O ne-time TMO columnist and current Mac OS X programming aficionado Wincent Colaiuta has updated WinSwitch to version 1.5. WinSwitch offers a cleaner interface for Fast User Switching in Panther, and this release improves two localizations and brings a couple of other minor improvements. From Wincent Colaiuta:
WinSwitch implements Fast User Switching in Panther the way it should have been done from the start: providing the user with a range of choices about how and what should be displayed in the menu bar. Not only can users choose to display a space-saving icon or their own user picture, they can also use their short or long username, include the "root" user in the menu, and rapidly access the Accounts preference pane with a single click.
This is Fast User Switching done in a way thatis more "Apple" than Appleis own implementation, adding much-needed features and eliminating limitations and flaws in the Apple Fast User Switching menu. Just like the Apple version of the menu, WinSwitch works seamlessly in lab and network contexts. Version 1.5 is a maintenance release which among other things updates the included localizations.
WinSwitch is open source and free. For those interested in finding out just why the latest Macworld gave WinSwitch a 4.5-mice rating, WinSwitch is only a small 316KB download away, and comes with an easy-to-use installer.
Version 1.5 (23 August 2004):
- Dutch localization by Joost Kroon.
- Minor corrections to Japanese and Swedish localizations.
- Restored custom icon to "Activate WinSwitch" command which had been stripped in the move to the Subversion repository.
- New winswitch-announce and winswitch-beta mailing lists.
You can find more information on WinSwitch at Wincentis Web site. The software is freeware, though Wincent makes it known that donations are welcome.