IDEA: Window 'momentum'

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I was just thinking the other day, after playing Defend Your Fortress on addictinggames.com for the 50,000th time, how cool it would be if windows in Mac OS X had momentum: that is, instead of manually dragging a window from one side of the screen to the other, you could 'fling' it across, that is grab on, twitch your mouse, and let go. There would be multiple parameters, such as friction and whether windows would bounce against the sides of your screen.





Thoughts?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    There was an extension in OS 9 that would allow you to do that with icons. They would be grabbed at the point of your cursor while holding the command key, and then would be free only under the influence of gravity as you let the mouse go and still held command. It was very cool!



    http://www.wildbits.com/gravite/
  • Reply 2 of 15
    That is an awesome idea. It would look incredible with Quartz Extreme. As always, it should be able to be disabled, as different people have different preferences.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    Expose attempts to do this. But I would like this feature to get pleasure in flinging windows out of the way. Use feedback to recommend it to Apple.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    costiquecostique Posts: 1,084member
    You just don't know what you're talking about. What if you apply too much force and the window flies out of the monitor? How are you supposed to bring it back, not to mention broken furniture?



  • Reply 5 of 15
    johnqjohnq Posts: 2,763member
    Gravité was great fun.



    Wasn't there a similar extension that angled windows based on where the mouse is in the titlebar? So the center of gravity was set to the cursor position?



    I forget...
  • Reply 6 of 15
    That would be sooooo kick @$$! Sign me up. Think about it- I'd use that for stress relief! Do that with a photoshop window with your boss in it!! WOOOHOOO!
  • Reply 7 of 15
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    You shouldn't be able to throw the window out of the viewable area: it should bounce of the edge.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    That would be an awesome feature, I don't think Apple would ad it but possible by a third party hack. Perhaps if somebody wrote a haxie.



    Say you could set it to fling against the screen and sorta bounce back if it went to far and only half the window was hanging out the screen.



    Could you image Steve showing this off at MacWorld... Giving it the steve effect (slomo)
  • Reply 9 of 15
    stoostoo Posts: 1,490member
    Of course, for regular use having to move your windows i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y would be annoying and impractical.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Stoo

    You shouldn't be able to throw the window out of the viewable area: it should bounce of the edge.



    Naw, it should stick, ala Fire chat windows.



    Love that feature.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    They should be crushed, like a car hitting a wall at 60 mph. **crunch**
  • Reply 12 of 15
    A beta build of Jaguar had a fling-and-stick option for minimized windows, didn't it?
  • Reply 13 of 15
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by LudwigVan

    A beta build of Jaguar had a fling-and-stick option for minimized windows, didn't it?



    It was called "minimize in place". It shrunk, but not into the dock; just where it was onscreen.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    It was called "minimize in place". It shrunk, but not into the dock; just where it was onscreen.



    I should have clarified my post further. "Minimize in place" I do recall; I meant taking those small windows and tossing them against the side of the screen/desktop, where they would stick. I would have sworn I saw a QuickTime capture of this phenomena back in the day. In fact, it may have been one of Brad's posted videos.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    It was called "minimize in place". It shrunk, but not into the dock; just where it was onscreen.



    I've wanted that feature ever since I saw Exposé for the first time, and now I find that they actually implemented it once? Put it back! Put it back!
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