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NerdTool 0.8.1

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Display shell outputs directly on your background. Free

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Kevin Nygaard

NerdTool is a GeekTool-like application that displays information directly on your desktop. It can display shell outputs, such as system vitals, todo lists, and weather conditions. It has the capability of displaying text in any color, size, and font on any background of any color, and NerdTool supports the use of ANSI escape sequences to color text, so you can embellish your text with an additional 8 forground and background colors. Additionally, NerdTool allows displaying images, websites, and even Quartz composer files directly on the desktop.
Main features:

Shell

What's New

Version 0.8.1:

Hotfix
[Fix] Adds Lion compatibility

Requirements
PPC / Intel, Mac OS X 10.5 or later.

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NerdTool User Discussion (Write a Review)

ver. 0.x:

(2)

Your rating: Now say why...

Overall:

(2)

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jims525 reviewed on 23 Aug 2011

Excellent Geektool replacement, we are fortunate that the developer took on this project. Easier to use, better interface, better performance with far less memory, and several new features over the original geektools - my favorite is customizable ansi escape colors. Can't figure out a way quickly get an item to refresh when tweaking a script though, have to switch to another log and back again, maybe someone can enlighten me or maybe the dev. can add a refresh button. Also would love to see an option for rounded corners.

[Version 0.8.1]

1 Reply

Jbarley replied on 09 Feb 2012

The requirements state NerdTool is compatible with PPC but the downloaded file is for intel only.

+26

Orytek commented on 22 Aug 2011

Thanks for keeping this updated.

[Version 0.8.1]

Anosachenko commented on 25 Jul 2011

Doesn't work under Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)

[Version 0.8]

+544

Negritude tipped on 30 Jul 2010

Platform says Intel, but the binary is Universal.

[Version 0.8]

1 Reply

+940

Misha replied on 30 Jul 2010

Good catch, thanks. I'll fix the listing.

+41

itistoday commented on 27 Aug 2009

Great job! Just one request: Can you make it so that "Stay On Top" places the tool above the menubar?

[Version 0.7]

2 Replies

+41

itistoday replied on 27 Aug 2009

Woah, I just noticed a problem, this doesn't work with Spaces. It should show on all spaces but it doesn't.

Also, how do we download the source? The website says it's open source but I couldn't find a link on sourceforge for it.

Allocinit (developer) replied on 30 Aug 2009

I'll try to make an option so you can display things on top of the menu bar.

Also, the problem involving Spaces, I believe, is out of my hands. The original Geektool suffered from this problem as well (http://projects.tynsoe.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1928). I am unsure if it is possible to fix at this time. Other than that, it should work as intended. Remember, you must assign the NerdToolRO.app (not the NerdTool.app) in your Spaces configuration. You can find the RO app by right-clicking NerdTool->Show Package Contents->Contents->Resources.

As for the source code, it can be obtained through GitHub (http://wiki.github.com/balthamos/geektool-3). I will try to make it more apparent on next release.

erinwentworth commented on 06 Aug 2009

Nice little APP for the right price. I have not had any trouble with it yet

[Version 0.6]

+57

Matthew Green reviewed on 29 Jul 2009

simply put, it's a remixed geektool that uses less ram and has handy features like tick box option for expose border, magnetizing your log fields so they cling to each other.

The best bit is the one window interface which uses today's interface conventions to put everything that geektool was into one window making it easier to set up.

[Version 0.5]

+57

Matthew Green commented on 24 Jul 2009

so what does your version of geektool offer over the original?

[Version 0.5]

2 Replies

Allocinit (developer) replied on 24 Jul 2009

I believe it uses less memory :). It's less buggy and offers a new log type, Quartz composer, has many tools to aid in log placement during setup, and many more features now and to come. You can import your logs from GeekTool2 through the preferences window so you can try it out for yourself with minimal setup.

+57

Matthew Green replied on 24 Jul 2009

that's some great work then, just implemented it in next to no time.

would have been faster if i had set some of my app cpu and ram monitors to 4 lines rather than just making the boxes smaller. bit of adjustment to the positions of some boxes and I'm done. Will continue exploring later

+121

hced had trouble on 06 Aug 2009

I'm still experiencing the same problem as @MRK below. New log messages don't appear on a new line, but instead get added on the same line after previous message (if there's space).

While running main app, it's all worky, but when quitting it and running the 'daemon' app, the problem appears. I'm using NerdTool 0.6 on a MacBook Pro mid 2009 OSX 10.5.7 and the log file I'm referring to (haven't tried anyone else) is the /var/log/system.log file, setup to be viewed in full screen (i.e. all the way until it hits the exposé borders on all sides).

[Version 0.6]

Mrk had trouble on 05 Aug 2009

NerdTool displays the system.log file correctly when the main app is running. When I quit the app, all further lines from the log file are concatenated to the end of the last line without any breaks. When I start the app again, it redraws the log correctly with line breaks.

[Version 0.6]

2 Replies

Allocinit (developer) replied on 05 Aug 2009

Thanks for the error report. It actually happens with the main app open and closed. The error has been corrected now, so expect another release in a few days.

Mrk commented on 10 Aug 2009

Now working for me in 0.7. Thanks!

+13

Fongd had trouble on 05 Aug 2009

I was looking at this as a replacement for MkConsole but 0.6 doesn't seem to respect the font size setting. It also took me a while to figure out that I have to toggle the logfile on and off before any font changes apply. This needs to be more intuitive, IMHO.

[Version 0.6]

3 Replies

Allocinit (developer) replied on 05 Aug 2009

Could you give steps to reproduce this error? Text size/type/color should change immediately after you modify one of those attributes.

+13

Fongd commented on 05 Aug 2009

Yup, I launched NerdTool, add /var/log/system.log to the Default group, then change the font and font size. Nothing happens after I select the font or size. However, if I toggle the checkbox for the system.log entry, the log redisplays with the new font but the size seems to be completely ignored.

Allocinit (developer) replied on 05 Aug 2009

Maybe the name of the log is selected (like you are renaming it)? That would yield some of the errors you are getting. Do the font size, face, and colors change in the font selection box as you are changing them? Also, does this error occur when using a Shell log as well, or is this strictly a File log problem?

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