The Slideshow framework in Mac OS X 10.4 ("Tiger") is quite useful — and quite difficult to customize. For one thing, one must edit an obscure textfile (outside the purview of Apple's standard plist/defaults system) found at /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Slideshow.framework if you want to change anything (The file is called SlideshowConfig.data, and is found in the Resources directory of the framework. Though the domain (aka "bundle identifier" or "bundle ID") of the Slideshow framework is com.apple.slideshow, creating such a domain containing settings which should override those found in SlideshowConfig.data has no effect.

You can try it by: $> defaults write com.apple.slideshow this that
which should create com.apple.slideshow.plist in you user library, containing a junk key-value pair you can delete using Property List Editor. Now you can copy settings from SlideshowConfig.data into the new plist and alter them to your heart's content: nothing at all will happen.

If anyone knows how to make Slideshow respect per-user defaults, do please let me know. It doesn't seem to be dealt with by Apple (since it is, after all, a private framework), or anyone else, for that matter.

• Remove Preview's slideshow controller graphics (or, one could simply drag the controller bezel to the corner of the screen and leave only a pixel or so showing . . .)
• Modify some slideshow panel settings (Get your SlideshowConfig.data feet wet.)
• Modify the slideshow navigation panel's settings (more about SlideshowConfig.data)