP Address in the Apple or contextual menu.
- Speed up your system by disabling menu fadeout effect.
- Open any document with application of your choice through the
contextual menu.
- Move any file or folder into your desired location.
- Preview graphics file right into your menu.
- Reveal and Get Info on files right from your Apple and
contextual menus.
- Create individual configurations of Apple and Contextual menus
for different applications.
- Use less-cluttered, faster implementation of Recent
Applications, Documents and Folders than Apple's.
- Set desktop picture instantly with a single click.
- Browse contents of the selected folder in a menu,
instantly.
- Organize the Apple menu the way you want or need.
- Easy to configure as it comes in usual Preference Pane form,
accessible through System Preferences.
FruitMenu will display the contents of the FruitMenu Items
folder inside of your Library folder, launch applications and shell
scripts from the Apple Menu and contextual menus, to allow easy
file navigation and launching. You can also assign hotkeys to
particular Apple menu items.
$10 demoware
Xounds
Xounds
2.3.1 brings back Appearance Sounds to Mac OS X. Xounds will
convert your existing Mac OS 8 or 9 sound sets. This is a
feature that I can live without, but if you're smitten with
Appearance Sounds, there's no reason to deprive yourself.
$10 demoware
DragonDrop
David Adamson's freeware DragonDrop is
intended to reintroduce some of the functionality of OS 9
tabbed windows (a.k.a. pop up folders). Drag any file or folder
over DragonDrop's icon in the Finder or the Dock, and drop it. A
window will appear, showing the contents of the folder you dropped,
or of the folder containing the file that you dropped.
Drop Drawers X
Other pop up folder replacements include Drop Drawers X 1.6.6
which provides floating pullout, snap-shut drawers on the sides of
your screen to store text, URLs, aliases, scripts, pictures,
sounds, movies and anything else you like.
Features include:
- Highly customizable interface with colors, fonts and
transparency.
- Image and movie files shown as QuickTime image thumbnails.
- Auto insertion of text (or anything else) into any
application.
- Drawers can be positioned easily on any side of any
screen.
- All drawer items can have key shortcuts assigned.
- Optional speech recognition for drawer items.
- Drawers can be password-protected.
- Sophisticated arrange and clean up options.
- Patterns and pictures for drawers and tabs.
- Drawers have optional configurable grids.
- AppleScript editor and compiler built-in.
- Tool Tips show hidden names of items.
- Comprehensive documentation and tutorial.
$20 demoware
Classic
Menu
Also from Sig Software is Classic Menu 2.7.5,
which brings the functionality of the Classic Apple Menu to
OS X, displaying the files and folders in the Classic Menu
Items folder and allowing up to ten levels of hierarchical menus of
folder contents. The standard OS X Apple Menu remains
accessible, either by clicking in a user-specified area of the
apple icon or holding down a customizable modifier key.
$10 shareware. A bundle of Classic Menu and Drop Drawers X is
available for $25.
Dock-It
Gideon Software's Dock-It 2.4.7 is a
multifunctional dock and Finder enhancer for Mac OS X Major
Features include :
- Create more than one Dock.
- Docks can be used to hold files, folders, applications, scripts
etc.
- Dock-It shelf space can be used to streamline drag and drop of
files/folders.
- Dock-It shelf space can be used to streamline copy and pasting
of text clippings and URLs.
- Streamline drive access by placing all mounted drives in a
dock. No more moving windows just to get at your desktop to open
your hard drive.
- Navigate folder contents without opening a single finder
window.
- Works with your favorite "Get Info" utility - you aren't locked
into one.
- Multiple Monitor aware.
- Docks can be customized with custom colors or background images
and transparency.
- Built in Applets
- Preference Applet - fast access to all your system
preferences.
- Clipping Applet - Once place for all your image and text
clippings.
- Clock Applet - Time in the dock.
- Shelf Applet - Pause complex Finder file operations
- Backward compatible with all your favorite Mac OS X docklings
(PowerPC Macs only)
Dock-It's shelf space can be used to streamline drag and drop of
files/folders and copy and pasting of text clippings and URLs.
Requires Mac OS X v10.2 or later.
Dock-It is $10 shareware.
Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it too. Enjoy!
Further Reading
- More ways to add OS 9 features to
OS X, modem problems with MacBook and USB modem, Opera problem, and
more, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.07.17. Also
potential problems using Target Disk Mode to install the OS, using
Classic on Intel Macs, value of Pismo G4 upgrades, "Tiger" on a G3
iMac, better laptop ergonomics, and more.
