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This week the Happy Hacker has been avoiding the libraries and Science Center in order to bring you, the home reader, information about ResEdit a handy utility program for the Macintosh that lets you play some neat tricks on your computer. The program is in the public domain and is available from most user groups or direct from Apple for a nominal...
With ResEdit, the hacker or casual user can modify any program's resource files. Thus you can even edit the system file. Modifying the system file can help break the monotony of boring icons and messages. For example, the annoying little watch that always shows up on the screen to remind the user how slow that little Macintosh really is can be changed to the infinity sign, an hourglass or even a tasteful obscenity...
Names can also be changed within dialogue boxes. Any user of the Happy Hacker's souped-up version of Word who happens to click on print will then have to pick from a slightly non-standard set of print quality options--"Snail-paced," "Marginal" and "Ugly" instead of the off-the-shelf "Best," "`Faster" and "Draft...
...Happy Hacker frequently likes to use a bold type style when writing papers in Word. Before ResEditing his Word disk, however, switching to bold took several keystrokes (not to mention a lunge for the mouse); the menu had to be chosen and then the Hacker had to click on bold. ResEdit has allowed the Hacker to define the command-1 key (i.e. pressing the little squiggly key simultaneously with the 1 key) as performing the same function as selecting Bold on the Character menu; no more grasping for that non-teflon paded mouse...
Another way to improve a program's useability through ResEdit is to completely change around the command key options. In Word, for example, the Happy Hacker has given command key options to all of the selections on the Character menu (such as Bold mentioned earlier) and also to the choices on the Paragraph menu (Left-Justify, Center...