macOS Where/How/Whether to release my little utility

[iSee]

I wrote a little utility for the Mac that converts the 'enter' key on your keyboard to a right mouse button.

This would be useful to Apple laptop owners who never use that key but wish they had a right mouse button instead.

If you are curious about the technical details, it uses the "event tap" API introduced in 10.4 and is installed as a launchd daemon.

Anyway, I thought I'd release it as open source and I'm not quite sure where to do that. I guess I'd also like to release it to end users who may find it useful, and I'm not sure where to do that either. (I did make an installer package for it, so it's fairly painless to install--there's an uninstaller, too).

 

[HiRez]

Open source is not a bad idea...perhaps http://www.sourceforge.net ? I like http://www.versiontracker.com (you need to sign up as a developer), don't know if that's the best place if you want to open-source it though (but you could still put it up there). On versiontracker, you can keep multiple versions, see how many people download it, and it has builtin feedback forums. Good luck.

 

[Krevnik]

Google has a repository for OSS projects as well.

 

[iSee]

Thanks, I'll check those out.

Also, if anyone is interested, here's the project (the guts are in main.c):
http://www.jjmn.net/dl/EnterKeyRemapperD.zip
And here's a disk image with the installer/uninstaller.
http://www.jjmn.net/dl/EnterkeyRemapper.dmg

I've tested it on 10.2.8, 10.3.9 (installer just prevents installation), 10.4.0 PPC, 10.4.10 PPC, 10.4.10 Intel.

 

[kainjow]

You should turn it into a general util with a GUI in System Preferences

 

[whooleytoo]

You could go the shareware route, and still release the source if you like.

I'm of the opinion if you spend your precious time writing something which people find useful, you've every right to make a little money out of it.

I know most people don't make a lot from shareware, but I do know know one ex-colleague who made a small fortune from it.

 

[djbahdow01]

I wrote a little utility for the Mac that converts the 'enter' key on your keyboard to a right mouse button.

This would be useful to Apple laptop owners who never use that key but wish they had a right mouse button instead.

If you are curious about the technical details, it uses the "event tap" API introduced in 10.4 and is installed as a launchd daemon.

Anyway, I thought I'd release it as open source and I'm not quite sure where to do that. I guess I'd also like to release it to end users who may find it useful, and I'm not sure where to do that either. (I did make an installer package for it, so it's fairly painless to install--there's an uninstaller, too).

Intersting concept but when you can ctrl/click to get a right click, is it really worth it. Its pretty easy to do this already. And if you really need a right click that bad you could just pick up a 2 button mouse.

I'm not trying to bash the program or concept, but it just seems a little redundant.

 

[iSee]

Well, yeah, it's of minor use, I admit.

I got used to using the enter key as a right mouse button under Boot camp using InputRemapper, so I thought I'd try to implement the same functionality on my Mac.

A more useful version might allow you to map the enter key to more interesting things... Hmm....

* Some other key - some people might like a ctrl or option key on the right-hand side. Or maybe some of the keys that don't appear on the laptop keyboards like F13.
* Perhaps it could trigger a key-combo.
* Perhaps it could trigger an entire key macro sequence.
* Maybe it could launch a favorite program.

 

[whooleytoo]

Being able to simulate multi-button mice, or even scroll-wheel functionaltiy with the keyboard might be an option.

 

[0007776]

A more useful version might allow you to map the enter key to more interesting things... Hmm....

* Some other key - some people might like a ctrl or option key on the right-hand side. Or maybe some of the keys that don't appear on the laptop keyboards like F13.
* Perhaps it could trigger a key-combo.
* Perhaps it could trigger an entire key macro sequence.
* Maybe it could launch a favorite program.

What would be more usefull to me is if it had the option to make it act as a middle mouse button, since I already use the two finger right click.

 

[djbahdow01]

Well, yeah, it's of minor use, I admit.

I got used to using the enter key as a right mouse button under Boot camp using InputRemapper, so I thought I'd try to implement the same functionality on my Mac.

A more useful version might allow you to map the enter key to more interesting things... Hmm....

* Some other key - some people might like a ctrl or option key on the right-hand side. Or maybe some of the keys that don't appear on the laptop keyboards like F13.
* Perhaps it could trigger a key-combo.
* Perhaps it could trigger an entire key macro sequence.
* Maybe it could launch a favorite program.

Thats a cool start. A key-combo using one key wouldn't be a bad idea. Sometimes I forget which keys to press on certain things.

 

[Mernak]

What would be more usefull to me is if it had the option to make it act as a middle mouse button, since I already use the two finger right click.

That would be nice, I miss scrolling on my iBook. Ctrl + Click is easy enough for right click, bu the functionality for scrolling in missing.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Well, yeah, it's of minor use, I admit.

I got used to using the enter key as a right mouse button under Boot camp using InputRemapper, so I thought I'd try to implement the same functionality on my Mac.

A more useful version might allow you to map the enter key to more interesting things... Hmm....

* Some other key - some people might like a ctrl or option key on the right-hand side. Or maybe some of the keys that don't appear on the laptop keyboards like F13.
* Perhaps it could trigger a key-combo.
* Perhaps it could trigger an entire key macro sequence.
* Maybe it could launch a favorite program.

see that would be sweet. i'd really like to have an option key there instead of the enter key. so being able to freely re-map it would be gravy.

 

[iSee]

What would be more usefull to me is if it had the option to make it act as a middle mouse button, since I already use the two finger right click.

That one's an easy change to the source code... But... To make it an option, I'd have to make a prefs panel. Although to get started, I could just create a parameter in the associated .plist...

 

[abhibeckert]

That one's an easy change to the source code... But... To make it an option, I'd have to make a prefs panel. Although to get started, I could just create a parameter in the associated .plist...

A parameter in the plist is easy enough for now, people can just run defaults write com.isee.mygreatkeyremapper mouseButton middle in terminal.

Definitely go for releasing it as open source. Could be only a few people will use the app, but I bet plenty of people are interested in seeing the source code.

I've worked with SourceForge before, and found it a total pain in the ass. Google's project hosting looks really nice, but I haven't used it.

 

[mkrishnan]

Open source is not a bad idea...perhaps http://www.sourceforge.net ? I like http://www.versiontracker.com (you need to sign up as a developer), don't know if that's the best place if you want to open-source it though (but you could still put it up there). On versiontracker, you can keep multiple versions, see how many people download it, and it has builtin feedback forums. Good luck.

Definitely get listed in Versiontracker and Macupdate at a minimum. My personal take is that your best bet is probably to use Sourceforge, because it has so many OSS support tools (you can easily indicate different versions of GPL, you get forums and bugtrackers, version management, etc), and then simply list with VT and MU.

A more useful version might allow you to map the enter key to more interesting things... Hmm....

* Some other key - some people might like a ctrl or option key on the right-hand side. Or maybe some of the keys that don't appear on the laptop keyboards like F13.
* Perhaps it could trigger a key-combo.
* Perhaps it could trigger an entire key macro sequence.
* Maybe it could launch a favorite program.

FWIW DoubleCommand already does some of these things. The mouse-replacing ideas are really interesting, though.

 

[kalisphoenix]

Some people don't have a left arm, and they might like this, seeing as how there are no right control keys on MBs.

I'm kinda surprised that Apple doesn't enable this possibility, actually. It might seem like a rather rare situation, but...

 

[Eraserhead]

@Software sites, the site I get most hits from Apple's download site, in fact I generally get more than MacUpdate/Versiontracker. I submit to MacUpdate/Versiontracker/Apple/Softpedia (Who are really nice), and occasionally to download.com and macgamefiles.

Download.com are total jokes though and take 14 days to submit anything.

 

[iSee]

Thanks for all this info and the suggestions.
I got a little contract job to occupy my evenings for a little while, but I'll get back to this. Heh, I have bigger plans than this little app, but it's nice to go through all this with something small and unimportant...