defaults write com.apple.iChat EnableDataDetectors 1

If you’re luck enough to work on dual 30-inch monitors, this probably isn’t a big concern for you…but on my 12-inch PowerBook G4, for instance, with its 1,024×768 screen, the help window becomes pretty much the only thing I can see. Even on a larger screen, having to move the always-floating help window out of the way all the time is a real pain.

Thankfully, Apple included a hidden preference to change this behavior—I don’t know if it was in the original 10.5 release, but I know for sure it’s in both OS X 10.5.2 and 10.5.3. To set 10.5’s help windows to “non floating” mode, open Terminal and enter this command:

You won’t, however, be able to use Command-Tab or the dock to bring this window to the foreground; you’ll have to click on it. In 10.5, the help program is a faceless background application, so it doesn’t appear in either the Dock or Command-Tab program switcher. Hopefully, we’ll see a return to the old-fashioned help system, including full Command-Tab and Dock access, in a future OS X update. Until then, though, this fix gets rid of the most annoying “improvement” in the 10.5 help system.