Do you have a 3D video card and Vista? Have you never used OSX? Then listen up!
As any of my regular readers know by now, I now consider my favorite DESKTOP operating system to be OSX. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate or have a use for the other big 2 OS’s, Windows and Linux. I use Linux for all my server environments and Windows at work. In keeping with being well versed in all three platforms, I have been playing with Vista by forcing myself to get familiar with it on my laptop. One of the things about OSX that I have really gotten to like and rely on for task switching is Exposé. As well as looking cool, it’s extremely functional and with my five button Microsoft mouse I can very quickly and efficiently switch tasks as I need to.
I don’t know about you all, but I find the stock 3D task switching functionality built into Vista, called Flip-3D, to be inefficient and slower than Exposé. What’s with having to cycle through all the windows to get back to the one you want?
Despite the new 3D looks, Flip-3D task switching is so cassette tape in a world of DVD and Exposé. Having said that, I found a most worthy program that leverages the new Vista display driver model and makes it’s own Exposé switching system. What’s it called? Why “Switcher” of course!
Like OSX, this feature is optimal for my uses only when the mouse that I am using has a thumb button that allows me to switch windows without having to resort to the keyboard to do the switch. Even in OSX I have trouble making use of the F9 function keys if I have to - CMD-TAB or ALT-TAB in the Windows world work so much faster if I have to use the keyboard.
I have found when configuring Vista and Switcher to work together with the extra mouse buttons that it can be challenging to find a key combination that you can set so that both work well. I use OEM+~ to activate Switcher using the keyboard, and then this combination is what you will have to set your custom mouse software to work with so that a button press emulates this key combination. Perhaps in a future version the author will consider adding extra mouse button activation options.
I have found this free software to be indispensible as an OSX user moving to Vista for the time being. Everyone who uses Vista should download the software and give it a try. You’ll be glad you did. Note: I have no affiliation with the author other than I love his software…
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[…] found this Digg story on how to have a Expose wannabee right in Vista (if your that type of person).read more | digg story […]
[…] witty banter › Windows Vista + Switcher = Exposé functionality: I don’t know about you all, but I find the stock 3D task switching functionality built into Vista, called Flip-3D, to be inefficient and slower than Exposé. What’s with having to cycle through all the windows to get back to the one you want?Switcher mid-switch Despite the new 3D looks, Flip-3D task switching is so cassette tape in a world of DVD and Exposé. Having said that, I found a most worthy program that leverages the new Vista display driver model and makes it’s own Exposé switching system. What’s it called? Why “Switcher” of course! […]
[…] Mac OS X desde 2005. Año en el cual Exposé fue también introducido, funcionalidad que se rumora fue copiada para Vista en la interfaz de cambio de ventanas. La funcionalidad al que el autor se debe estar refiriendo es […]
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