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OpenTracker
OpenTracker.sf.net offers free, open-source versions of Tracker and Deskbar, the two applications that power the BeOS desktop. Installing the OpenTracker will prevent Zeta from working properly. Examples are that you will loose localekit and svg, but also other features.

Alert
Do not rename the beos folder located on your Zeta partition, or Zeta will no longer work.

Info
More on Links A link is a "dummy" file that points to an actual file or folder. The link file displays the same icon that represents the real item. To show that it's a link, the link's filename is underlined. A link is a handy way to create a shortcut to a file, folder, or application that you frequently use. You can put a link anywhere, but they often live on the desktop.

Info
Context Menu. A context menu displays a list of actions you can perform on the associated file.

The Tracker

The Tracker is the file manager and navigation tool in Zeta that gives you a graphical display of your system and personal files. Once you have opened a folder (directory), you can navigate through the folder and the rest of the file system. By clicking the up icon you will move up one directory (to the folder that contains your current folder, if one exists). The Back button will bring you back to where you were last.

There are some alternative file manager applications available for Zeta: BeCommander, BeTree and Genesis Commander.

To open a file, simply double-click it. When you double-click a folder or disk icon, by default another Tracker window will open on the screen and the contents of the folder or disk will be displayed in a window.

By holding down the Option (or Windows) key when opening a folder, the old Tracker window is replaced by the new one.

If you are used to single-window navigation, this can be set in the Tracker Preferences.

Most of the operations you can perform on a file or folder are represented in the File menu.

Select an item in the Tracker window and then open the File menu and you'll see...

Find.... This opens a Find panel that lets you search for files anywhere on the system, as explained in "Finding Files and Folders" later in this chapter.

New Folder creates a new folder in this window.

Open and Open With... open the selected item. Open opens it in the item's "preferred application"--the application that can best display the data in the item. Open With... pops open a panel that lets you select some other application, as explained in "The Tracker - Open With".

Get Info provides information about the item in a separate panel.

Edit Name selects the text of the item's name so you can change it. (The text is also selected for editing when you click on a name in the Tracker window.) A name can be up to 255 characters long--anything but a forward slash ("/"). If you change your mind about renaming a file or folder while editing its name, press the Escape key to restore the original name.

Duplicate makes a copy of the file in the same folder. The new file has the same name as the original, with "copy" (or "copy 2", "copy 3", etc.) added to the end.

Move to Trash moves the item to the Trash can. The item isn't actually deleted until you empty the Trash.

Move to, Copy to, and Create Link pop open cascading menus that can show the entire file hierarchy. By descending the hierarchy and choosing a folder, you can move the item, copy it, or create a link to it in the chosen folder. At the top of the popped open menu you'll see a Desktop icon, as well as the partition that the item lives on. If you choose Desktop, the item will show up on the desktop. If you try to move a file or folder to a folder that's on another partition, the item will be copied (i.e. the original isn't removed).

Identify tells Tracker to try to figure out what sort of file this is. Normally, you'll never have to use Identify - Tracker identifies new files as they're created or added to your system. However, it's possible to "unpack" a bundle of files in a manner that escapes Tracker's identification mechanism. If you think a file is unidentified (or misidentified), run Identify on it.

Add-Ons pops open a list of "modules" that can process the items you have selected. Zeta provides a couple of handy add-ons, as described in "Add-ons." You can pop open a File menu for a particular item in a Tracker window by opening the item's context menu.

Adjusting the Size of a Tracker Window

Adjusting the size of a window can be done by dragging the right corner on the bottom of the window. You can then make it smaller or bigger. Another way to adjust the size of a window, is by simply to choose Resize to Fit (hotkey: Alt + Y)

Seeing the Tracker Windows that you have open

From the Deskbar you can easily access the various Tracker windows that you have open, even if they are hidden (faded down on the screenshot) or on a different workspace then the current one. Choosing a hidden window will bring it back to it's previous position. You can hide a window to make more space on a crowded desktop by double-clicking it's application bar.

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