Black background - no distractions?

[capitalj]

Cool. Very nice "Getting Started" pdf.

I like how the illuminated app's icon appears in Think's icon.

[Mikey-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by capitalj Cool. Very nice "Getting Started" pdf. I like how the illuminated app's icon appears in Think's icon.

Thanks. Everyone in the office seems to like that little touch.

[ksudvm2b]

Awesome program. Thanks Mikey-San.

[lxmorj]

I prefer to be able to use as much of my computer as possible with strictly the keyboard. Would it be possible to have the first icon highlighted when you hit command+control+return, and use the arrow keys to scroll back and forth, and finally another return to select the desired app?

[Mikey-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by lxmorj I prefer to be able to use as much of my computer as possible with strictly the keyboard. Would it be possible to have the first icon highlighted when you hit command+control+return, and use the arrow keys to scroll back and forth, and finally another return to select the desired app?

This is something on the board for a future update.

What I find myself doing is actually a mix of OS X and Think: I command-tab to an application, then I hit command-option-tab to illuminate it immediately, rather than going back to Think at all!

[halbtuerke]

Hi,

I really like the app but it's not compatible with virtuedesktops.
Is there any possibility that Think will work with virtuedesktops?

Thanks in advance

[ArcticStones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mikey-San What I find myself doing is actually a mix of OS X and Think: I command-tab to an application, then I hit command-option-tab to illuminate it immediately, rather than going back to Think at all!

Yeah, these shortkey commands work really well. I don’t lose any time switching back and forth between apps if I wish to fetch or check something.

In other words, my train of thought is undisturbed. And to me that is the whole point of this. Fewer distractions, a far more fluid and well-directed creative process.

Thanx!

[Mikey-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by halbtuerke Hi, I really like the app but it's not compatible with virtuedesktops. Is there any possibility that Think will work with virtuedesktops? Thanks in advance

Probably not, both for technical reasons and user experience reasons. Using Think to block out multiple desktops breaks the concept of having multiple desktops in the first place.

[dsjkvf]

sorry to say that, but does it do something different from BackDrop? as i see from screenshots, it doesn't even hide menubar, which certainly does distract you -- just look at that Gmail icon! :). so, Backdrop & MenuShade together with a little AppleScript (if you want, e.g., to automate launching) seems for me to be even a better solution.

but may be i'm missing something? and may be Think has some additional functionality? (i personally haven't tested it yet since there are no macs around now).

[indraunt]

Few ideas...
-Pushing the curser against the left or right edge of the screen will switch the focused app.
-Notifications... perhaps tied into growl... It'd be nice if it would display notifications somewhere (selectable location), that you could click on to change the focus... also allow it to be set so that notifications stay until clicked - sometimes I might be working on something and get an email which growl will tell me about, however, because I am working on something I ignore it... unfortunately by the time I'm finished with what I'm doing I've forgotten about the email.

[Mikey-San]

A friendly public service announcement for people coming into the thread now that Think is getting press:

There was a lot of discussion in this thread prior to 1.0. Remember to read all of it before posting.

indraunt: Make sure to check out the hot keys. They make switching around a little nicer. I'm still thinking about ways to improve the "switch illumination" process for future releases, though.

[Simon Ocean]

Congrats Mickey-San,

Think is now on MacUpdate!!!

[ArcticStones]

.
And well deserved!
It works beautifully and I can’t think of a single improvement.
Sharpens my focus when I need it, every day.

ArcticStones

[dsjkvf]

in other words, nobody can summarize Think!'s advantages (hey, Mikey, of course i've looked through the thread before posting, just as you said in your first today's posting, which is deleted now ).

however, from my side i can say that i've also tested the software already and didn't seem to find anything special. but it's ok, of cousre; some people just like the bright package .

[ArcticStones]

Quote: Originally Posted by dsjkvf in other words, nobody can summarize Think!'s advantages

Well, it seems to me that I focus on precisely that in posts 1, 7, 23 and 87. As do other posters. Appearantly the question that posed when I started this thread started the ball rolling. The obvious advantage is that it mutes distractions so that one can focus on the task at hand.

I am a professional copywriter, and I benefit from that every day. I suspect it will be the same for many other people. Mikey-San’s application is a big help.

Advantages? The app name and the fitting pay-off say it all.
I don’t understand what’s unclear...

[Mikey-San]

Quote: Originally Posted by Simon Ocean Congrats Mickey-San, Think is now on MacUpdate!!!

MacUpdate has automatic bots and editors that pick these things up. Ditto Version Tracker. No biggie there.

However, today it's hit Ars Technica, Digg, Daring Fireball, Lifehacker, and at least a dozen Mac sites. Not too shabby.

As far as advantages, I suppose I'll chime in, seeing as how I designed it. I'm going to keep it short, though, so as not to junk up the thread.

Some people like to focus this way sometimes. I didn't like how similar apps felt, so when I saw this thread, I wrote my own. I believe that its workflow is designed well. (You should see my design goals sheet.) That's it.

This happens to me daily now:

Workworkwork while focused on an app. I need something from Mail or iChat or whatever. I bring it forward for a moment. Then I hit command-control-return to throw it (and anything else I brought forward) to the background again and return to isolation.

And then I say to myself, "This has changed my workflow."

Your mileage may vary. Everyone's different.

[ThreeBKK]

I've just tried your Think application, and I'm very fond of it. I like the effect that it has, almost like pulling a curtain around yourself in a photo-booth.

One thing that I would like to see tweaked is this: When clicking on the backdrop, the active window flickers. It would be nice to be able to delay the return of the window until mouse-up. That would be more in keeping with how the Dock icons and Finder icons work. They don't actually register a click until the mouse button is released.

I might also like to see the transparent control panel totally disappear after x number of seconds. That would also mirror the functionality in Apple's Slideshow and DVD Player.

Speaking of DVD Player, how about a vertical option for the controller for those of us with tiny 12" monitors?

I'm guessing that one or more of these issues has already been covered in this post, so please forgive me.

[ThreeBKK]

It would also be great to be able to store a small number of (maybe 4-6) swatches directly on the Think controller. That would eliminate the need to open Apple's hideous, but very functional color picker.

Two thumbs up for bringing this to us and the rest of the Mac community.

[dsjkvf]

ArcticStones,

as i said in my posting #89, i'm not asking for a description of Think, but i was just curious what's so exciting and new about it, comparing to BackDrop & MenuShade, which were so nicely mentioned in the posting #3.

and if i can say my HO, then i personally see no preferences for Think. even more, i see the obvious disadvantage, since Think does not mute all the information coming from the menubar -- your Google Notifiers, Adium information, etc, etc.

so, that was the point of two my messages above. how do you say? "i don’t understand what’s unclear..." .

[ArcticStones]

.
Ah, clearly I’ve misunderstood you, Dsjkvf. I was noting the advantages relative to my own workflow.

Mikey-San released the first version of Think within a few hours of my first post. I was most impressed! Already then it fulfilled what I had in mind -- and more so. And so I myself have not compared Think to other software out there.

I spoke of Think’s advantages on its own merits.