[comp.sys.mac] Looking for Screen Reverser

eto@spacely.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Edward Olsen) (08/18/88)

I am looking for a screen reverser, an application, DA, or INIT which
will cause the background to be dark and the letters to be white in
applications such as MS Word, etc.  One of our secretaries working on a
Radius Full Page Display on a Mac II (System Release 5.0) finds the black
letters on white background to be a strain on the eyes.

There is an application on Sumex-aim, ReverseScreen v1.0 by Darin Adler.
This application, released October 4, 1986 will not run on a Mac II or
a Mac Plus running Multifinder or Finder Only under System Release 5.0.

If anybody has something which runs on the systems and software release
described above, I would appreciate a copy.

			    Ed Olsen



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jcc@ut-emx.UUCP (J. Chris Cooley) (08/18/88)

Fortunately, visually impaired people also have a need for such a screen-
reversing device.  Because of this, Apple finally came out with a cdev
called "CloseView."  It runs, or should run, I gather, on any system with
the new control panel (4.0 and up).  

The only trouble is that it's more a kludge than anything else, and one
must endure a white rectangle that follows the cursor wherever it might
go.  Even the visually impaired find it a Royal Pain. It is short (only
21K) and comes with the system release 6.0 package.  It's free, but
it's Apple's, and USENET doesn't have a distribution license.  You can
get it from a dealer or from wherever system updates are available.

					--chris

Disclaimer:  These are only opinions.
Confession:  ANY attempt at reversing the screen is a kludge until it
is put in the "Monitors" cdev and doesn't use alternate buffers, etc.

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clive@drutx.ATT.COM (Clive Steward) (08/19/88)

From article <8501@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov>, by eto@spacely.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Edward Olsen):
> I am looking for a screen reverser, an application, DA, or INIT which
> will cause the background to be dark and the letters to be white in

If you will update to System Version 6.0, doesn't the 'Screen
Magnifier' Init allow this reversal?  Almost sure it does, but on the
road, and don't have my copy handy.

Clive

Mark_Peter_Cookson@cup.portal.com (08/20/88)

I have the application you speak of, but I think it will run on a Mac+ in
system 5.0 IF you change one hex byte in it.  The thing was that the compiler
did a no-no and when 4.2 came out all the applications compiled with it no
longer worked.  I think this is your problem.  I will look around and see if
I have a fixed version (I have an unfixed, and I saw the paper on how to fix
it just a few days ago....) and then I will see if it will work on a Mac+
under MultiFinder for you (sorry, that's the best I can do).  The other
thing you might look into is CloseView.  Though I find the thing a drag, it
will reverse the screen (but it will keep that stupid box up more than likely).

Hope this helps.

Mark Cookson

Mark_Peter_Cookson@cup.portal.com (08/22/88)

Ok, I found the screen reverser application you wanted.  It will run on a Mac+
with no problem.  The only thing is that the Mac trys to make the mouse pointer
black, and an ensuing battle takes place whenever you move it (it flickers
from black to white, but goes to white when you stop moving it).  It will NOT
run once MultiFinder has been launched (I booted up then started MultiFinder, I
did not try to command option double click it) except for turning the mouse
white.  If you still want it let me know and I will binhex it for you.

Mark Cookson