MegaLauncher v.4.4

[Utes Rule]

It's now May and as I posted a few weeks back, I received an email from the maker of ML saying that a new version would be out in May with new features (some that I had suggested are possible, i.e. ability to toggle status bar, better color customization of utilities at top of skin such as time, date, etc., and a better ability to file manage external memory). It should be out either tomorrow of Monday. I'll post as soon as it.

Also, Silverscreen 3.0 appears to be very near it's release. I hope it is loaded with new features (I'm a registered owner of both ML and Silverscreen).

[DanT]

Yes, please post!

The upgrade from 3.2.2 to 4.3 has been quite amazing. It's been pretty stable and fast launcher even with 16 bit color background in my old N760C. I can't wait to see 4.4.

[pixelpainter]

Originally posted by Utes Rule
Also, Silverscreen 3.0 appears to be very near it's release. I hope it is loaded with new features (I'm a registered owner of both ML and Silverscreen).

Yes, but are you willing to pay for it. I don't see SS adding anything that I would pay for. But, like I always tell my wife " I was once wrong.....along time ago" :)

[NR70V-o-holic]

So, what´s on Megasoft?
Where is the promised new Release?

Hope the new Release will support Multi-VFS to use with
Eruware´s CF-Driver... :rolleyes:

Noh

[DanT]

It's still thinking 24 days to go, plenty of time.

[Cernunnos]

I'm a newbie with Launchers. I downloaded the latest version of Megalauncher. I like it, but I would to customize it. When you synch a skin or a background to what file is it supposed to synch? I want to store ML and the skins on the MS. Is there a disadvantage to that?

Any advice you have I'd appreciate.

Thanks:)

[DanT]

Just install them to RAM. ML will automatically look for the files. If you want to put them in MS you might try using PiDirect otherwise it won't work. One disadvantage of using PiDirect is that you need to enable PiDirect all the time. I have problem with it during HotSync and with BackupBuddy VFS schedule backup. If you don't have those problems, then the setup might work for you.

The color depth of the background has to match with Color & skin setup, i.e., if you use 16 bit color background, you must select 16 bit color in the Color & skin setup (Menu, Options, Color & skin setup).

[sebring]

An alternative to PiDirect is freeware MSMount. I've kept ML skins in my MSMount directory. Only disadvantage is whenever you run ML with MSMount disabled, it reverts to the default skin and you have to reselect the skin you want next time you enable MSMount. MSMount also doesn't like BackupBuddy VFS (or vice versa). I use Cardbackup, which is MSMount aware and works perfectly. You can set MSMount to automatically disable during hotsync and reenable after hotsync. This disabling and enabling doesn't affect your ML skin selection.

[Cernunnos]

Thanks for the advice.

I'll let you know if it worked. :)

[DanT]

Originally posted by sebring
An alternative to PiDirect is freeware MSMount. I've kept ML skins in my MSMount directory. Only disadvantage is whenever you run ML with MSMount disabled, it reverts to the default skin and you have to reselect the skin you want next time you enable MSMount. MSMount also doesn't like BackupBuddy VFS (or vice versa). I use Cardbackup, which is MSMount aware and works perfectly. You can set MSMount to automatically disable during hotsync and reenable after hotsync. This disabling and enabling doesn't affect your ML skin selection.

Thanks for the tip.  If my free RAM is getting more and more limit, I may just try having both PiDirect and MSMount.  PiDirect is for storing my StreetFinder maps (which are troublesome with MSMount).  MSMount for storing the Megalauncher skins, backgrounds, app icons, and category icons (if the 'Disable during HotSync' works with my Clie that is).  That would save me quite a bit of RAM space.  The MSMount is amazingly small (34KB) compare to PiDirect.

If I use MSMount for storing the MegaLauncher skins, backgrounds, app icons, and category icons do I need to disable MSMount before I remove the memory stick or I can just remove the memory stick as usual?  PiDirect will disable automatically when I remove the stick and enable automatically when I insert the stick back in.  I would assume MSMount will do the same.

[Cernunnos]

I moved Megalauncher to the internal memory. I installed some skin files as well. For some reason it still doesn't recognize the skins. I installed the skins to the internal memory. I then went under options and then looked under color and skin setup. I verified the color bit setting under 8 and 16. The skins didn't recognize under either.

:) Any thoughts?

[DanT]

Well, I was curious and installed MSMount. It crashes the Clie during HotSync with 'Disable during HotSync' is checked. However it does not crash the Clie if it is unchecked. This is wierd. Do I have the logic backwards?

Anyway, since it works now, I moved the ML background (200KB), ML category icons (20KB), ML Icons Packs (92KB), My Icons for HandyShopper and A5 (32KB), and 1st Aid (315KB) to MSMount folder. Not bad for 34KB app. It saves me about 600KB of RAM. It is a little slow to display the background though. However, now I can load up all kinds of ML backgrounds and skins to MS. :D

[DanT]

Originally posted by Cernunnos
I moved Megalauncher to the internal memory. I installed some skin files as well. For some reason it still doesn't recognize the skins. I installed the skins to the internal memory. I then went under options and then looked under color and skin setup. I verified the color bit setting under 8 and 16. The skins didn't recognize under either.

:) Any thoughts?

Just curious, which skin do you use?  Do you use the ML v.3.x skin or v.4.x skin?  You can't use ML 3.x skin for ML 4.x.    

[sebring]

Originally posted by DanT
Well, I was curious and installed MSMount. It crashes the Clie during HotSync with 'Disable during HotSync' is checked. However it does not crash the Clie if it is unchecked. This is wierd. Do I have the logic backwards?

Anyway, since it works now, I moved the ML background (200KB), ML category icons (20KB), ML Icons Packs (92KB), My Icons for HandyShopper and A5 (32KB), and 1st Aid (315KB) to MSMount folder. Not bad for 34KB app. It saves me about 600KB of RAM. It is a little slow to display the background though. However, now I can load up all kinds of ML backgrounds and skins to MS. :D

DanT, when you check disable during hotsync on MSMount, also add hotsync to your incompatable app list in settings. See if that fixes your crash on hotsync. Only disadvantage of leaving it enabled during hotsync, is all the stuff in your MSMount directory gets backed up, which slows down hotsync quite a bit. Not much reason to backup the stuff in you MSMount directory, since it's safe from hard resets anyway.

One other tip, you will run into problems if you enable both PiDirect and MSMount at the same time. Seems only the stuff in PiDirect shows up in RAM. As for Maps, I keep all the Mapopolis maps that I use regularly in my MSMount directory with no problems. I keep maps I use less frequently on MS in the Mapopolis directory. The maps load much faster from MSMount. Also I include MSImport, my file manager (which is ZLauncher) and any other apps that move files around in my incompatible apps list, so MSMount disables whenever I run them.

MSMount does work flawlessly with PowerRun.

[DanT]

Originally posted by sebring


DanT, when you check disable during hotsync on MSMount, also add hotsync to your incompatable app list in settings. See if that fixes your crash on hotsync. Only disadvantage of leaving it enabled during hotsync, is all the stuff in your MSMount directory gets backed up, which slows down hotsync quite a bit. Not much reason to backup the stuff in you MSMount directory, since it's safe from hard resets anyway.

One other tip, you will run into problems if you enable both PiDirect and MSMount at the same time. Seems only the stuff in PiDirect shows up in RAM. As for Maps, I keep all the Mapopolis maps that I use regularly in my MSMount directory with no problems. I keep maps I use less frequently on MS in the Mapopolis directory. The maps load much faster from MSMount. Also I include MSImport, my file manager (which is ZLauncher) and any other apps that move files around in my incompatible apps list, so MSMount disables whenever I run them.

MSMount does work flawlessly with PowerRun.

Sebring, thanks for the tips.  I put McFile, HotSync, Backup, and MSBackup in the MSMount Non-Compatible App list and checked on the 'Disable during HotSync'.  It still crashed during HotSync.  I'll leave it unchecked and live with long cleaning up period at the end of HotSync.  The good thing about this setup is the wolf ghost that lived in my Clie got exorcised by the MSMount priest.  I no longer hear howling at the end of HotSync after getting WorldMate updates on The Weather Channel, Atomic Time Sync, and Currencies. :D

I also noticed that I lost 200KB after launching 1stAid.  As it turned out MSMount automatically copied 1stAid.pdb to RAM and did not remove it after I finished using 1stAid.  Basically, then I had 2 copies of 1stAind.pdb, one in MS (/Palm/Programs/MSMount) and one in RAM :confused:.  Launching 1stAid is like watching snail cruising in my aquarium wall.  Speeding it up with FastCPU to 53 MHz  ended up crashing the system upon exiting 1stAid.  So it is back to PiDirect for now.  This is the same thing I have noticed with StreetFinder maps.  That was the reason I use PiDirect.  At this moment I just use MSMount for storing ML Category Icons, ML Icon packs, Vexed game level packs, since these apps need to be tricked by MSMount as if the data are in RAM.

Update:  MSMount could not make ML Category Icons to display in ML :(  

[sebring]

I never tried ML icons in MSMount, only backgrounds and skins. MSMount is a little picky about what it works with, but once you figure out what you can and can't put in it's directory, it saves a huge chunk of RAM. I have my Noah Lite dictionary DB in there and it loads very nearly as fast as in RAM. I also keep my Pocket TV Browser DB in there and it is also very quick. I keep the apps for both of those on MS using my launcher (this setup is much faster than using PowerRun for this). PiDirect is definitely more tolerant of what you put in it, but it had a few of it's own kinks that I couldn't work out, including a $29 price tag and no future updates for OS5. In total I have about 9mb of stuff in my MSMount directory that works flawlessly. Like haveing a Clie with 25MB of RAM.

[sebring]

I never tried ML icons in MSMount, only backgrounds and skins. MSMount is a little picky about what it works with, but once you figure out what you can and can't put in it's directory, it saves a huge chunk of RAM. I have my Noah Lite dictionary DB in there and it loads very nearly as fast as in RAM. I also keep my Pocket TV Browser DB in there and it is also very quick. I keep the apps for both of those on MS using my launcher (this setup is much faster than using PowerRun for this). PiDirect is definitely more tolerant of what you put in it, but it had a few of it's own kinks that I couldn't work out, including a $29 price tag and no future updates for OS5. In total I have about 9mb of stuff in my MSMount directory that works flawlessly. Like haveing a Clie with 25MB of RAM.

PS: Since you have Wassup, another thing that works great in MSMount is Wassup skins.

[DanT]

Originally posted by sebring
PS: Since you have Wassup, another thing that works great in MSMount is Wassup skins.

:cool: 

I was wondering about that.  Yap, that works.  Thanks.

[DanT]

I just found out, after messing around with MSMount, that once you select the ML category icons you want, you can remove the category icon sets from RAM and store them in MS without affecting the ML operation. I made my own ML archive folder in MS (/Palm/Archive/ML) since they are not working with MSMount. Apparently once you select the category icons you want, ML just copy them to its database. Those category icon sets are then just sitting there, taking up RAM space, for future use when you want to change icons. So, by moving them to MS, I save RAM space. If I need to change the icons, I can always move the sets back to RAM using McFile.

[filegrabber]

"It should be out either tomorrow of Monday."

Highly unlikely- I just checked today and it's not that near:(

[DanT]

I take timing coming from Megasoft2000 with a grain of salt. Regardless, ML4.3 is still good enough for me. I'm in no hurry and rather get the stable version than frustration with crashes.

[sebring]

Originally posted by DanT
I just found out, after messing around with MSMount, that once you select the ML category icons you want, you can remove the category icon sets from RAM and store them in MS without affecting the ML operation. I made my own ML archive folder in MS (/Palm/Archive/ML) since they are not working with MSMount. Apparently once you select the category icons you want, ML just copy them to its database. Those category icon sets are then just sitting there, taking up RAM space, for future use when you want to change icons. So, by moving them to MS, I save RAM space. If I need to change the icons, I can always move the sets back to RAM using McFile.

Apparently that's the way icons work. With AppIcon, once you have applied the icons you want to apps, you can also remove the icon files and AppIcon itself too and the icons stay. For some odd reason though, one or two of my assigned icons occasionally revert back. The ones that revert back all seem to be apps that I run using PowerRun.

[Ni+Mh]

I've been a faithful Megalauncher user since the days of my Palm IIIc till today.I just love the powerful simple interface

[DanT]

Megasoft 2000, just a friendly reminder, one more week to the end of May. :rolleyes:

[Utes Rule]

DanT, I woudln't expect anything on MegaLauncher 4.4 until early June now. You can see a pattern of Megasoft releasing new or updated software at the beginning of the month's.

I would, however, expect that we WILL see 4.4 at the beginning of June and the fact that it wasn't out in May, should mean that it shoudl have more new features and functions than 4.3 did (from 4.2 I mean).

I'm hopeful that we'll see a minimum of these new features:

1. Ability to toggle the Status Bar (for those of us with NR/NX or NZ Sony's).
2. Ability to change the color of the shadow font of Icons, the time, date and battery on the top bar.
3. A file manager for expansion cards.

That would make MegaLauncher an even better product than it currently is...and I LOVE MEGALAUNCHER!

I've tried ZL, YiShow and others and I am still most satisfied with ML (for my needs).

[DanT]

There is one additional thing I want to have in 4.4. That is being able to turn the Clie off with Back button hold. I can do it with any application open except for MegaLauncher. Press and hold back button ends up scrolling from one category to the next.

Another minor irritation is my pop-up Color setups (e.g., DaLauncher 4.1b1, McPhling 4.40, VolumeDA, AudioControl DA, DA MemoPad, CallLookup DA, CalCal, StopWatch, etc) are disabled whenever the MegaLauncher screen is on the background. All the buttons turn the bland white background.

[NR70V-o-holic]

Hmmmm... :confused: Hmmmm.....

A lot of Games updated today, but no ML - Update... :mad:
Hope there will be the Update within the next few days!

Noh

[NR70V-o-holic]

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

So the first week of June has passed by without an
Update of ML...
Looks like we have to wait another Month for the next
Chance to see the Update... (or maybe two or three, who
knows...)

Noh

[sebring]

Seems like Megasoft has surrendered in the launcher wars to ZZTechs. They just can't keep up the pace.