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According to the author, “FileDeamon is new program in Amiga style that makes your life with files and folders much easer.” Dear god! They’ve brought their horrible Amiga UI design techniques with them! Deamonsoft’s principal innovation in the world of software engineering is to mix Techno, Monaco and Lucida Grande, in a lovely font-casserole. Add to this the two separate tab panes in the preferences dialog, and you will see why my Double Dog with artificial cheese has returned for a second visit.
Frankly, I was rather scared to use this application on my actual files — I had heard rumors of it being trained by Joseph Stalin — so I can’t confirm whether the buttons operate in any way remotely related to their indecipherable titles. I can report that many of the buttons actually change their titles as your cursor hovers over them. Yet, the button only appears to change titles when you hover over its right side. Disturbingly, other buttons turn blue and begin pulsing when the cursor approaches. Why this is a good idea eludes me, and may remain incomprehensible to humanity for all time, unless the author someday publishes a ranting screed that explains the where and whyfores. Doubtless it will involve burned-out laundry dryers and their potential use in dramatically improving the already complex asiago aging process.
Nosferatu never dies, and neither, apparently, does the toothsome Font/DA Mover interface. Elevating this ancient UI to new heights of badness, FileDeamon provides adjustable column widths through the enviably intuitive tactic of sliders within the preferences dialog. Profoundly more stylish than the gauche column adjustment cursor. Further elevating this application’s distinctive design impact, are the double-spaced menu titles, and auto-hiding main application window, which cannot be resized smaller than ≈ 800x600.
Given the $18 (860.40 Indian Rupee) price for this delapidated hulk of REALbasic sediment, it would probably be more worthwhile to purchase healing crystals from Madagascar and gouge one’s eyes out with the pointy bits. This gambit would also prevent the innocent reader from ever having to look at one of DeamonSoft’s truly loathsome interfaces ever again.
DeamonSoft, I award you a 10.6, for ominous fonts, unorthodox buttons, and lack of any perceivable functionality.
Posted by ladd at March 9, 2003 02:48 PM | TrackBackPooooooooooooooop!
Posted by: fuddes on March 9, 2003 03:19 PMI love this site!
Posted by: Azark on March 9, 2003 04:11 PMWow. This one is SO bad that PerversionTracker doesn't even give them a download link!
Posted by: lunarboy on March 9, 2003 04:19 PMYep. Ripping an interface from applications APple is trying to forget they ever made is probably NOT a good thing.
Posted by: Bob on March 10, 2003 08:54 AMWhat FileDeamon is trying to do is make an OS X version of DiskMaster for the Amiga--something I have wished for a lot on the Mac. Sadly, the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired--Diskmaster was often griped over for being too utilitarian, whereas FileDeamon has too much junk going on...
Posted by: Bedii on March 10, 2003 03:26 PMThis one really must be seen to believed. The best part of this program is the fact that it was paralyzing to use: I didn't dare to touch any of the buttons for fear of my files being deleted. Also, their website doesn't instill confidence ("Absolute new code for COPY, MOVE and DUPLICATE function. (little slower but much more safety). ")
The preference dialog is a work of art:
- the spelling mistakes ("Use standart Mac rules")
- the fact that font is shortened to "F."
- the two tabbed dialogs under eachother
- the tab named "other"
- the changing of column widths
- the fact that you just don't dare some of the settings ("Deselect items after executing some actions" -- what actions?! how many?!)
Download it know. Betcha don't dare to use it!
Posted by: IGOR on March 11, 2003 04:35 PM