MyEyes is a small extension that draws on the menubar a pair of eyes constantly following the cursor movement.
Yes, I've already seen the Eyeballs INIT (I loved it!) and I must admit that it's a very old idea, but when I started working on color machines those poor, black & white peepers seemed to me a little dull. So, guess what! I added color and lived happy.
Installation
MyEyes requires System 7 and color Quickdraw; Apple Events handling capability is needed too.
Starting with version 2.0 the MyEyes package is formed by two distinct items: an extension named “MyEyes Extension” and a setup application named “MyEyes” followed by the version number.
To install MyEyes put the extension on your Extensions folder and restart your Macintosh. Use the setup application to configure MyEyes.
Note that the extension icon is always shown during startup even if you don't have the necessary hardware/software requirements. This because MyEyes is an 'appe', an application extension, i.e. a faceless, background only application, launched by the Finder AFTER the startup sequence.
Configuring MyEyes
You can configure MyEyes to suit your needs by selecting the “Settings...” option in the setup application. In the “Settings” dialog, you can change a number of parameters affecting the appearance and the behaviour of the eyes.
The various options are pretty self-explaining but you can use Balloon Help™ to get additional info.
You can change the color of both the iris and the eyelids, the frequency of the blinking and the amount of mouse inactivity time after which the eyes must go to sleep.
You can choose the eyes movement mode between normal (i.e. not focusing) or independent (chameleon-like). Finally, you can change the eyes positioning mode.
The main feature introduced with version 2.0 is the automatic eyes positioning. The eyes are now displayed after the last menu item in the menubar (like the old Eyeballs did). This is the deafult setting.
As an alternative, you can still move the eyes using the click-and-drag technique to decide their horizontal position.
If you choose this mode, click on the eyes and keep the mouse button depressed (with no dialogs active); after a short delay a gray outline will appear and you will be able to move it horizontally to the desired position; at this point release the button and... that's all.
Finally, you can have the eyes positioned on the right side of the menubar (normally, on the left of the help menu in System 7). Unfortunately, MyEyes is still not compatible with clocks, battery minders or everything else using the same menubar space.
Note: as regards the eyelids colors, I used the terms “light skin” and “dark skin” for practical purposes only: if you find them offending or in bad taste, you have all my apologies. My intention was to give the user the opportunity to make MyEyes the more similar to HIS eyes as possible. I introduced this feature after receiving complaints for the unnatural color given to the eyelids.
I made a great effort to ensure that MyEyes is bug free but I make no warranty whatsoever, either implied or express, as to its correct functioning. When using this software, the user assumes all responsibility for damages caused, directly or indirectly, by its use.
Distribution
You can distribute MyEyes freely, provided that you leave the software and the accompanying documentation unchanged. You can include MyEyes in CD-ROMs and other software collections only by previous agreement.
MyEyes is SHAREWARE, which means that you are allowed to use it on a trial basis for up to 30 days. After this period, if you want to continue using it, you are expected to pay the required shareware fee (see Registration notes).
Note that MyEyes is not “crippleware”: unregistered copies are fully functional. Registered users will receive free registrations to all future versions of MyEyes.
Registration
To register MyEyes fill the “Registration Form” included in the package, put it in an envelope along with a 10$ bill (US dollars only or the equivalent in italian Lira) and send the whole thing to:
Federico Filipponi
c/o Fondazione Ugo Bordoni
via B. Castiglione, 59
00142 Rome
ITALY
After receiving your money I will send to you (via snail-mail or preferably via Internet) a unique registration code for you to enter in the “Register Your Copy” dialog.
How to contact the author
For any request, suggestion, bug report, etc. you can e-mail me at:
Internet: fedefil@fub.it
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to everybody who sent me e-mail and helped me improving MyEyes.
Special Thanks to:
Karl Bunker, Pieter K. de Vries, Tom Dowdy (of DarkSide and SimpleText fame!), Pat Gardella, Stephen F. Levinson (for some of the new beautiful eyes icons).
Version history
2.0.0 (November, 1994)
• MyEyes is now separated in two distinct items: an extension and a setup application.
• The eyes won't interfere no more with your favourite screensaver. The method of determining if a screensaver is running is based on a feature introduced by After Dark and now used by the most popular screensavers (for the techies out there it's the 'SAVR' gestalt value). Tested with After Dark v2.0, DarkSide v4.2 and BasicBlack v1.4.1. It also have to work with Pyro!. Older screensavers, like Moire, aren't supported.
• Introduced a method of determining if the menubar is gone so that the eyes don't keep popping out in front of game screens and full screen presentations.
• Introduced the independent eyes movement mode (see configuration notes).
• Introduced the automatic eyes positioning (see configuration notes, again).
• Added a small set of different colors for the eyelids (a new color for the iris has been also introduced, along with some minor cosmetic refinements).
• Now you can set the sleep time in seconds, not only in minutes.
• The animation speed setting has been removed (it was pretty useless, indeed).
• Added a dialog with a scrolling text box containing useful information about MyEyes (in fact it's the same as this read me, excluded the version history).
• Added the capability to determine if the Preferences file is corrupted or out of date.
• Also introduced minor adjustments to the System environment checking routines.
• Since MyEyes is now a SHAREWARE product, I included a registration dialog and a registration form in the documentation (see registration notes).
• Finally, I almost completely rewrited the read me file and tarted it up a bit with styles and a picture (you need SimpleText to view the styles).
1.0.6 (October 8, 1994) (Not released)
• Development version.
1.0.5 (September 5, 1994)
• Screen depth changes are now detected and correctly handled.
