Two useful utilities
Iâve been using a couple of terribly handy wee apps recently.
- Virtual Desktop. When I used Linux extensively, one of the things I most loved about the window managers was the virtual desktops. Enlightenment had a particularly beautiful one (though a bit memory hungry), which rendered the windows in the pager. When I moved to MacOS X, I missed using a hotkey to flip to my terminals or email window. So when I saw Virtual Desktop in beta, I applied to become a beta tester. I liked it, but the first release still had a few rough edges, so I didnât get it. Browsing around recently, I had a look at the most recent version and found that they had improved it immensely. Iâm not sure I could be without it now. I have 9 virtual desktops to flip between, and Iâve set up certain apps to open their windows on a particular desktop. There are multiple ways to change desktops or get to certain windows; by clicking on the window in the pager, using a hotkey (I have mine tied to the function keys), or by using the menubar. Itâs much tidier and easier than selectively hiding windows, and I find that by grouping things by function (web, office, email, documents, pim etc.) I can focus on the task Iâm doing better.
- Pith. As in âhelmetâ, not âtaking theâ. Iâm a convert to Safari, but like legions of others, I miss Chimeraâs/Mozillaâs tabs. While Apple decides whether or not tabbed interfaces contravene their HID guidlines, Iâm using Pith. It isnât a perfect replacement for tabs, but it works very well. There was hint on MacOSXHints about using Pith in conjunction with FullScreenSafari.ape which stops Safari from splurging new windows all over the screen. I like my windows to be all tidily lined up at the screen edge. And, no, I donât iron my socks.
