It sucks.
Macman said:
when you say it doesn't work, can you clarify? also, what os are you running and what are your ibooks specs? does it not work in only certain apps?
I need to bump this topic up, because I think there needs to be more discussion on possible solutions. This is a common problem with OS 10.2x, aka Panther. I myself run it on an iBook G3 900mHz with 12" display. I bought the computer in 2003, and the drag-and-drop problem began about a year after my purchase.
The problem is just as stated: drag/drop doesn't work. Icons in the Finder/Dock do not respond to drag attempts (it gets as far as selecting the item), and likewise any drag/drop attempt in any application fails. This is especially frustrating when trying to transfer songs on to my iPod -- it can't be done without drag/drop.
From what I've observed, the drag/drop problem seems to occur immediately upon relaunching Finder. This is annoying, as Finder relaunches anytime an external drive is plugged in. The only solution I've discovered to the drag/drop problem is restarting my computer. Once restarted, drag/drop works fine until I decide to use an external drive or for some other reason have to relaunch Finder (such as icons disappearing, another 10.2x problem for another topic).
It is highly annoying to have to restart my computer everytime I use an external drive, digital camera, etc. In the age of plug-and-play, one would assume that Apple had their act together when Jaguar launched. When I looked for a solution on the Apple Support website, they suggested a restart to solve this problem, which as I explained is a
very temporary solution. In my opinion, this is equivalent to using a band-aid to cover a wound that needs stitches. Apple needs to offer a permanent solution that doesn't involve buying a newer version of Mac OS.
On a related note, in my search for solutions to the drag/drop problem, I found an application that supposedly fixes it, called Dragster. It was once available as freeware from If/Then Software (ifthensoft.com). Unfortunately, the app is no longer available as a stand-alone download, and more importantly, is no longer free. IfThenSoft has made it part of a software package, which is available via PayPal, for around $5 US. Unfortunately, I have no use for the other apps, and do not wish to shell out my hard-earned money on an app that (1) used to be free and (2) will have an unknown effect on my computer and may not even solve the problem.
So if anyone has any comments, additions and/or suggestions to this highly agitating, all-encompassing problem with OS 10.2, please feel free to leave some input, because those of us suffering with this issue could use all the help we can get.