MackOS 1.0 "Big Slur"
A dock and menu bar for Windows 11.
=======================================================================

Copyright (c) 2026 Dan Maxwell. All rights reserved.
Licensed under the End User Licence Agreement in EULA.txt, which is also
shown the first time you run the app.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
  Processor .......... 64-bit x64
  Operating system ... Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows 11
  Disk space ......... 190 MB
  Prerequisites ...... None. It carries its own .NET runtime.

That is the whole table. There is no second page.


INSTALLATION
------------
1. Unzip this folder anywhere you like. The Desktop is fine.
2. Double-click MackOS.exe.

There is no installer, no service, no driver, and no reboot. MackOS is a
single file that runs as you, and everything it does it does through the
same shell APIs any other desktop app uses.


"WINDOWS PROTECTED YOUR PC"
---------------------------
You will probably see a blue box saying SmartScreen stopped an
unrecognised app. That is because MackOS is not code-signed -- a
certificate costs a few hundred dollars a year -- and not because
anything is wrong with the file.

  Click "More info", then "Run anyway".

If you would rather verify the download first, upload the .exe to
virustotal.com, or check the SHA-256 published on the download page
against the one PowerShell gives you:

  Get-FileHash .\MackOS.exe -Algorithm SHA256


FIRST RUN
---------
The licence appears first. Read it, click I Agree, and it will not ask
again unless the licence changes.

The dock then fills itself from whatever is currently pinned to your
taskbar, with File Explorer at the front and the Recycle Bin at the end.

To configure or quit: right-click the dock, or use the tray icon.

Upgrading from the build that was called MacDock? Your settings and your
"start with Windows" entry are carried across automatically the first
time MackOS runs. You can delete the old MacDock.exe afterwards.


GETTING THE FULL EFFECT
-----------------------
The one thing that spoils it is the Windows taskbar sitting directly
underneath the dock:

1. Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors >
   tick "Automatically hide the taskbar"
2. In that same panel, turn off Search, Task view and Widgets
3. Right-click the desktop > View > untick "Show desktop icons"

MackOS measures itself against the screen's work area, so the moment the
taskbar auto-hides, the dock drops flush to the bottom edge on its own.


WHERE IT KEEPS ITS THINGS
-------------------------
  %APPDATA%\MackOS\config.json ......... settings
  %APPDATA%\MackOS\mackos.log .......... log
  %APPDATA%\MackOS\eula-accepted.txt ... record that you accepted the licence

Nothing else is written anywhere. The only registry value it ever sets is
under the current user's Run key, and only if you switch on "start with
Windows" yourself.


UNINSTALLING
------------
1. If you turned on "start with Windows", turn it back off first (or
   remove the MackOS entry from Task Manager > Startup apps).
2. Quit MackOS from the tray icon.
3. Delete MackOS.exe and the %APPDATA%\MackOS folder.

Done. There is nothing in Add/Remove Programs to find, because nothing
was added to it.


A NOTE ON THE NAME
------------------
MackOS is not an operating system. It is a 190 MB file that changes the
bottom inch of your screen, and the top one. The name is a joke.

It is also not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Apple Inc.
or Microsoft Corporation in any way. macOS and Mac are trademarks of
Apple Inc. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. See section 4
of EULA.txt.


NO WARRANTY
-----------
MackOS is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. Read EULA.txt
before use -- sections 6 and 7 in particular. If you do not accept those
terms, delete this folder and do not run the app.
