🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1152@runx.ips.oz> sce@runx.ips.oz (Simon Evans) writes:
>
>Recently Brion Feinberg posted a patch to Smart Alarms that stopped
>its "incessant beeping". I thought I'd point out a couple of things
>that make this unnecessary (BTW Smart Alarms was developed in Australia,
>here at JAM Software and is sold in USA by Imagine Software)
>		1. Smart Alarms will not put up a reminder if the screen
>		is dimmed by a screen saver.

WrongO!  Smart Alarms will continue to beep incessantly through the
provided SleepDA.  (The SpaceWarp F-key blanker does keep it quite)

>		2. Smart Alarms will not put up a reminder if a dialog is
>		the current front window.
>Both these suggest methods of preventing incessant beeping if you
>are not in front of your Mac - if you know that you will not
>be at your mac for some time, put up a dialog (eg a FKEY, or a DA
>that uses a dialog) before leaving the mac. Alternatively, install
>a screen saver that automatically darkens the screen and then you
>son't even need to remember to do something actively to prevent the incessant
>beeping.
>In either case, as soon as the screen saver or dialog is dismissed, the alarm 
>will appear.

Wrong Again! ... at least for the provided SleepDA.  After you get tired
enough of listening to Smart Alarms trash your speakers voice coil at
full volume (it seems to randomly use full volume on alarms after the first
regardless of the control panel setting) you click the mouse to
deactivate Sleep ... No Smart Alarms reminder!  Not until the clock
reaches the next even minute or whatever it's waiting for.  You do have
to wait for the next cycle of reminder to be able to handle it.

(Again, SpaceWarp blanker does keep Smart Alarms totally silent AND when
you deactivate it any alarms which are pending are visible immediately)

>
>Note that the screen saver that installs itself as MacsBug and uses the
>alternate screen will probably not work for this, as SA just checks if
>an area of the menubar on the screen is dimmed - not the alternate screen.
>
>I hope this helps. Any queries or complaints about JAM Software or Smart Alarms
>may be posted to me here if you can't get an answer in the USA.
>
>			Simon Evans.
>
>Simon Evans 			 ISD: +61 2 953-7031 or +61 2 799-1888
>JAM Software Pty Ltd	  	 STD:  (02) 953-7031 or  (02) 799-1888
>27A Nowranie Street		 ACS: sce@runx.ips.oz
>Summer Hill NSW  2130           UUCP: seismo!munnari!runx.ips.oz!sce
>AUSTRALIA                       ARPA: munnari!runx.ips.oz!sce@SEISMO
>Disclaimer: I work for JAM, I don't make any money from Smart Alarms.

Ah Ha! you say.  Sleep DA is the problem!  And it's distributed by
Imagine...not JAM (I'll bet). Maybe, but my recently out-of-warranty SE
now has a blown speaker that buzzes with any sound.  I've never had the
volume setting above 2.

Brian Feinberg's cure of completely silencing any alarms after the first
may not be ideal, but it addresses the problem with Smart Alarms itself,
the volume level.  Yes, most of us dedicated Smart Alarms users do find
another screen blanker that shuts Smart Alarms up completely, but there
are times when you do want the Alarm to beep through the blanker, but
NOT at full volume.  Sleep DA is useful for this.

Your reply didn't address the problem and perhaps made a few folks
wonder why they should "pay" for user-supported software...not even a
"Gee, we'll look at that".  Com'on, Smart Alarms is great! Brian's patch
made it better.  You could make it better yet!  How?

Fix the volume level problem and add or recommend SpaceWarp F-key or
some other blanker which shuts Smart Alarms up like you said in your
article.



-- 

Maurice                lriggins@afit-ab.ARPA