System 7 Coolness

[Pissed_Macman]

I've been using OS 7 a lot lately and I was wondering if anyone knew of any programs or ways that could change/make its appearence better (not that I'm complaining about OS 7's coolness, I just need some change).

[ November 30, 2002: Message edited by: Macman: Mac Commando ]

[Master of Reality]

i have System7.1 on my powerbook, but it doesnt have network or CDROM so i cant change much on it.

[ December 02, 2002: Message edited by: The Master of Reality / B0B ]

[ravuya]

Kaleidoscope, but sadly I haven't been able to find Aqua themes for it.  

[hm_murdock]

few exist, but they're there. you can also install the Appearance Extension and Appearance control panel from 8.0 or 8.1

and just FYI... the proper terminology is "System" for all releases prior to 8.0. 7.6.x can be called "OS 7.6" but "System 7" is the proper name for the entire 7.x.x series. Some people still use that name, i.e. "System 10".

[Pissed_Macman]

quote:Originally posted by Jimmy James: Mac Commando:
and just FYI... the proper terminology is "System" for all releases prior to 8.0. 7.6.x can be called "OS 7.6" but "System 7" is the proper name for the entire 7.x.x series. Some people still use that name, i.e. "System 10".

Oh, didn't know that. Thanks for the tip .

[rtgwbmsr]

quote:Originally posted by Macman: Mac Commando:
I've been using OS 7 a lot lately and I was wondering if anyone knew of any programs or ways that could change/make its appearence better (not that I'm complaining about OS 7's coolness, I just need some change).

A color monitor helps    

There are those old Afterdark and "Superclock" programs if you can find them.

[ November 30, 2002: Message edited by: The Muffin Man ]

[Pissed_Macman]

Ugh, I installed Kaleidascope on my Centris and now it's really fucked up. First it ate all my memory then after it would load the desktop would freeze. The only way to start the computer without it freezing was to turn off extensions. I threw away all the Kaleidascope stuff but now it does the same thing on startup whenever I load it with extensions on. What a mess!!!  

[ November 30, 2002: Message edited by: Macman: Mac Commando ]

[psyjax]

If you scower the net you may run across an old extension called Aron. It makes the UI look like OS 8+, another I used to use was called Coplan, after the vaporware OS. Both work fine and don't eat up memory.

I know this, I used to use them on my centris 650 all the time.

[hm_murdock]

you can find Aaron on resexcellence.com

http://www.resexcellence.com/archive_software/

[smokey]

I thought Coplan was the codename for the new interface "style" they used in System 8 (MacOS 8).

[psyjax]

Nah, that was called Platinum. Altho many MacHeads will often refer to it as coplan, since it would have been the look coplan introduced, along with some other popular Mac scheems, like Tech and Toybox.

[hm_murdock]

betas of 8.5 included Tech and Toybox as well, but Steve Job pulled the plug on "official" themes, and only recently (i.e. after OS X) are they now becoming popular

[Pissed_Macman]

Well Kaleidascope really fucked over my Centris, my extensions are being bitches now, so I don't think I'll experiment with anymore weird programs for a while (although Kaleidascope did wonders for my G4's OS 9.2).

[hm_murdock]

Kaleidoscope runs fine on my Quadra 840av!

But then most things of that era do badass computer, even after all these years!

Copland's appearance was a wierd mix of 8.1 and 8.5. it featured the little mini icons in titlebars, but didn't have the app title in the menubar the way 8.5 does. it used a different system font, the trash can was overhauled, and there were some slightly different UI elements added (Carbon evolved from the Copland API).

I don't think Copland could ever have shipped. Internal politics were against it. Management and marketing wrote checks that the engineers couldn't cash. It was messy, and it ended up sucking. What they pulled out of it was great though!

[ravuya]

Some later versions of Kaleidoscope suck up all your resources and kick the shit out of 68k machines.

Get a 1.x version if you're on 68k.