How do you use your interface?

chych

I'm curious to know how other people manage their windows and interfaces in OS X and what custom UI programs are used, as we all vary some way in this.



What I regularly do/use:

- Bind one of my mouse buttons to cmd + h = hide so I can instantly hide programs I am not currently using

- Use the dock as an application switcher (pinned on the left side, only contains programs that are running)

- Use Launchbar for opening apps (and bind a key on the keyboard to call launchbar)

- Menumeters to show net, disk, cpu activity

- PTH clock to display everything I could possibly know about the time (just in case I forget the year )

- Meteorologist (display weather)

- Use classic window management (so when you click on one window of an app, all pop up)

- Bind an F key on the keyboard to pull up a finder window and go menu shortcuts to go to common folders (ie cmd+shift+a for applications)

- Traverse finder windows in column view and switch to list view if needed (via cmd+2, cmd+3)

- Bind an F key to open terminal, itunes, itunes functions (play, stop, etc via synergy)

- Use gestures for browsing web pages (cocoa gestures)

- Copy/Paste in the finder; wish they added a 'cut' type option

- Spring loaded folders



What I don't really use:

- Minimize windows (never)

- Use cmd + tab (rarely)

- Exposé (occasionally)

- Virtual desktops (I've tried it several times but I did not think it increased my efficiency at window manipulating)

- Icon view in finder (takes too much time to use for me)

- Zooming/maximize windows (too windows like)



So all this I find make me most efficient at using Aqua.

So, anyone want to share?

placebo

I really never minimize either, Exposé takes care of clutter. (I use F1, 2, and 3, not the standard set)



I have my Applications folder in my dock, so everything's just a click away, same with my Home.

dfiler

Interesting... I too never use the minimize functionality. This was true even before the advent of exposé. Instead I tended to use keyboard combos like command-tab and command-~ along with carefully overlapped windows. This wasn't intentional, it just evolved to this point naturally or subconsciously. Now, exposé via a mouse scroll wheel click has replaced much of my old workflow.



(In other news, i love how option-e functions now. The yellow highlight is great!)

code master

I still don't have panther, but I too never use minimize. In 9 I used to use windowshade, but now I use the same overlapping window scheme as dfiler and the dock (on the right) to quickly swtich between apps. I have a 'suite' of about 10 basic apps that I leave running all the time.



In the Finder I have two column view windows showing about 5 columns and that is all I use for file browsing. Though this pic is a little old, it shows the kinda style I have set up:

http://24.222.189.33/etc/desktop20030503.tiff



-Code Master

dmband0026

Quote:

Originally posted by Placebo

I really never minimize either, Exposé takes care of clutter. (I use F1, 2, and 3, not the standard set)



I have my Applications folder in my dock, so everything's just a click away, same with my Home.

I never minimize either, seems to be a common theme. I can really only remember one instance when I used it in all the years I've had OS X. I use cmd-H to hide everything I don't want in the way. I use cmd-tab all the time. Instead of having applications or my home folder in the dock I just use cmd-shift-a (applications) or cmd-shift-h (home folder). Easier for me, I don't have to move the mouse all over, it's a lot quicker too.

giant

15" powerbook



I use desktop manager to have 5 desktops that run apps in. Always running ones that I need to periodically check run in the first two, and the other three I work in. For instance, on the most recent layout project I would have indesign always open on one and used the other two for things like photoshop and illustrator and used one of the other ones to preview the pdf after every export. By doing it this way I can just pop between apps very quickly without thinking about it and without clutter on the screen. Safari usually has it's own desktop so I can just hop over to it when I need to.



I minimize and hold windows in the dock all the time. I don't like have a bunch of layered windows on the screen, so if something is not being used, down it goes.



Menumeters is a must. I use classic all the time so that's up in the menu bar as well.



Dock is on right with every single application. I often work on a couple of things at once, so I never know what I need. I drop documents onto app icons, so having them in the dock is good. Because there are so many apps the dock very thin and long, making it take up as little screen space as possible.



I do not use cmd-tab, though the desktops do somewhat the same thing without having layers of windows.



This workflow might change once I can switch expose to use ctrl-option-x/c/v

dmband0026

Quote:

Originally posted by Code Master

I still don't have panther, but I too never use minimize. In 9 I used to use windowshade, but now I use the same overlapping window scheme as dfiler and the dock (on the right) to quickly swtich between apps. I have a 'suite' of about 10 basic apps that I leave running all the time.



In the Finder I have two column view windows showing about 5 columns and that is all I use for file browsing. Though this pic is a little old, it shows the kinda style I have set up:

http://24.222.189.33/etc/desktop20030503.tiff



-Code Master

What kind of weather program do you have, I have one but it sucks. Yours looked good. Private message me if you get the chance.

bigc

I use WindowShade and have assigned my scroll wheel button to Expose. Use to hide windows but on a 23" ACD it too far to move the mouse all the time.