In just the last few weeks, Thoth has seen two updates. Although the incremental changes in
the version numbers imply that the updates are simple bug fixes, a closer look reveals
much more. Let's take a look.
One of the most visible changes is the addition of inline images. It is now possible to
click on an article header and it opens with the message and displays the attached image
in the same window. This feature is similar to how MT-NewsWatcher shows images, and it
works quite well. Use it however, and Thoth goes from multi-tasking juggler to one-trick
pony. In other words, everything else stops while the single message is stored in the
"downloads" folder and attachment displayed. Take a look at the Viewing Images pane for
new options to tweak the behavior of inline images. Inline images are a nice addition, but
they are not better than using the catalog window, and they won't be truly useful until
they are multi-threaded.
There at many other, small improvements that might be overlooked, as they are not as
easily discoverable as inline images. The main menu items have been shuffling around.
Show/Hide filters is no longer duplicated under two menus, and several other items have
moved from one place to another. Overall, the menus are more logical, but we'd still like
to see improvements, especially to the Windows menu. For example, the Windows menu would
be easer to grasp quickly if it grouped like items together. This would be especially
welcome under OS X, since all the Windows no longer snap to the front when switching from
another open application.
When option-clicking on a group list item, a dialog appears asking how many articles to
fetch, which temporarily overrides the global application preference. In addition, its now
possible to indicate how many kept articles will be displayed at any one time. Another
welcome improvement is support for long file names under Mac OS X. The preference to turn
this feature on (its off by default) is now under the Miscellaneous preferences panel.
Here is an interface tweak we really appreciate: the ability to resize the number of items
visible in the Queued Transfers List toolbar. If you never have more than one or two
connections used, it can reclaim quite a bit of screen space. Little changes like this
often slip into applications unnoticed, but the slow accumulation of small improvements
eventually end up giving an application a very polished and usable interface. Still
another good example is the distribution disk image. Previously all the files were in the
root of the disk image, now they all reside a folder. Before you had to sometimes grab
individual files, now all you have to do to update or install is drag one folder into the
Applications folder under OS X. Nice!
One last tip: do you keep multiple server windows open at the same time? Now, when
checking for new articles, if you hold down the option key all the server group lists are
updated, not just the frontmost list.
The changes are not limited to the interface. If you check the release notes, you will see
a number of bugs have been squashed as well. The Thoth of Egyptian myth is the god of the
Moon, wisdom, the measurer of time, and the inventor of writing and numbers. His Macintosh
namesake is also versatile, multi-talented, and is the best door to Usenet the Macintosh
has ever had. And with respect to the frequent updates, the best just keeps getting
better.
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"Thoth Polish"
