Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!leah!itsgw!steinmetz!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Xorg
From: Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: NeoDesk / GEM replacements question
Message-ID: <15404@cup.portal.com>
Date: 5 Mar 89 05:23:23 GMT
References: <6548@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 32

Neodesk is a love-hate program, either you love it or hate it.  While
I liked what I saw in version one, I hated the 120K memory it up
on my 1040.  Now that I have version 2 I love it and would never go
back to the regular GEM desktop (I also now have a Mega 2.)  Here
are the features of NeoDesk 2.0:

Optionally can use as little as 24K of memory
Fast icon and text drawing as well as window opening
Optional use of a picture as a desktop background
Unlike version 1, version 2 uses the new 'twisted' or 'fast' format
option up to track 82 and 10 sectors
Auto execution of any program or batch file on boot up
Files can be moved, not just copied, this is fully selectable
If a system crash occurs NeoDesk almost always displays information on
the bomb and the status of the registers
There is no horizontial scroll bar, icons are wrapped around to fill
the window so no icons are unseen off the right edge
Windows can be stacked and brought to the top at a mouse click
A window that is not active can be resized and scrolled through without
selecting it.
Disk Volume name is displayed when each disk is opened
Filenames can now be displayed instead of icons and there is an option
for 'small' text ala a Mac and options for date, size, and type are
fully selectable.
A replacement Control Panel is provided that includes a corner clock
screen saver and a 'warm' or 'cold' reboot from within any program and
a on-off control for the blitter chip.

There are other goodies, in my opinion with NeoDesk and Universal
Item Selector the ST desktop becomes a powerhouse, a must buy.

Peter Szymonik