Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Productivity
Switch applications in OS X just like you did in OS 9
by Jay Hathaway May 22nd 2009 at 1:00PM
If you were a Mac user during the pre-OS X days, back when the Dock was a twinkle in a UI designer's eye, you remember switching applications via the menubar. Open applications would all be listed, and you could select one to make it active, as well as selectively hiding and showing your apps. If that's the way you like your interface, you should check out ASM and multiXFinder. These two apps offer OS 9-style app switching functionality, and there's not much different between them, except that ASM costs money and mutliXFinder is open source. One advantage ASM has is the ability to drill down and use each app's menu items, just like right-clicking on an icon in the OS X Dock. That's definitely useful, but leaving it out is an old-school touch that classic Mac OS aficionados can probably deal with.
[via Macworld Mac Gems]
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The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sienna Connolly said 3:20PM on 5-22-2009
I've always liked this way of switching between open windows. I use it in Ubuntu with the window selector applet. It's such a good use of space.
I still don't get the point of any dock implementation I've seen. From the OS-X dock, through to Cairo dock and AWN. This article is quite illuminating
http://www.asktog.com/columns/044top10docksucks.html
The main problems I have with docks are that they take up too much valuable space and they mean you have to find launchers rather than always navigating to the same place for the same thing. There's a UI term for that which I forget right now. OK they are bling (especially Cairo dock) but they get in the way.
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Sienna Connolly said 3:27PM on 5-22-2009
Maybe I should clarify the space thing. If you hide the dock, then it doesn't use up space when it's not open but it does add a screen area that you learn to avoid with your mouse (most of the time) and when it's up you have to move a great distance with the pointer to get from one thing to another in comparison with more space saving UI navigation means like the one in the article.
sodapop said 7:33PM on 5-23-2009
There is also a free app called ParaDocks that uses the menu bar. I've had it installed since I switched from 9 to OS X.
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