Plexus
Architeuthidae puericomedentis
Today's download of the day from The Screensavers absolutely rocks:
Today's download is awesome in so many ways. First, it's absolutely free. Second, it works well. And third, it transforms mindless doodling into productive tasks you can practice on your computer as often as you like!
Sounds like fun? It is. The program's called StrokeIt (get your minds out of the gutter, s'il vous plait), and it's a programmable mouse-gesture tool you can customize to your heart's content.
Turn your mouse strokes into commands
When I say mouse gestures, I mean symbols you draw on your screen with your mouse. It's a lot like Photoshop's pencil tool. If you draw a symbol StrokeIt recognizes, it'll perform the action you've assigned to that symbol.
Do you want to launch your email program? Just draw an "M." Or if you'd prefer an "O" because you use Outlook, just reassign it in your command editor.
StrokeIt gives you a head start on assigning your commands with its huge number of preconfigured symbols for many popular programs (KaZaA, Mozilla, WinZip, and more). You can add whatever you like to the list and tweak the rules for each gesture.
It's not just for launching apps, either. StrokeIt can also execute user-defined commands within an active application. For example, I can draw a straight line down to copy text, draw a straight line up to paste it, and draw a P to print. These application commands are defined by plugin libraries you can create on your own or download from other developers. The possibilities are endless.
How to StrokeIt
So how exactly does it work? Click and hold down the right mouse button and then draw the mouse gesture. The result will appear as a fluorescent mouse trail, so you'll know when the program registers what you're drawing. It's a smart little app, too. I couldn't figure out how to draw an "F" the proper way, so I made StrokeIt "learn" my weird gesture. Now the Sarah version of "F" is recognized by default.
If you need to access a context menu or use your mouse's right button some other way, you can temporarily disable StrokeIt. Just hold down the Control key or right-click the StrokeIt icon in the System Tray. If you want to cancel a mouse gesture while drawing it, simply left click. I only had to practice a couple times to get the hang of it.
This program is fun and easy to use, and it runs well on my system. It's totally kick-ass. Have a ball, y'all.
Download StrokeIt
Today's download is awesome in so many ways. First, it's absolutely free. Second, it works well. And third, it transforms mindless doodling into productive tasks you can practice on your computer as often as you like!
Sounds like fun? It is. The program's called StrokeIt (get your minds out of the gutter, s'il vous plait), and it's a programmable mouse-gesture tool you can customize to your heart's content.
Turn your mouse strokes into commands
When I say mouse gestures, I mean symbols you draw on your screen with your mouse. It's a lot like Photoshop's pencil tool. If you draw a symbol StrokeIt recognizes, it'll perform the action you've assigned to that symbol.
Do you want to launch your email program? Just draw an "M." Or if you'd prefer an "O" because you use Outlook, just reassign it in your command editor.
StrokeIt gives you a head start on assigning your commands with its huge number of preconfigured symbols for many popular programs (KaZaA, Mozilla, WinZip, and more). You can add whatever you like to the list and tweak the rules for each gesture.
It's not just for launching apps, either. StrokeIt can also execute user-defined commands within an active application. For example, I can draw a straight line down to copy text, draw a straight line up to paste it, and draw a P to print. These application commands are defined by plugin libraries you can create on your own or download from other developers. The possibilities are endless.
How to StrokeIt
So how exactly does it work? Click and hold down the right mouse button and then draw the mouse gesture. The result will appear as a fluorescent mouse trail, so you'll know when the program registers what you're drawing. It's a smart little app, too. I couldn't figure out how to draw an "F" the proper way, so I made StrokeIt "learn" my weird gesture. Now the Sarah version of "F" is recognized by default.
If you need to access a context menu or use your mouse's right button some other way, you can temporarily disable StrokeIt. Just hold down the Control key or right-click the StrokeIt icon in the System Tray. If you want to cancel a mouse gesture while drawing it, simply left click. I only had to practice a couple times to get the hang of it.
This program is fun and easy to use, and it runs well on my system. It's totally kick-ass. Have a ball, y'all.
Download StrokeIt
