We ’ve enshroud hundred of inexpensive Mac programs over in the Mac Gems department , but two that stay on to give reader interest , despite long ago being discontinued — or so we thought — are Proteron ’s MaxMenus and LiteSwitch X.
I ’ve been a big fan of LiteSwitch ’s much - improved — though subtly so — Command+Tab program program switcher , and when I advance to Snow Leopard , I was mighty relieved to find that the most - recent update to LiteSwitch X , from mid-2006 , still worked . Fans of MaxMenus , on the other hand , were n’t so lucky : The latest interpretation of this utility for creating customs menus in the recess of your Mac ’s screen door did n’t bring decent in Snow Leopard . I regularly receive e - mail from Macworld reader inquire for a desirable substitute .
Until recently , those looking for update from Proteron found a Web site — if the internet site was reachable at all — that had n’t been update in years . But a little over a calendar month ago , Proteron quietlyupdated the site — so quietly that I completely missed the news , as did most everyone else I ’ve talked to . But the liberal newsworthiness is that the society is offering public betas of Snow Leopard - compatible version of MaxMenus and LiteSwitch .
According to the Read Me written document included with the genus Beta of MaxMenus , version 1.6 ( currently at 1.6b1 ) include these change :
Similarly , the Read Me for LiteSwitch X 2.7 ( presently at 2.7b1 ) heel these changes :
For now , only the dwelling page of the Proteron site is functioning — the About , Legal , Support , and physical contact page are n’t yet live . The company ’s online computer memory is also not yet up , although the home page provides permit codification for using the software during the beta period . Once the store is useable , MaxMenus 1.6 will be useable for leverage for $ 30 , with LiteSwitch 2.7 useable for $ 15 . You will also be able-bodied to buy both public-service corporation as a package for $ 35 .
I ’ve sent Proteron a request for more information about the update and the fellowship ’s future .
( Thanks to Macworld reader Clint Bradford for the peak . )
