No, i guess i should do that. I still dont know if i'm going to buy an apple, because i really really like follow focus. I guess i can run X on osX, but i havent tried it, so i dont know how good that is.

To my knowledge you can get this behaviour in windows by 3.party utilities, but i might be wrong, as i dont use windows either.

I dont think XFree will be included into Darwin, because X has quite a different look and feel than osX does, and i think apple likes to have a tight controll. Besides, if they included X, then application programmers might start to make X applications for osX, and not Carbon/Cocoa.


JonB

Timeline:

Post 1) Q: can it be done?

Post 2) A: no

Post 3) question is repeated

Post 4) answer repeated

Post 5) original poster opens up the conversation to opinion.

Nuff said.

I still think it is stupid apple didnt give people the choice.
I toke offence because of the words you used about a feature i like very much.



JonB

ponyhest,

Yes, you started this thread, but let's make it clear:

Nobody owns it.

So, let's "focus", as anybody can state his opinion as long as he is not abusing others.

What I learned from what you said is: you don't even own a mac and you are already angry with apple:
I would say your love affair with Macintosh started in the wrong foot.

Maybe, it would be better that you consider to stay where you are right now. As there you can enjoy 'follow focus'.


Cheers...

Well, maybe i should just buy a PC. The point is i think apple makes some nice hardware, and i would like to have that hardware. And since osX is made for the hardware, i might as well run osX as it would properly support the features better.

So, i wondered if i could get the mouse feature i liked. I guess i cant. So i guess i'll have to write to apple and suggest they make it.




JonB

Sao: I agree with you 100%. :cool:

I'd encourage people to take a brief refresher course on the terms you agreed to when you joined here.

I may or may not 'own' a thread, but I'll sure manage them if I need to.

Like Craig said, it couldn't hurt to ask.

BTW, you can still own a Mac and enjoy 'follow focus' if you install XFree86 and use fullscreen mode in X11. And switch between systems easily.

Yes, and Apple makes nice hardware and some nice sofware too, you will be impressed with iDVD, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, etc.

Good luck.


Cheers...

PS: But, please whatever you do, don't buy a PC. You will have to live with that decision for the rest of your life.

hmm, i guess i should ask a dealer to demonstrate X running ontop of osX, i'm just afraid that if i try it, i leave the store with an iBook ;-D

Yes, the iTools are kind of nice, i've seen them demonstrated, and they make good use of the hardware, thats another reason i'm considering it.



JonB
ps: :-) nice ps

Check out CodeTek VirtualDesktop. I haven't tried it but it lists "Focus follows mouse support" in the "What's new in this version" list.

Erik

Oh man you're the best :) This seems to do exactly what i want. So it seems osX has support for follow focus after all. Though through a 3. party add on, which i have to pay for :/ (i'm from linux, and thus not used to pay for software). I guess i can now safely buy a iBook, and just add those 20$ to the
price, and i've got what i want :) :) :)



JonB
ps: it's because of posts like Erik that i'm still sticking arround

The functionality provided by VirtualDesktop isn't true focus follows mouse. Front window follows mouse is a popular branch of the original sloppy cursor control, but it's not quite the original thing.

Back when I started the original thread, the focus follows mouse support I was talking about was specifically the focus, not the window ordering. If a large window was in front and overlapped a smaller window in the background, you could move the mouse over the smaller window and it was get focus but it wouldn't come to the foreground.

...

what do you mean by "front window follows mouse" and "sloppy coursor control"?

I was talking just about focus too, not raising or lowering of windows.



JonB

The VirtualDesktop utility just raises a window if the mouse is over it. That isn't focus follows mouse (aka: sloppy cursor control). In true focus follows mouse control, if you place the mouse over a window, it won't come to the foreground, it will just get focus.

Okay, but the raised window does get focus, right ??
I could live with that, because i rarely have my windows overlap anyway.



JonB

I don't even know what this thread is about, but Focus Layer X apeared on macupdate today...

You may now resume the flame fest.

Program: Mousigator 0.5.5
Licence: Shareare

Description: Mousigator is a system extension that implements cursor focusing for the MacOS. Cursor focusing is activating a window, bringing it to the front, by just moving the cursor over the window; you don't have to click in it. This can be useful to help reduce those mouse-induced stress injuries.

NOTE: Only runs on OS9

Website
http://www.shack.org/zzhumphreyt/mousigator

MacUpdate
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/1989

Mousigator :)
 

i hope they port it to OSX


JonB

Codetek VirtualDesktop 2.0 offers this option.

It works like a charm.

DahDee

cooool :)
 

thanks for telling me :)