When an application in OSX has focus, the menu bar up top changes to show off all the menu items of that program.
There are a few menu bar lookalikes for Windows that I've seen, but AFAIK, with all those bars, there's no way for a program to change the menus when it gets focus. Indeed, it seems like the best you can do is have the menu bar display the caption of the current focused window.
Is there a menu bar out there that allows applications to set their own menus?
Thanks much. 
The full version of ObjectBar can do it. It can even remove the File, Edit, etc from Windows.
But if you want to make a standalone version, more power to ya. (Y)
And its called "The Finder".
There is and it is called ObjectBar by StarDock. It removes the standard menus from programs and places them in a menu bar of your creation. It isn't free though but it is worth it. Unfortunately, not all program menus work with it mainly because those programs deviate from Microsoft's standards.
Even Microsoft's very own Office for XP deviates from that standard. But if you don't mind using older versions of Office, it works great.
Other programs which I use that work quite well with ObjectBar:
Microsoft Explorer
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft Paint
Microsoft Calculator
Microsoft Notepad
Microsoft Write
Microsoft Outlook Express
Microsoft MSN Messenger
Microsoft Media Player (Full Mode not Skin Mode)
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Premiere
Nero Burning Rom
Pinnacle Studio 8
Macromedia Freehand
There are many other programs that work quite well with this. Just try it out
Cheers
@Contra: I thought the finder was the file browser?
[Edit]
Meh, if I did make a menu bar that resembled OS X's, who would use it? I know for a fact that I won't be able to 'rip' the menus out of programs. I have no idea where to even begin with that. Fast user switching though... hmmm... might be able to do that... the apple menu, surely...
...hey, I remember once seeing a thread that dealt with recreating the entire OS, from finder to iApps. I've looked REALLY hard for it (though its probably right under my nose), and I can't find it. Could someone try to find it for me? Thanks so much!
*twitchety twitch* 
Wow, GameboyzGB. That's wonderful! Thanks so much. :boob shake:
BTW, looks like you were right, Contra. Can you ever forgive me for doubting your knowledge of teh OSXorz?
Hmmm... so we already have iCal, right? And Safari. And Quicktime (with Apple's quicktime app that they so graciously bestowed upon us). We have several docks and several menu bars. It would be redundant to recreate all of those (btw, do we have an Address Book app?)
So, that leaves us with iLife, and the Finder (file browser, and possibly a new menu bar). And .Mac, of course.
Out of iLife, I think iTunes and iPhoto are possible, while iMovie and iDVD are not.
Is anyone working on iPhoto? Is Alilm still working on the finder, or is he more focused on .Mac now?
there was an iPhoto a while back... i don't think it was ever finished
maybe someone could make a toolbar, like quicklaunch, but it opens menus, who could do that?
>.
it is so sad... Coz i need That App..... that is not anly beautyful but funtional.....
Originally posted by lou_dude88@Aug 18 2003, 03:15 PMmaybe someone could make a toolbar, like quicklaunch, but it opens menus, who could do that?
man !!!! GREAT IDEA ....Danm yeah that is the solution !!!! (Y)
I can think of an easy solution for that now using two freeware programs.
1.) Get the latest version of Serious Samurize from http://www.samurize.com
2.) Create a taskbar config for it using the appropriate menu headings.
3.) Use "meter" linking in the config to link those headings to KKMenu. I don't have a URL handy for that one, but I'm sure a Google search will find it quickly
4.) Config KKMenu to handle the calls from the Serious Samurize config
The steps to accomplish that are a bit more detailed then I have laid out here, but I think one will get the general idea and direction of what I am trying to achieve.
And... BaaDaaBoom BaaDaaBang, a taskband/menubar with menus.
I do something like this in my own setup as I do not want to use ObjectBar, except I just have my Serious Samurize config meter linked to various programs I like to use.
I could have used Quicklaunch to do a similiar sort of setup, but the problem there is that Quicklanch would place an icon and a glyph for the menu headings therefore creating more of an XP style menu heading as opposed to an OS X one.
Bling,
Grusic
But the problem, Grusic, would be that the menus would not change for the current app. (i.e. it will always say Finder)
I think a program made SOLELY for emulating the menubar (unlike ObjectBar, which as nice as it is, was actually made for various implementations) would be great. There's WinMac, but its not that pretty and not that usable.
*hint* We have lotsa great programmers, dont we? *hint*
Originally posted by IngeneerMind@Aug 25 2003, 06:58 AM>.
you could try Rainlendar with Grusics iCalet skin.
i had started making the finder bar using html and the toolbars on the windows taskbar, but i hit a snag - where i couldnt get the application load command to work and the menu's wouldnt appear outside of the designated area on the taskbar...
i dn't have the files anymore, on account of just last week i lost 40gb of data because i had to format after i got a virus and my pc was unbootable, i don't think i'll be continuing the idea...
useful links:
[Virtual Plastic] - Quicklaunch Extended - very useful, some great information, and some projects that they've made which you could work from...
the thread from when i was making it
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hope that helps anyone
A finder app wouldnt be very hard I dont think, I might be able to help make one... ill see about making an engine first, then do the skinning later... The only hard part would be ripping the menus off of the app that has focus. I do vb.net... so if a bunch of us want to get to work on it, im in...
Josh
ergh, possible offtopic, but - is any good iCal app exists out there for PC? I mean - fully customizable, with main transparent window, sticked on the desktop and so on? anyone?
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