DEMOLITION  For those of you are balking at paying the new upgrade fee for ASM and are looking for alternatives...

X-Assist still seems to work with Snow Leopard. It's a little bit primitive compared to ASM, but the basic functions (i.e. application switcher menu and classic window mode) are there.

Meanwhile, Jack Overfull says that he's working on a new version of multiXFinder (v0.4). At the top of the list is Snow Leopard compatibility. It should be available sometime this month. That's good news for people who like the way that ASM operates, since it's basically the same app.

Personally, I'm debating whether to pay the upgrade fee. I've been an ASM user for several years and had assumed that the upgrades would continue to be free. But, nothing lasts forever, I guess. I'll probably try X-Assist for a while, then multiXFinder when a 10.6-compatible version arrives. If they don't work out, then I can always ante up the dough for ASM again.  
(Version 2.3)

DMP6  ASM does load and work under 10.6 on the oldest Intel machines that have 32-bit processors -- but not on more recent machines with 64-bit processors. So the problem has something to do with how preference panes work on 64-bit machines.

On my old machine, I also don't get the annoying "System Preferences must quit and reopen" message, nor the words "32-bit" in the menu title.  
(Version 2.2.12)

ERIC WOEHLER  Doesn't load under Snow Leopard - lets hope we see an update/beta soon!!  
(Version 2.2.12)

KOSOVAR1  In repoly to the previous comment, let's see what happens. To be fair, I failed to mention that there are ways to switch apps, see what apps are running, or see which one is frontmost, but none of these are nearly as clever as the way Apple implemented it in in OS9. For example, the icons in my dock are too small to see clearly which apps are active and I prefer to keep the dock hidden anyway.

The developer of MultiX Finder seems to indicate that (s)he isn't actively working to rewrite any code for this free app , which used to be SUPER and was very much appreciated, btw! (S)He also mentions that the developer of ASM "abandoned" it back in 2001, so my guess is that were stuck with this curious shortcoming of the Mac OS.  
(Version 2.2.12)

KOSOVAR1  ASM doesn't appear to work on the latest version of Mac OS X 10.6 (10A432), which is reportedly the GM for the commercial release of Snow Leopard. Neither does MultiX Finder. It would be nice if the developers of these two preference pane utilities would have mentioned that somewhere (like their websites), so that people don't waste their money (as would be true for ASM) on something that is now BROKEN. Let's hope that within a few of weeks, when Snow Leopard is supposed to be released, that ASM and/or MultiX Finder will be updated to work. What amazes me, though, is that Apple never built a menu bar application switcher into OSX. The frontmost application should be immediately recognizable to the Mac user without his or her having to click, navigate, and search around the GUI to find out.   
(Version 2.2.12)

LARSEN2K4  Thank you for the update - works great again under 10.5.7 :)  
(Version 2.2.10)

MAJESTIK7  After updating to 10.5.7, the Dock Menu items no longer work.

This seems to happen with every Mac OS update, the developer usually responds quickly to fix the problem.  
(Version 2.2.9)

FORMICA  I can't believe that so many people think this thing is worth $17.22! Maybe $5, but $17.22 -especially when a new free version is in development called multiXFinder (http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/30492/multixfinder)?   
(Version 2.2.9)

DREMWKR  This is an interface item Apple should have kept going from OSC to OSX. This is an item every mac can use. I am learning disabled and having an easy to see and switch at a glance AS is a blessing indeed, for me anyway much more useful than Apple's "stealth mode" ASM. The Developer does work hard to keep the app current and is to be commended.

In addition, the price is right, and it works as advertised.

In summery, a Mac essential.  
(Version 2.2.7)

DOGBERT1  The newest version (2.2.6) appears to have fixed the Preferences problem. I am quite pleased because this is one of my favorite Mac OS enhancements.  
(Version 2.2.6)