This is totally minor, but you can do the slow motion genie effect that Jobs showed off at the last couple of Macworld keynotes by holding down the shift key while minimizing a window.

-perry

i just went by Apple's AppleScript page for OS X and found that you can in fact still windowshade finder windows. well... sort of, that is. :)

go see for yourself: apple's script examples

maybe one can try to alter the script for other apps, compile 'em and then, using script runner, windowshade'll be back. :) i know, i'm dreaming...

[Editor's note: Marcus, I don't think you're dreaming. If they left the capability in the system, then I believe someone will be able to write a windowshade application, if nothing else. That would make some people very happy! To test these scripts, copy/paste them into the ScriptEditor application in the AppleScript folder]

Update: The above-referenced Apple page no longer exists. However, using the Wayback Machine, I was able to find the original scripts; they're now listed in the rest of this article...

When you use a filename that's too long for the Finder to display, OS X replaces the middle portion of the name with "...". You can make the full name show up by hovering over the name for a second, or editing the filename with a click and mouse movement.

A much much quicker method is to simply browse the file list wth the option key held down. Every filename will instantly expand as you mouse over it's position in the list. Cool!

I read this on one of the 10,000 different web pages I visited this weekend ... sorry I can't remember the source!

i just saw a nice feature of the dock : when you drag an object (file or folder) onto the right side, it tries to move other items to let you drop the object into an empty space.

if you want to quickly drop "into" a folder, just press the command key, and the empty space will disappear....

[Editor: This is pretty slick; hit the command key, watch the open space disappear. You can also hold down command before you drag the object, and the space will never open up in the first place!]

NEW INFO: You can also hold down CMD-OPTION while dragging, and this will force the system to use the app you are hovering over to open the file you are dropping.

One of the most-discussed features that appeared and then disappeared from interim builds was the ability to move the dock from the bottom of the screen to the top, left, or right sides, and to force one edge into a corner. These functions have returned in the final, and will probably be one of the most-implemented hacks on the system. I expect a full GUI tool for this within a week from someone, but for now, read the rest of this hint if you'd like the command-line instructions. They aren't too hard to follow, so don't be intimidated if you're new to OS X and/or UNIX.

UPDATE: If you'd like to do this the really easy way, get Docking Maneuvers, which puts a simple, effective GUI around the whole process! No UNIX required!

If you'd like to force-quit an app without using cmd-opt-esc or process viewer, simply hold down the option key and then click-and-hold the app's icon in the dock. You'll see a new "Force Quit" option in the pop-up menu.

[Warning!! Do not run the script in the comments here! It will work, but after a few uses, it will cause minor system errors. Use at your own risk! See the comments for a discussion on alternatives and next steps...]

A posting over on the MacNN forums got me interested in trying to come up with a way to automatically change the desktop picture. If I can find a way to change it from the terminal, then the next steps become somewhat obvious (and maybe easy?) -- write a shell script to pick a file at random from a folder, and then issue the command to update the desktop pic and get it to display. Finally, schedule that shell script as a 'cron' job to run however often you'd like a new desktop picture.

I made a bit of progress, but not much. Please read the rest if you're interested in trying to help me figure out how to make desktop pictures change automatically...

Here's a weird one. Tonight I tried (for the first time) to change the desktop picture. In the Dock & Desktop Prefences panel, I see a blank square under the "Desktop Picture:" header. It doesn't show the current, default one. I really want to change it to a basic pattern to try and accelerate the graphic speed of the old G3 machine OS X PB is on. Is this possible or do I have to select an image, and why don't I see the current image? Also, where is that image?

I find myself frequently rebooting to play games, and the process can be made quicker with our old friend, the option key. When you quit the Desktop, you are presented with the Shutdown/Cancel/Log Out panel. Hold down the option key when it appears and Shutdown becomes Restart. Nifty.

[Editor's note: This was probably one of the first hints I published, but it was lost in my database crash back in November, so I'm repepating it now ... -rob.]

If you like the OS 9 application switcher, you can still use it in OS X. Simply launch a Classic application, and tear off the application switcher menu. Even after you quit the Classic app (you need to leave the environment running, but you can kill the app), you'll have a fully functional application switcher in OS X - new programs get added, quit programs go away, etc.

I'm not sure if this will survive the transition to OS X final or not - I don't see why not, but we won't know for sure for another 33 days or so!