14 DAY TRIAL // Koingo Software's Mac Pilot has recently been updated to version 3.0.1. The latest release, Koingo claims, sports around 200 new features and enhancements. Those include the ability to run scripts as an advanced system optimizer, to enable hidden options and features or to erase your computer history. Using Mac Pilot 3, you can easily enable and disable hidden features in Mac OS X, optimize and repair your system, and perform routine maintenance operations.
Mac Pilot can delete search history, erase internet history, as well as forget about recently opened files and launched applications. You can now increase computer performance, update your prebinding, rebuild the 'whatis' database, force empty the trash, run 'cron', repair disk permissions and more.
Mac Pilot also works as a network manager, allowing users to view information in one pane, but can also enable users to customize the Dock, Finder, Safari, and other Apple and third party applications. For example, you can apply more than 50 changes to the configuration of the Mac OS X file server, fine tune the network card for broadband, disable Spotlight, schedule "power events," or even view a character map for fonts.
Disable the translucent menubar in Leopard; disable menu items for security; disable icon caches; set history limits; erase recently used files; prevent your Dock from being modified; turn off all system animations; increase the speed at which windows resize; change which format screenshots are taken in; set a default name and location for screenshots; disable a secondary processor; disable the startup chime; and even change the login window picture, are only some of the Mac Pilot 3 highlights.
You can also choose to turn off all these features any time you wish to do so to increase performance, "as a lot of the animations will slow down the Mac OS on older machines," Koingo notes.
Upgrading to Mac Pilot 3 is free for those who've bought the software (Mac Pilot 1.x/2.x) after October 31, 2007. If you happen to own Koingo Software's Software CD or Utility Package you also get the Mac Pilot 3 for free. If the above-mentioned conditions don't apply, you will need to fork out $9.95 for the upgrade while a new license costs $19.95 to buy.
Then again, you can always use TinkerTool which can prove to be a very good replacement in case you're only interested in enabling some of the hidden features of OS X, for free.