diff --git a/build/macosx/dist.sh b/build/macosx/dist.sh
index e151232b5..f5e467662 100755
--- a/build/macosx/dist.sh
+++ b/build/macosx/dist.sh
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ then
   # old 4 char version.. osx only uses the two chars
   #REVISION=`head -c 4 ../../todo.txt`
   # a more useful version of head than what's included with osx
-  #REVISION=`head -c 4 ../../todo.txt | tail -c 2`
+  SHORT_REVISION=`head -c 4 ../../todo.txt | tail -c 2`
   REVISION=`head -c 4 ../../todo.txt`
 else
   # can't get four bytes of head (osx doesn't support -c)
@@ -102,9 +102,18 @@ find processing -name "CVS" -exec rm -rf {} ';'
 
 # zip it all up for release
 #mv processing "Processing $REVISION"
-mv processing "processing-$REVISION"
+#mv processing "processing-$REVISION"
+NICE_FOLDER="Processing $SHORT_REVISION"
+DMG_NAME="processing-$REVISION"
+mv processing "$NICE_FOLDER"
 
 #stuff -f sitx processing-$REVISION
+#WHERE=`pwd`
+chmod +x mkdmg
+#./mkdmg $WHERE/processing-$REVISION
+#./mkdmg processing-$REVISION
+./mkdmg "$NICE_FOLDER" "Processing"
+mv "$NICE_FOLDER.dmg" "$DMG_NAME.dmg"
 
 # if there is a command line tool to make a dmg from this dir.. hmm
 
diff --git a/build/macosx/mkdmg b/build/macosx/mkdmg
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..c5d0516dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/macosx/mkdmg
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+#!/bin/zsh
+
+# from http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/apme/archive/
+# (c) 1994-2005 Amit Singh
+# with modifications for p5 build process by fry
+
+PATH=/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
+SCRATCH=/tmp/.mkdmg.$$
+
+# Output
+#
+croak()
+{
+    echo -n "\n$1"
+}
+
+# Clean up
+#
+halt()
+{
+    rm -rf $SCRATCH
+    # defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop 1
+    # chkerror
+    # FINDERPID=`ps -auxwww | grep Finder.app | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2}'`
+    # chkerror
+    # kill -HUP $FINDERPID 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    # chkerror
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Check return status and bail out on error
+#
+chkerror()
+{
+    if [ $? -ne 0 ]
+    then
+        halt
+    fi
+}
+
+main()
+{
+
+    # Check if exactly one command line argument was specified
+    #
+    if [ $ARGC -ne 1 ]
+    then
+        echo "usage: mkdmg <file|directory>"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    # Check if the specified file/directory exists
+    #
+    if [ ! -e $1 ]
+    then
+        echo "*** $1 does not exist."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    # changed these around a bit [fry]
+    DEST=`pwd`
+    SRC=$DEST/$1
+    NAME=`basename $SRC`
+    NAME="$NAME"
+    VOLNAME=$2
+
+    # don't add 'archive' to the end of the name [fry]
+    #ARCH="$NAME Archive" 
+    ARCH="$NAME"
+
+    echo -n "Using source $SRC"
+
+    # Change directory to a scratch location
+    #
+    cd /tmp
+
+    # Create a scratch directory
+    #
+    mkdir $SCRATCH
+    croak "Creating temporary directory $SCRATCH"
+
+    # Estimate how much space is needed to archive the file/folder
+    #
+    SIZE=`du -s -k $SRC | awk '{print $1}'`
+    chkerror
+    SIZE=`expr 5 + $SIZE / 1000`
+    chkerror
+    croak "Using $SIZE MB"
+
+    # Create a disk image, redirecting all output to /dev/null
+    #
+    hdiutil create "$SCRATCH/$ARCH.dmg" -volname "$VOLNAME" -megabytes $SIZE -type SPARSE -fs HFS+ 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    chkerror
+    croak "$SCRATCH/$ARCH.dmg created"
+
+    # Optionally disable display of removable media on Desktop
+    # 
+    # defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop 0
+    # chkerror
+    # FINDERPID=`ps -auxwww | grep Finder.app | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2}'`
+    # chkerror
+    # kill -HUP $FINDERPID 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    # chkerror
+    #
+
+    # Mount sparse image
+    #
+    hdid $SCRATCH/$ARCH.dmg.sparseimage 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    chkerror
+    croak "$SCRATCH/$ARCH.dmg.sparseimage attached"
+   
+    # Find out allocated device
+    #
+    DEV=`mount | grep "Volumes/$ARCH" | awk '{print $1}'`
+    croak "Device in use is $DEV"
+
+    # Use ditto to copy everything to the image, preserving resource forks
+    #
+    # copy the contents, don't make another folder inside [fry]
+    ditto -rsrcFork $SRC "/Volumes/$ARCH/$NAME" 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    #ditto -rsrcFork $SRC "/Volumes/$ARCH" 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    chkerror
+    croak "Copied $SRC to /Volumes/$ARCH/$NAME"
+
+    # Detach the disk image
+    hdiutil detach $DEV 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    chkerror
+    croak "$DEV detached"
+
+    # Compress the image (maximum compression)
+    hdiutil convert "$SCRATCH/$ARCH.dmg.sparseimage" -format UDZO -o "/tmp/$ARCH.dmg" -imagekey zlib-devel=9 2>/dev/null >/dev/null
+    chkerror
+    croak "Disk image successfully compressed"
+
+    #croak "/tmp/$ARCH.dmg is ready"
+    # move the folder to the destination place [fry]
+    mv /tmp/$ARCH.dmg $DEST/
+
+    echo
+
+    halt
+}
+
+main $1
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 397638562..6fe8e557b 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ X resize box intrudes on the scroller for the console area
 X   need to set grow boxes intruding to false
 X   1.3 version (deprecated): -Dcom.apple.mrj.application.growbox.intrudes=false
 X   1.4 version: -Dapple.awt.showGrowBox=false
+X add mkdmg script to macosx build process
+X   could significantly speed things up
 
 X put 'play' on a SwingWorker thread
 _   test this on a pc to see how it goes, especially with opengl
@@ -49,6 +51,8 @@ _   need to pay attention to when running from read-only drive
 _     reported by brandenberg
 _    "p5 will launch from the disk image, but will 
 _     not draw the sketch name bar doesn't appear"
+_ includes preferences.txt option to write to p5 folder first
+_   this can be altered by instructors and re-packaged
 
 _ bring back "rename" ?
 
@@ -538,8 +542,6 @@ DISTRIBUTION / Mac OS X
 1 _     right now, typing works, but no caret, no blue highlight
 1 _     and on second find run, should instead select all the find string
 1 _       so that typing will replace it directly
-b _ add mkdmg script to macosx build process
-b _   could significantly speed things up
 b _ set nice background for disk image on macosx
 1 _ test more to see if runtime exceptions are coming through
 1 _ track down error in PdeCompiler for message parsing