Want That Mac OS X Feeling? Try Power Windows
June 12th, 2000

Power Windows 2.4.1 ($10 Shareware)
Greg Landweber

If you've had a chance to see a preview of Mac OS X, via MACWORLD or other means, you no doubt noticed some of the new user interface features of Aqua. One of the more interesting, and even useful, features is translucent menus, where you can still see a faint image of what is behind a menu while the menu is being displayed. Power Windows offers this and other interface enhancements to users going back to System 7.

After downloading the package, drag the Power Windows icon to your System Folder, and let Mac OS place it in your Control Panels folder. Then restart. Once you get to the Desktop, you may already notice one of the features of the package if you have any windows open. Instead of popping up on the screen, they appear with a cool fade-in effect. Likewise, when you close a window, it will disappear with a nifty fade-out effect.

Translucent Menus, Just Like Mac OS X

The other features will make you feel right at home once you update to Mac OS X. If you click on a menu, it will be translucent, so you can see what is behind it. If you dismiss a menu, it will fade out, rather than abruptly disappear. Window dragging behavior is also improved. When you move a Finder window, you drag the entire window, rather than just an outline of it. The window can be solid or translucent. You can also enable multitasking, which will update background windows you uncover while dragging.

For those who want some of the benefits of Aqua without having to wait for OS X, Power Windows fits the bill.

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