Do you think the Finder is too slow and clumsy when navigating through your folder structure? Do you perhaps use a hierarchical Apple menu utility but are tired of zigging and zagging your mouse from submenu to submenu? Or maybe you just like color icons. If so, then you should try Greg's Browser. Displaying multiple folders in a single window, Greg's Browser lets you simultaneously see the contents of a folder, its parent, and a subfolder, providing a quick and easy way of moving both up and down through your folder hierarchy.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Greg's Browser requires System 7 and Color QuickDraw (which is built into the ROM of every Mac with a 68020 processor or better). If you aren't sure whether your Mac meets these requirements, just double click the Browser icon to launch it. If the Browser does not support your Mac, it will bring up a dialog box saying so and then exit gracefully.
BASIC USAGE:
When you launch the Browser for the first time, it presents you with a window containing several list of files. The left-most list shows the contents of your desktop, highlighting the first item (which should be your main hard drive). The second list then shows the contents of your main hard drive (or whatever is highlighted in the left-most list), while the remaining file lists are blank.
To select a file or folder, just click once on its name in the file lists. If you select a folder, the Browser displays its contents in the file list immediately to the right. If there is not space for another file list, the Browser slides all the file lists left to make room. You can select multiple files simultaneously by holding down <shift> or <command> (the one with the Scandinavian "Lookout Ahead" cloverleaf symbol) while clicking. The Browser draws a 3D border around the active file list, and at the bottom of the window it displays the icon, name, and various other information about the currently selected files.
Double clicking on an entry in the file lists opens the selected files or folders just like in the Finder. In particular, this action launches applications, opens documents with their creators, and opens folder windows within the Finder. You can achieve the same result from the keyboard by hitting <return>, <enter>, or <command>-O.
To move back up through the folder hierarchy, click on the title box above one of the file lists. If you click and release quickly, the Browser slides the file lists to the right by one position. If you hold the mouse down, the Browser pops up a menu letting you choose how far you want to move up the folder structure. When you release the mouse, the Browser slides the file lists right repeatedly until it displays the folder you selected. From the keyboard, you can hit <esc> or <clear> to slide the file lists right by one position.
BOOKMARKS:
The row of icons at the top of the window and the trash icon at the lower right act as "bookmarks", letting you jump quickly to a file or folder that you use frequently. To add a new bookmark, drag the desired file or folder from its file list and drop it on one of the empty spaces at the top of the window. To move a bookmark from one slot to another, just drag it from its former position to one of the remaining empty spaces. To remove a bookmark, just drag it away from the top of the window so that its "shadow" disappears; you need not drag it to the trash. The Desktop and Trash bookmarks are fixed in their positions and cannot be removed.
If you click once on a bookmark, the Browser jumps to the corresponding position in the file lists. If you double click a Bookmark, the Browser opens the bookmark file as if you had double clicked it in the Finder. Note that double clicking will also jump to the bookmark position in the file lists (since to click twice, you must first click once). To open the bookmark file without jumping to it in the file lists, single click the bookmark with the <command> key held down. Similarly, <option>-clicking a bookmark does a "Get Info..." on it, and <control>-clicking reveals the file in the Finder (opening its parent window if necessary), both without altering the file lists.
You can also drag files from the file lists and drop them on previously installed bookmarks (provided that the bookmark represents a folder or an application that can open the selected files). This provides a quick way of moving or copying files to a drop folder or opening files with your favorite "Drop Box" mini-applications, such as "Stuffit Expander" or any of the various Finder info editors. Pressing the <delete> key is equivalent to dragging the currently selected files and dropping them on the trash bookmark.
DRAG and DROP:
The Browser lets you drag files directly from their file lists and then drop them onto folders or applications in any other file list (even if it is contained in a different Browser window). Whenever you can drop the files onto a folder or application, the Browser will highlight the corresponding mini-icons as you drag over the file list entry. The rules for drag and drop are the same as in the Finder: Dragging moves files if the source and destination are on the same volume, but copies if they are on different volumes. Holding down the <option> key at the start or end of a drag forces the Browser to do a copy, except if you are dragging to the trash. Hey, I didn't invent these rules.
If your system has "Macintosh Drag and Drop" installed, you will be able to drag files between the Browser and the Finder, as well as between the Browser and other drag-savvy applications. Unfortunately, this Drag Manager package is not freely available to the public (and I don't have the money to license it). I have heard rumors that it will be included with the System 7.5 reference release later this year, and I believe that it will be included with Metrowerks' Code Warrior and a future version of Aladdin's Stuffit.
FILE MENU:
The "New Browser" command opens up a new Browser window staggered slightly to the right and below the current window. This new window defaults to showing the contents of the desktop and your main hard drive. Multiple Browser windows come in handy when you want to move or copy files. You can use the first window to navigate to the files that you want to move and the second to navigate to their destination.
The "Close Window" command closes the frontmost Browser window as if you had clicked in the close box. If you attempt to close the last Browser window, the Browser hides it and switches to the Finder instead. The window reappears when you switch back to the Browser.
The "Open", "Print", "Get Info...", "Sharing", "Duplicate", "Make Alias", and "Put Away" commands all act on the current selection in the frontmost Browser window and behave just like in the Finder.
The "Reveal" command will swich to the Finder, highlighting those files that are currently selected in the frontmost Browser window (opening up their parent folder window in the Finder if it is not already open).
EDIT MENU:
The "Copy" command copies to the clipboard a list of all the selected files in the currently active file list.
The "Select All" command selects all the files in the currently active file list.
The "Preferences..." command brings up a dialog box where you can modify the following check boxes:
⁄ Show Invisible Files
When this box is checked, the Browser shows files that have their invisible bit set. Such files, which include desktop databases, custom folder icons, and the famed "AppleShare PDS", do not appear in Finder windows. Note that you cannot move, copy, or trash these files.
⁄ Confirm <delete> Key
When this box is checked, the Browser puts up a caution alert whenever you hit the <delete> key to move a folder to the trash. This is in case you press <delete> by accident. Although such mistakes can easily be undone by dragging the files out of the trash, it can be disconcerting to have your files magically disappear from their folder.
⁄ Slide Right Automatically
As you know, if you click on a folder in the right-most file list, all the file lists will slide left to make room for the subfolder. If you check this box, then the Browser behaves similarly when you click on a file in the left-most file list, sliding all the file lists right to make room for the parent folder. Some people prefer this as an alternative to clicking on a folder title box to move up through the folder heirarchy, while others find it confusing.
⁄ Display Splash Screen
When this box is checked, the Brower puts up its "About..." box for two seconds when you launch it. This is as close as I get to the proverbial "Annoying Shareware Message".
⁄ Show File Version Info
When this box is checked, the Browser shows the file version number (if the file has one) at the bottom of the window. This can slow down disk access considerably, particularly with slow media such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs.
OTHER NEAT STUFF:
Whenever you launch the Browser, it will restore your Browser windows (both their positions and active file lists) to their configuration when you last quit.
If you resize the window to be wide enough (almost but not quite the full width of a standard 13" or 14" screen), the Browser will switch from three file lists to four and from six bookmarks to eight. It will also use some of the extra space at the bottom of the window to show the creation and modification dates for the currently selected files.
If you click the Zoom Box at the right end of the Browser window's title bar, the Browser window collapses. Clicking the Zoom Box again returns it to its normal size.
For those of us without extended keyboards, the Browser uses the numeric keypad to simulate the scrolling keys "Home", "End", "Page Up", and "Page Down". I'll leave it up to you to figure out which numbers do what.
CHANGES FROM VERSION 1.X:
Lots of 'em. In fact, there are so many changes that it would be terribly boring for me to write them out (or even remember them), and it would be even more tiresome for your to read them all. It is much easier for you to just mess about with the Browser for a few minutes to work it out for yourself. So there!
The Browser is now an application. Since it is no longer a control panel, there is absolutely no need to put it in the Control Panels folder. In fact, it never needed to be put there in the first place (as you already know since you are the type of person who reads the documentation).
In previous versions, you could drag the large icon from the lower left of the window. In version 2.0 the large file icon is there strictly for your viewing pleasure, although I do have plans to make its life more meaningful in future versions. If you feel like dragging something, you can now drag file directly from the file lists.
This version does not allow you to change the font from Geneva 9 like previous versions used to do. I will bring this feature back in a later version, possibly with an option to anti-alias the fonts as well (it looks fantastic on my slightly fuzzy 16" monitor at 80+ dpi resolutions).
SHAREWARE:
Greg's Browser is shareware; it is NOT free. If you use it regularly for more than two weeks, you should complete the enclosed registration form and send it to me with your payment of US$20 or UK£12. You can also register online using CompuServe (in which case CompuServe gets 15% of the fee) by typing "GO SWREG". The registration ID for Greg's Browser is 1304.
Although I have raised the price from previous versions, those of you who have already registered do NOT need to send me any additional payment (just pat yourself on the back for making a good investment). If you have not yet registered but think that this version is overpriced, please let me know how I can improve it to make it worth the fee.
I understand if you have trouble converting foreign currencies, are an impoverished student, or have trouble dealing with your company's bureaucracy, and if that is the case, then just try your best. From my previous experiences, I estimate that about 1 in 20 people registers the shareware that (s)he uses regularly, perhaps much less, so if you have ever wanted to rise above the rest of humanity, here is your chance!
I do not send out announcements of new versions, nor will I send you a floppy disk with the latest update. Please do not give me a disk and then complain when I do not respond. Sorry to sound so mean, but I am a D.Phil. student in mathematics, not a software publisher. Although it does not seem like a big deal to mail a postcard or copy a floppy disk, it becomes a pain to have to do so for several people every day, particularly when I'm preparing for exams or writing a thesis. Also, the time I spend trying to run a business detracts from the time I spend programming.
On the other hand, I respond to nearly all e-mail, and I will e-mail a copy of the latest version in stuffit/binhex format to anybody who e-mails me a request. However, that should rarely be necessary as I keep the internet archives and the CompuServe "MacSys" forum up to date with the latest releases of my shareware.
Please note that although I plan to release new versions with significant enhancements and will attempt to fix problems that are brought to my attention, there is no guarantee that I will continue to support this product indefinitely. You should register because you think the copy currently sitting on your hard drive is worth the money, not in the expectation that I will fix the bug that is annoying you. If you have a complaint about this version, or worry that it might not support System 8.2 with QuickStep, AppleSeed, PowerLunch, and FastTalk, please do not register until I have addressed your concerns. In the interim, you can always drop me a note telling me what those concerns are and letting me know that you care.
DISTRIBUTION:
This software may be distributed via the InterNet archives, online services such as CompuServe, America Online, or AppleLink, user groups, BBSs, and informal transfers between friends. Any other means of distribution, such as including it on a CD-ROM, bundling it with a book or magazine, or selling it as a commercial shareware/public domain software distributer, requires the written consent of the author. Whenever this software is distributed, it must be distributed unaltered and as a complete package, including the registration form and this documentation file in full. Charges for distributing this software must not exceed a reasonable downloading cost or the price of the medium on which it is distributed.
DISCLAIMER:
Use this software, Greg's Browser, at your own risk. The author, Gregory D. Landweber, makes no claims as to the fitness of this software for any particular purpose other than taking up about 140k on your hard disk. The author's liability in case of damages caused by use or misuse of this software is limited to one tall glass of freshly pressed melon nectar, or the cash equivalent thereof. Don't sue!
