I've opined before on the kneejerk need MANY Windows users have to dispense with the windows part of Windows (the BEST part) and run EVERYTHING full screen. I consider it a sign of mental defect. I've got stronger words, but one of my bosses is one of these people, so we will avoid defining JUST how cretinous I find the whole practice.
At any rate, I have two monitors (hopefully, soon to be three) on my main computer and I frequently have LOTS of windows open, all laid out so I will always be able to see a bit of a corner of all of my windows. I rarely use the task bar at all. And I have my file manager (Current choice, xplorer2) open and visible just about ALL of the time. Firefox is usually fairly visible too. And spreadsheets and calibre (book management software -- possibly the greatest piece of software ever written) each get their own windows too. I FREQUENTLY drag stuff from one window to another ... or to the desktop. Even on my single-monitor windows, I rarely use full-screen mode unless I am running only one app. I always have a sliver of the desktop open on the left.
In other words, I use the WINDOWS feature of Windows.
But every fly has a desert to ruin. One of the things I used to STILL have to do was to click on a window and SCROLL to where I wanted to be, to do something. Or read something. THEN I would have to click back to the window I was typing on or was going to become a source for some dragging operation. And then, and only then, I could continue on about my business. I learned to live with it because, after all, what other option did I have?
Glad you asked too. Wizmouse from Antibody Software.
A small (miniscule really at 768KB) FREE download (although donations are always welcome) and a quick install later, and you now can scroll through just about ANY window with your scroll wheel. EVEN INACTIVE ONES. If you can see part of the window, you SCROLL that part of the window. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
So, what's the big deal?
Welllllll, try scrolling through two spreadsheets without have to click back and forth. Now possible. Two different treelists in different explorers. Two? How about trying to look and visually compare THREE of anything?
Look, this is a case of 'Flatland' come to life. Because flatlanders can't even THINK of the idea of 'up', they can't even comprehend of the wonders of what 'up' would entail. Until you've TRIED Wizmouse and then discovered how it makes operations you didn't even KNOW could be made easier, easier, you won't believe me. Just give it a try.
What's a few KILObytes of memory in the modern gigabyte (soon to be terabyte, on the way to petabyte) world?
No comments:
Post a Comment