Screen effects--eliminate ".mac"--how?

[BigDaddy]

In article <laugh-2CFA08.17400824072003@netnews.attbi.com>,
Ann Onymous <laugh@your.expense> wrote:

> Hey, I love Mac as much as the next guy, but I'd like to eliminate the
> ".mac" item from the Systems Preferences' screen effects list so that I
> can randomize the screensavers without having to look at the cool new
> stuff I don't have.
>
> Is there a more appropriate group than this for OSX functionality
> questions? (Other than comp.sys.mac.rtfm?)
>
> Cheers,
> A

You could try deleting the file /System/Library/Screen
Savers/.Mac.slideSaver

It should work but I didn't try it, might just want to move or back-up
to check first.

[Ann Onymous]

In article <BigDogLinux-CB57F5.20164924072003@netnews.attbi.com>,
BigDaddy <BigDogLinux@comcast.net> wrote:

> You could try deleting the file /System/Library/Screen
> Savers/.Mac.slideSaver

That's what I had guessed, but I've got no such file in that location.
Furthermore, searching my entire hard drive for ".mac" and "slidesaver"
fails to reveal the item. My screensaver folder includes only Abstract,
Beach, Cosmos, Flurry, Forest, and Random, but not .mac

But it sure appears on the list!

[David C.]

Ann Onymous writes:

> BigDaddy wrote:

>>
>> You could try deleting the file /System/Library/Screen
>> Savers/.Mac.slideSaver

>
> That's what I had guessed, but I've got no such file in that
> location. Furthermore, searching my entire hard drive for ".mac"
> and "slidesaver" fails to reveal the item. My screensaver folder
> includes only Abstract, Beach, Cosmos, Flurry, Forest, and Random,
> but not .mac
>
> But it sure appears on the list!

It is there. The Finder doesn't display files where the first
character of the name is a dot. This is typical UNIX semantics for
so-called "dot-files" which Apple has chosen to extend into the
Finder.

If you open a terminal window and type:

cd "/System/Library/Screen Savers"
ls -a

you'll see it there.

I don't know a way to make the Finder show dot-files.

-- David

[Christopher Masi]

In article <laugh-656E23.20301224072003@netnews.attbi.com>,
Ann Onymous <laugh@your.expense> wrote:

> In article <BigDogLinux-CB57F5.20164924072003@netnews.attbi.com>,
> BigDaddy <BigDogLinux@comcast.net> wrote:
>

> > You could try deleting the file /System/Library/Screen
> > Savers/.Mac.slideSaver

>
> That's what I had guessed, but I've got no such file in that location.
> Furthermore, searching my entire hard drive for ".mac" and "slidesaver"
> fails to reveal the item. My screensaver folder includes only Abstract,
> Beach, Cosmos, Flurry, Forest, and Random, but not .mac
>
> But it sure appears on the list!

Since the file name begins with a ".", the file is hidden from the OS X
Finder. You will need to use terminal.app to see it. The file is owned
by root, so you have to sudo to get rid of it.

Or you could boot into OS 9 and go digging into /System/Library/Screen
Savers and you should find it. Unless of course Apple decided to mark
the file as invisible too.

Chris