Flawless scrollbar enhancer Creator: Marc Moini
Shareware: $12
Smart Scroll does two things, and it does both well:
(1) Live scrolling. It enables a feature called 'live scrolling' in any window on your monitor. As you drag the scroll thumb, the window's contents move along smoothly. That means you always know where in your document you will be when you stop scrolling. Since live scrolling is already built into OS-8+, Smart Scroll adds this feature for System 7 users.
(2) Proportional thumbs. The length of the scroll bar thumb in the window margin shows what proportion of the contents you are viewing. For example, if the scroll bar thumb occupies one-third the length of the available space, it means that two-thirds of the window's contents aren't displayed. Conversely, if it occupies two-thirds the length, then one-third of the contents aren't displayed. The benefit is that you know, simply by looking at the scrollbar thumb, what proportion of the total contents you aren't seeing in the window. Without proportional bars, you have to scroll to get that information.
You manage Smart Scroll in a Control Panel where you choose the appearance of your scroll bars (four choices) or exclude one or both of its functions for any of your applications. If excluded, scrolling defaults to Mac's standard scroll bars and an 'x' appears across the scroll thumb. Smart Scroll is compatible with OS-8x through OS-9.
Smart Scroll performs seamlessly with all my folders and files—with three notable exceptions. Within Quicken 7 and Excel 5.0a, its function has been disabled either by Smart Scroll or by the applications' creators—I know not which (neither application appears as 'excluded' in the Control Panel). With Word 5.1a there are no proportional bars and live scrolling is a herky-jerky experience.
The developer continues to improve his already excellent product. In version 3.7, for example, scrolling speed can be adjusted for all situations and all Mac models.
One can often find fault with lots of shareware. But Smart Scroll sets a standard as a model of shareware presentation and function.
