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goMac · Mar 9, 2004, 03:07 PM

I'm working on Xtender and am wondering what the general opinion is on making it an app vs. a pref pane. Vote Away!

phillryu · Mar 9, 2004, 03:10 PM

On one hand, Themes make sense in System Preferences, because they customize the look of your system. On the other hand, a pref pane is more annoying than a standalone app, in that it limits you in UI space, and takes a couple extra steps to open... but I'm not sure which way I'd prefer.

codywalton · Mar 9, 2004, 03:21 PM

I'd prefer it as a pref pane. My opinion is that any app that modifies the system should be a pref pane.

But unless it's really revolutionary, I'm probably going to stick with SS.

mac15 · Mar 9, 2004, 03:23 PM

I'd probably go with a pref panel but you get to do a great looking icon with an App, and thats what draws people alot of the time. The app icon quality determines an app

swiz · Mar 9, 2004, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by phillryu:
On one hand, Themes make sense in System Preferences, because they customize the look of your system. On the other hand, a pref pane is more annoying than a standalone app, in that it limits you in UI space, and takes a couple extra steps to open... but I'm not sure which way I'd prefer.

Limiting UI space is a good thing I think. I dont want a UI app which takes up alot of screen space. I dont need a bigger preview window or anything, thats what a built in preview app is for. Tabs work well in making a busy, possibly daunting and confusing interface feel more manageable and friendly to deal with.

wibs · Mar 9, 2004, 03:25 PM

Thanks to Quicksilver/LaunchBar I can get to either an app or a prefpane in a second, so they're equal in that regard. The only difference I see is that an app allows more flexibility in its design. That doesn't necessarily mean it will be any bigger or more complex, just that there are more possibilities.

Lefo · Mar 9, 2004, 04:08 PM

Which is less crash prone? Which causes the least amount of potential system damage? Which one gives us more GUI choices? Which one would YOU have on your system if you depeneded on it to make a living but wanted to insure you didn't hose anything?

My answer is my question.

Lefo

fireside · Mar 9, 2004, 04:16 PM

Stand-alone application. it seems that everyone is sticking their applications that mod the system into the prefs, which is annoying. i want to go to System Prefs to modify my mac, but i don't want to see anything else unless its made by apple. this is a weird discussion, but i think a theme switcher should be a stand-alone application, than just a prefpane.

Maflynn · Mar 9, 2004, 04:46 PM

I add my vote to pref pain

Turias · Mar 9, 2004, 04:49 PM

Definitely pref pane for anything that invokes a system-wide change.

Holigen · Mar 9, 2004, 05:07 PM

I would go with a pref pane, only because I have QS and it doesnt make much difference. However, I think that you should make the decision in the end. Dont base it all off of what some people say in a forum...

Chancha · Mar 9, 2004, 05:25 PM

Standalone app.

One MAJOR set back for inserting to the pref pane is that you keep expanding the "Others" category in the pane and users don't seem to have control over it (at least to my knowledge). Some of the settings are like, once I have it set in the beginning, I will hardly ever change it at all (eg, WindowshadeX). Putting it in prefs pane just takes away valuable screen space and clutter up the whole pane. Maybe that isn't an issue for people with big screen... but I already have to scroll to get the bottom panes on my 1024 screen.

swiz · Mar 9, 2004, 05:41 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
Stand-alone application. it seems that everyone is sticking their applications that mod the system into the prefs, which is annoying. i want to go to System Prefs to modify my mac, but i don't want to see anything else unless its made by apple. this is a weird discussion, but i think a theme switcher should be a stand-alone application, than just a prefpane.

Isnt changing a theme about the most obvious modification you can make to your Mac without doing something physical to it? If Apple believed that only their preference modules should go in system prefs they wouldnt have provided API's and a shelf for them to reside in.

fireside · Mar 9, 2004, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by swiz:
Isnt changing a theme about the most obvious modification you can make to your Mac without doing something physical to it? If Apple believed that only their preference modules should go in system prefs they wouldnt have provided API's and a shelf for them to reside in.

well yes, theming is the most obvious mod you can do to your mac with out physically touching it, but most 3rd party prefpanes (aside from Unsanity's) aren't for modding your mac per se, but for doing things that wouldn't make much sense as a stand alone-app. this is true in Logitech's case when they made their mouse control center a prefpane. since it deals with the your mouse, you really don't see windows or especially use it very often, so it makes sense to be a prefpane. also true for X-Tunes, it pops up as a bezel and is the best place to put its controls. i guess its a matter of personal preference, i'd rather not have so many things clutter up my system prefs which could be applications. i dunno. i guess i really dont have an arguement for it.

onlooker · Mar 9, 2004, 07:02 PM

I liked the idea at first when duality became a Pref Pane. Duality is still my favorite theme-changer even though I stopped using them.

SS is a piece of carp though. Even after I un-installed that fu*king sh*tburger I still got that screen message to buy SS, and after I finally got rid of that my system start up times are at least 7 times slower. I sit for minuets on end because of that fu(xing app. I have system freezes now at least once a week, and things I never had before the install, and removal SS. I had 200GB of applications, and information that worked flawlessly, and seamlessly without problems until that thing came along. THere is no way I'm spending hours on end re-installing all my stuff daily after work because it would take at least a week. F U SS

Where did that rant come from? SS

Jan Van Boghout · Mar 9, 2004, 07:34 PM

I prefer a standalone app. I'm tired of 3rd party preference panes invading my System Prefs. Usually they don't even have icons that fit in *cough*APE Manager*cough*

And onlooker, I don't think that has anything to do with SS. SS runs in the user space and has absolutely nothing to do with the startup process

haley · Mar 9, 2004, 07:55 PM

I vote for separate app. Don't know why exactly lol, but I just don't like too much 3rd-party stuff in my System Preferences. Also, I'm not sure if this has anything to do with SS being a preference pane, and I know it is slow and a RAM hog, but it is incredibly slow on my computer. Just seems to me and my limited knowledge that it might be faster if the same thing were to be done in a separate application. But don't stone me for saying that; I really have no idea.

fireside · Mar 9, 2004, 08:08 PM

Originally posted by Jan Van Boghout:
And onlooker, I don't think that has anything to do with SS. SS runs in the user space and has absolutely nothing to do with the startup process

actually, since SS modifies the application before it starts up, it does effect startup process for apps. unless he's talking about startup from boot or whatever.

Jan Van Boghout · Mar 9, 2004, 08:15 PM

Originally posted by fireside:
actually, since SS modifies the application before it starts up, it does effect startup process for apps. unless he's talking about startup from boot or whatever.

my system start up times are at least 7 times slower

I assumed he was referring to system startup times here, not application launch times?

quandarry · Mar 9, 2004, 08:22 PM

pane.

bluevertical · Mar 9, 2004, 08:23 PM

i would have to say pref pane... but thats just because i'm lazy and since ss is there seems like the best place for the others...
not the best reason, but my reason.

NetworkShadow · Mar 9, 2004, 08:56 PM

Preference Pane, everything all in one place. Anything to do with changing system prefs should be there.

dole · Mar 10, 2004, 11:22 AM

I prefer a standalone app. I have never been a fan of the preference panes. If there is a really cool app that uses a preference pane, I would still use it, but prefer just a standalone app.

deej5871 · Mar 10, 2004, 09:55 PM

I would say standalone app simply because my System Preferences are getting rather full. With a couple of the Unsanity haxies and other prefpanes my 1024x768 can only hold so many before I have to scroll down..and scrolling down in System Prefs is something I really don't want to have to do.