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TICKET ARCHIVE -> ICal Questions

nuubie - Aug 17, 2008 - 5:14 pm

Text Size: Is there no way of adjusting this? (Zoom in Univeral Access is not a solution!) I see nothing controlling fonts or text size. That is insanity if its true. Does everybody at Apple work on 14" monitors or have Superman vision? I've got a 24" (1920 x 1200) monitor and often I'm looking at text that is 2mm or 3mm tall. With lots of blank areas in the screen. Totally needless. Totally illogical. Totally brainless. Its so unergonomic using text size many times smaller than necessary. It makes the eyes strain way more than they need to. I cannot fathom how Apple can be so ignorant and ignore the needs of its users over the age of 40 without myopia as well as all others with myopia. The first thing you learn about vision strain is never use myopia correcting lenses at close range. Do they not know that most people that need glasses for distance do not need to use them on their computers if the font size can be controlled? It should be just standard so people with perfect vision can make things microscopic to display the maximum of info and the rest of us can be comfortable. Or they just couldn't care less. Probably the latter.

But hopefully I'm wrong and missed something. Then again, you can't adjust the text size much in iTunes and lots of other Apple programs.

Then I inserted an alarm. But it doesn't go off at all. The default was 15 minutes pior to the event's time but I set it at the exact time of the event. I had it open a file called glass.aif. It worked in another alarm program. Do I need to do something else? Didn't see anything in iCal Preferences. (Of course).

DeltaMac - Aug 17, 2008 - 7:57 pm

Hi Robin!
I can usually find something with a little bit of Google-time. In the case of iCal font size, this is something that has been asked about since iCal was new - about 6 years ago. I don't see any threads that have offered any tips about successfully changing the font size in iCal, even by modifying iCal resource files.
I suspect that the reason has something to do with interoperability - the capability to publish your calendar to a server, as one example. You don't want to sync your calendar with something else with a much smaller screen, or a very different hardware device, and have your date event be illegible. This may be one of those trade-offs that a software developer will encounter. Size, or even a different font, may be more challenging than one expects, due to how that app will be used.
Looks like the only option that you have for changing the font size, is when you print. iCal allows you to change the printed font from small to medium or large.
And, events, however small the type, pop out for review when double-clicked. Just though I'd mention that, too!
BTW - I'm well over that 40 mark, and I know what you are talking about in regards to vision problems. My biggest challenge these days is trying to read sheet music when sitting at a music keyboard.

Does the default alarm work for you, or just not that sound file that you tried? Do that default by choosing Message with sound, instead of Open File, and choose your sound from the dropdown. You can choose Glass from that menu, too.
- Dale

TechSupport - Aug 22, 2008 - 9:20 pm

We apologize for not being able to resolve the issue you asked of us. It is the absolute worst case scenario for us to do this. In our review of why this happens, it generally is related to either the particular issue being addressed or frequently, incomplete or incorrect information provided. We hope by moving your request to the public forums that you will be able to get a solution without leaving you empty handed.

Your ticket has been closed with our support team. Your request has just been posted to Mac OS X System & Mac Software and is available for your viewing at:

http://macosx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302658

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nuubie - Aug 22, 2008 - 9:21 pm

All they need is an option to change the size for people that aren't printing or sending it somewhere. Just another example of Apple having little regard for the user.

Regarding sheet music. Is there a good way of automatically turning the page? (I play the piano and hate having to hit the page down key or spacebar. I thought of putting another keyboard near my face and use my huge honking nose to hit the spacebar.) A friend thought it might be possible to use Midi to somehow sense when you are at the end of the page. Does that sound possible to you or is he just making stuff up?

No alarms work for me. I just got 10.5 and installed it on another hard drive. I'll try it on that one later.

I set up a new event on iCal, time was All-Day, open file for alarm, glass.aiff, on today's date, in 2 minutes from now. Then in 2 minutes nothing happens. Sound is working. Did I miss something?

nuubie - Aug 29, 2008 - 12:37 pm

The iCal alarm is now working. Guess I bowed down to the Apple Mouse with sufficient reverence today. All Hail Master Mouse!