Option-Tab Program Switcher (OTPS) is a useful little extension which allows you to switch between the running programs on your System 7 or greater Mac via simple "Option-Tab" keystroke. This extension was inspired by Windows. "Whoah!" you say, "Why write Windows functionality for a great machine like the Macintosh?" I use Windows at work and became fond of this functionality (Well, actually, I got so use to it that I found myself doing it on my Mac). So one afternoon I sat down and wrote an system extension to do this.
Instructions
OTPS requires System 7 or greater. To install it, just drag the extension to your system folder icon and "drop.". To use, while holding down the option key, tap the tab key. A window will appear displaying the next program running. While still holdong the option key, tapping the tab key again shows the program after that. While the program you want to switch to is selected, let go of the option key and the program will be brought to the front.
Registering
OTPS is free, but I do ask you do one thing to register. Please find and download my other program called "Personal Log." Check it out. Then, send me an e-mail indicating who wrote the manual for Personal Log. I will then add you to an e-mail list to which I will send OTPS update notifications to. I won't add you to this list unless you tell me who the manual author is. So I guess you can say that OTPS is "advertising-ware." ;-)
Contacting Me
You may contact me via e-mail at:
kamprath@lamg.com <-- prefered
kamprath@aol.com
Or by snail mail at:
Michael F. Kamprath
8635 Falmouth Ave #101
Playa del Rey, CA 90293-8200
USA
Disclaimer
Use at your own risk. But please report any bugs to me ;-)
Credits
Special thanks goes to Michael Hecht for sending me the code to snatch the program's icon from the Destop Database.
History
v1.0.0: 3 October 1994: Intitial Release. Cool.
v1.0.1: 15 October 1994: Started to address the problems OTPS has with DAs. Their icons now display when opt-tabbing, but you still can't opt-tab out of a DA. I'm working on this, but I don't have much time to address it right now.